Wendy's Thinks No Bread Means A Few Crumbs Stuck To Bottom Of The Burger

It seems Domino’s isn’t the only fast food chain trying to figure out how exactly to deal with the challenges of its customers’ gluten intolerances. Bill writes in to relay the story of a disappointing encounter he had with Wendy’s, which is usually pretty good at working with his wife’s celiac disease. That translates to a severe sensitivity to wheat gluten, meaning, no bread. Not even a little bit.

Bill says Wendy’s is a good option for a meal on the go for his wife, because it’s got other options for a gluten-free meal, beyond the usual salad. But he thinks the staff at a local Wendy’s should be better trained at what the definition of “gluten-free” really is.

He sent the following to Wendy’s, via their online form.

My wife has a very severe allergy to wheat gluten. Because of this, Wendy’s is one of a very small number of fast food chains where she can order anything other than a salad. This evening, she ordered a single hamburger with no bun, a sweet potato and a drink along with my Baja salad. We ordered inside and asked for the meal to go.

It was brought out on a tray with the sandwich on a bun. I requested that the order be remade and reminded the staff that we asked for the sandwich without any bread. The fact that the order was mixed up did not bother me, I spent plenty of time in my youth doing similar jobs as the kids working that night and am the last person to complain about such a mistake.

What angered me is that when we were brought a “new” sandwich, it was very obviously the old sandwich with the bun removed. Every other time my wife has ordered a single with no bun, it is delivered with two slices of cheese on top and condiments on the side. The one we were given tonight had condiments smeared on top and some cheese on the bottom with bits of bread crumbs in it.

When I asked the girl behind the counter if it was the same sandwich, she looked me in the eyes and said “No, it’s been remade.”

He notes that if his wife had say, an allergy to peanuts or shellfish, eventhat small amount of those foods could have been fatal. He says he’s now going to think twice before setting foot in another Wendy’s.

Bill adds that he tried to call Wendy’s customer care hotline, but was never able to connect to a live person to complain to. He has yet to hear back from Wendy’s, but thought other readers with similar gluten intolerances might want to be aware. Always check the bottom of burgers for crumbs!

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