Red Robin

This post was last updated October 1, 2017

The last restaurant we ate at for dinner on our east coast history road trip was Red Robin.  I chose Red Robin for several reasons.  We were stopping in Mooresville, North Carolina for the night, where we lived for two years, and Red Robin is less than a mile from our old house.  In fact, we used to eat here pre-celiac, before we moved to Orlando.  We have eaten at the Red Robin in Winter Garden, but it's about a 30 minute drive from our house, so we have only gone once.  They also have a restaurant on International Drive in Orlando, which is not far from the theme parks.  

When I asked the hostess if they had a gluten free menu, I was given an iPad.  You can launch their allergen friendly menu here, just like the hostess did at the restaurant.  You select from a list of allergens you want to avoid.  It's pretty cool, and as their manager said, always up to date.  

My only complaint about the menu on the iPad was that I had to keep clicking back and forth between categories of food to decide what I wanted to eat.  There were a large number of gluten free options for me to choose from.  

I ended up ordering an old favorite, the bacon cheeseburger with a gluten free bun, minus the mayonnaise, and Swiss cheese instead of American cheese.  The yellow basket is used for all special diets orders.  

After taking a bite of my burger, I realized it had mayonnaise on it.  Very quickly, the manager had a new burger brought out for me.  

While I waited for my burger, I ate my steak fries with Red Robin Seasoning.  The manager told me that all Red Robin locations should now have a dedicated fryer to make steak fries and sweet potato fries for people with allergies.  If you want more fries, all you have to do is ask, because Red Robin serves bottomless fries.  

My second burger was perfect, except it needed a little seasoning, which I easily rectified at the table.  

I was shocked at how good the bun was.  I rarely eat gluten free hamburger buns at restaurants, because they are usually not very good, but this roll from French Meadow Bakery was heated perfectly, and was nice and soft like a hamburger bun should be.  Some of my blog readers have told me that some Red Robin locations use Udi's gluten free buns.  

I didn't order the sweet potato fries, but they sure looked delicious.  

If you are a frequent diner at Red Robin, you might want to join their Royalty rewards program.  You can read more about it here.

The manager I spoke to in Mooresville mentioned that every Red Robin now carries at least two gluten free beers, and they sell Woodchuck hard cider.  

You can view Red Robin's store locator here.  Using the store locator, I learned that a Red Robin will be opening soon on International Drive, which is near the theme parks. (Update -- The Red Robin on International Drive is now open)  If you go to the Winter Garden location, head over to nearby Red Mango for dessert to enjoy some certified gluten free frozen yogurt.  

October 1, 2017 Update 

Yesterday, we ate at a Red Robin for the first time in years.  Using the Find Me Gluten Free app, I saw that there was a Red Robin in Morgan Hill, California, near a store we wanted to go to, so we headed there for a late lunch.  When we were seated, I asked the hostess for their allergen free menu, but she told me that I would have to look it up on my phone.  I could not even view it on my phone, so I borrowed my husband's, but it was difficult to navigate, which I mentioned to my server.  I finally decided to ask for a manager, who brought me an iPad with the allergen free menu on it, and he discussed their allergy protocols with me.  The manager was very nice, but it took a really long time for him to come out to speak with me, so I felt bad for my family, who was hungry and ready to order.

I decided to play it safe and order a plain burger with steak fries.  My fries had no seasoning, which is not what I asked for, but we were able to add some Red Robin Seasoning at the table.  I enjoyed my fries, but the bun on my burger was not great.  I was not that impressed with the service or food at the Red Robin in Morgan Hill, so I don't think we will be dining at a Red Robin again anytime soon.  

My favorite restaurant for hamburgers and fries is D-Luxe Burger in Disney Springs, which you can read about here   Now that we live in California, we plan to go back to Disney World every summer and Thanksgiving Break, so I can get my burger fix then, or make them at home.  

What are your favorite gluten free options at Red Robin?