Fuddrucker's is a fine restaurant for gluten-free requests

Our 7-year old son Ryan, who has Celiac, was invited to a Birthday party to be held at the Fuddrucker's restaurant in Ashburn, Virginia last weekend. It was a "Lego-building" party (a 7-year-old boy's dream!) to be followed by an early dinner. We hadn't been to a Fuddrucker's in years and kept meaning to look into how they were able to accommodate gluten-free requests. Most "burger places" are usually a pretty safe bet, but you always have to run through the list of questions...are the hamburgers 100% beef (or turkey, or whatever), or are any fillers used? Are the burgers grilled in a separate area from where the buns are toasted? Is the kitchen staff trained in avoiding cross contamination (with the buns, etc)? And of course...are the fries gluten free? 

I'm happy to say that when I called in advance to talk to the manager/owner, Joey Yoon, the answer to all these questions was YES, YES, YES, and YES! The burgers are 100% beef, the buns aren't toasted on the grill, and they have a dedicated fryer for the gluten-free fries (but he recommended ordering them without the seasoning that they sprinkle on after they cook the fries). I was very relieved and looked forward to taking my son to the party. 

We brought a gluten-free hamburger bun for him, and we again spoke to Joey about our gluten-free needs when we arrived at the party. Joey assured us that they handle a lot of gluten-free and other allergy requests, and they seemed to be very careful in taking our order and in all the preparations. All in all, it was a great experience...the burger was good, as were the steak fries. (And Mommy's meal of a seasoned grilled chicken sandwich and onion rings wasn't bad either, although not gluten-free!!) They also have a great fixin's bar with lettuce, tomatoes, etc. The ketchup and mustards are all Heinz brand -- and therefore gluten-free. I can't speak for all the many Fuddrucker's locations across the U.S., but I'd recommend the one in Ashburn. For all their other locations, I'd recommend calling and talking to the manager, because it is likely one more restaurant you can add to your "safe" list!