Gluten Free Fast Food: Qdoba

Last night I was with some friends and they wanted to go to the Qdoba that is on campus, I felt unsure about ordering there so I decided to not take a chance with anything besides the chips and salsa.

I did a post a few weeks ago about Gluten Free Fast Food Menus and I wanted to add another: Qdoba. Qdoba is basically a Subway for Mexican food. I would not consider Qdoba your typical “fast food” becuase there is no drive through but it is close enough. You choose what you want and they take you through a line of toppings much like at Subway. Flour tortillas are automatically out of the question, but if the Qdoba in your area serves corn tortillas or tacos you may be in luck. I would ask the person who is preparing your food to use a new pair of gloves to avoid any cross contamination from their hands. Also, since they are taking your meal along the same path of counter as wheat tortillas I would ask them to be especially careful and place something down so there is no cross contamination. I also worry that the toppings that they use might have came in contact with some Gluten. Preparing these tacos and burritos takes a lot of hand contact and when people are reaching for toppings with the same gloves as they are touching a flour burrito is might cause problems. It might not cause problems for some though.

I would make sure to call ahead and speak to the manager and let him or her know you might be stopping in later, also ask if the meat and other toppings are Gluten free just to be safe. I am pretty sure they are safe for the most part, the most important part of your visit will be communication with the person who prepares your food. Let them know your situation and that you are needing them to wear new gloves and be careful about what your meal touches. If anyone has had an experience at Qdoba please let us know!