Outback Steakhouse "Can Do" Gluten Free

I hold some reservation on the full ability of Outback doing gluten free. Their main entree, they are know for is steak, how hard is it to make a steak safe? Well I've had issues at LongHorn Steakhouse doing a gluten free steak, and even Outback and the lack of knowledge that lays at different locations. Really dinning out relies 100% on the staff and how well trained they are, and how much management cares.

We've been to Outback a couple times at a couple different locations. I like that there is always a variety of items, including steak, chicken and seafood. My only issues each time is each location has a much different understanding of what gluten free means. I've been told that shrimp isn't safe, or Old Bay seasoning isn't safe or the cinnamon in the sweet potato, though these items are on the gluten free menu. But again training and staff knowledge. We have to go into the situation knowing our stuff and knowing when to ask questions.

The part that does make me feel a bit better was talking to a friend who worked there that told me when an allergy order comes in the cook will stop all other meal orders, clean the grill surface and work on the allergy order and then start the rest of the orders again. So props to them for having the kitchen trained, now to get the front end staff trained!

Usually asking for the manager or asking for the cooks advice helps with staff that isn't that well trained. Our last trip I got the steak and lobster tail, because my brother raved about it from his visit a few days earlier. As usual it turned into a lot of questions, and the server telling me the lobster wasn't safe.... But Finally was willing to go talk to the cook, find out if the lobster was safe (I'm Gluten Intolerant, not Shelfish intolerant....) She came back and told me it was OK. It was prepare well, the server who brought out my plate announced it as gluten free, which did make me feel better because the server made me nervous.

The food was good, but I leave feeling that I need to be extra diligent in any meal I have there, the product they offer is so simple to produce gluten free, yet it seems like such a hard question for them to answer when to talk to the staff. I would say going there is best if you're willing to really talk to them and make sure they understand gluten free instead of other issues. I give them 3 dragonflies, the process seems like it could be a lot simpler than they make it, and I don't understand what is so hard on their end.