If you cannot eat gluten - what do you want from a cafe?

[Lila288]

I run a coffee shop and would like to provide more GF options aside from the usual brownies/ bars.

If you are GF what would you like to see/ what would make you return?

I will obviously be getting a separate toaster/ panini press etc and separate colour coded utensils.

My menu is quite bread heavy, think bagels/ avocado on toast/ wraps etc. I can't seem to find any suppliers that do a good GF alternative but I will keep looking.

I did try the genius bread as part of my research but it just fell apart

Also, the GF products do cost me significantly more. Would you be annoyed if the GF options were say 30/40p more than the regular items?

Thanks!

I think options that never had gluten in the first place seem tastier than ones that are 'gluten free' alternatives to dishes that normally have gluten in if that makes sense.

Good point damson I'll bear that in mind.

There's so much to learn!

Use corn flour in things that only need thickening etc. Supermarkets that add flour to a dish as the second to last ingredient onwant to say FFS!
I would rather pay extra for proper things. Most GF bread is gross as is supermarket shops cakes. Baking with GF flour is not good, but find a recipe that makes it with polenta/rice flour/almond flour/tapioca etc is much better as store bought GF flour is just potatoes and crap.
Jacket potatoes get boring and not great. Base meals around rice or roasted veg or sweet potato.

Courgette based cakes/flapjacks anything that isn’t a brownie!

Thanks for being considerate.

Oo, also mark what is GF on the menu or have a separate one, makes life easier and people eat excited. Also publicise it on your Facebook page or website. Most don’t and I won’t go there unless I know before hand.

Cold pizza works, the schar bases are good.

Agree about freezing. I do this.

I love GF shortbread! Mainly because for me having a biscuit in a cafe is the best thing ever!

Recently costa have got in the GF iced Xmas cake slices and GF mince tarts. They'd be a good marketing strategy to build up your GF custom base by advertising it.

Paninis are nice and I think it's Asda cafe that does one but please have them you can make up so customers can choose fillings - they have a premise one that's jam and cheese. Boring and useless if your a vegetarian!

Also be aware that many places offer measly amounts of GF cake etc as an alternative compared to the wheat stuff and for same price or more expensive.

An alternative to brownies or that orange and almond cake would be nice. I love a meringue with cream and fruit, and you can make a really great swiss roll (or I often just chuck it in a normal cake tin and sandwich with cream) with the Dove's Farm gf flour using this recipe: www.thespruceeats.com/traditional-french-buche-de-noel-recipe-1375219

Youare oh GF shortbread is a good idea! I'm in Scotland so shouldn't be too hard to find a baker that can do it... hopefully.

My cake supplier is dropping in some samples of GF Victoria sponge, red velvet cake and blueberry muffins tomorrow. I really hope they are nice. It's £4 extra per tray than my regular stuff though so I will have to add on 20p ish for the customer, I'll make sure it's a decent size porthole though.

Hearty soups are easy to be gluten free and won't add to the cost, make sure one is also vegan. Most the bread is horrible. Important to have multi allergy/veggie options -my friend is coeliac and dairy intolerant plus was already vegetarian - very hard in this country.

I love friands, and find them fun to make too. Usually make them with gluten free flour, and they are delicious. So many potential flavour combinations, you could change the flavour with the seasons.

GF blondies are good (as like brownies they are moist).
I like getting fried potatoes or chunky chips instead if GF bread.

Clear labelling is a huge bonus. Quite often I don’t bother to ask what’s gluten free because I feel awkward and end up hanging around for ages while people find out, and often they aren’t sure, etc. My life is so much easier if menus are labelled! It’s also good to advertise prominently eg in the window.

As pp have said, I never want to see another jacket potato or brownie as long as I live! And I hate when the gluten free option is the normal meal with bits removed - I feel like I’m paying the same but getting less.

What I’d really like is a nice sandwich or panini. Or soup with bread. Or a nice cake that isn’t bone dry! Too often cafes try to make one “allergen cake” which is free from everything, and it just ends up being a dry square of cardboard. I can eat dairy - I want a luscious cream cake! My favourite cafe does huge cream meringues and chocolate roulades that are naturally gluten free and sell well even to customers who aren’t gluten free.

My brother does an amazing GF Victoria Sponge – I think he uses Doves Farm flour. In fact, he does all sorts of lovely cakes with it.

Also please consider NOT offering oat milk. Loads of cafes have started offering this and thus the coffee is no longer gluten free because the steamer spout is cross contaminated from being put into oat milk. Starbucks recently introduced a gluten free sandwich which is utterly pointless because I now can’t have a coffee with it!

I'm not really a cake person but I have had good success with GF cheese scones. I recommend Warburtons GF tiger loaves. You can just about get away with it for a sandwich, but with any GF bread a sandwich is too 'bready, an open sandwich works better. Also most GF bread needs to be toasted, I would love to have avocado on toast in a cafe.

The best cafe I ever went to for GF was one that offered a long list of fillings (marked as to which ones were veggie, vegan, GF etc) and then you chose whether you wanted them in a sandwich, baguette, jacket potato or salad bowl. Meant I could have a good choice of toppings and a choice between salad or baked potato. It was brill and I imagine fairly easy for the owner to do.

@SputnikBear I actually do offer oat milk and noticed that it did have gluten in it. My machine has two steam wands so I use one for the oatly and the other for regular milk (I don't do soya/ almond or anything else) Thank you for pointing this out though, it's exactly the kind of thing I'm looking for. Any other pointers like this are gratefully received

Oat milk has become so popular I just can't afford not to offer it, our supplier can hardly keep up!

Warburtons do a good range and their crumpets are lovely.

Indian cooking uses besan flour made from chickpeas. Lots of snacks can be made using this e.g bhaji s with various vegetables.

www.thelarder23.co.uk/the-larder-and-the-aviary-bespoke

I live this place and much prefer salads

Oh and get ye self on SM. I know exactly what cafes around here do GF because they advertise. Others may have a selection but I don't go in because it's not clear.

Also have a look at Longleat safari park website restaurant information. I've already decided I'd do a day there rather than other places because it's so clear i can eat easily and don't have to stress about it.

I'm not sure anyone would begrudge the extra 20p! We know how much more GF is as were use to it!!!!!

Yes please to something other than Brownies!!
I would be happy to pay a bit more - ok ow it costs more for the ingredients as I see the difference at the supermarkets.
Something child friendly eg simple fairy cakes.
Panini sounds great.
All GF bread is awful so something like a toastie or panini.
If you get on the CoeliacUK website eating out recommendations you will get people coming from miles around!

Jacket potatoes and soups are always good alternatives, as are some good salads. I agree the bread isn’t great. Any cake is good but I hate nuts and so many do pistachio/walnut cakes which is such a shame! Sponges aren’t as good as brownies/blondies.

I know it costs more but it really puts me off when cafes charge more for GF products, I really appreciate your dilemma but it sucks having to pay more for your food just because you were unlucky enough to get coeliacs disease; it feels like discrimination sometimes! But I get your point and appreciate you have a business to run.

We’ve also found Asda gf flour makes great cakes? We make a traditional Victoria sponge by weighing the eggs and adjusting the butter, sugar and flour accordingly and people can’t taste the difference when using gf flour!

Soups and salads would be my choice rather than a GF version of a bread product.

I find juvela GF bread holds its shape best of all the supermarket brands. Le Pain Quotidien has some of the best GF bread I've ever tasted but I don't know who their supplier is (or maybe they make their own?) Can't remember the last time I had a decent baguette - crusty but soft in the middle.
This time of year a selection of GF soups / chilli would be wonderful.
I would sell my soul for a really good GF doughnut. Cheesecake is also not difficult to make GF but isnt very common in cafes.

Definitely cake my favourite tea room locally do GF scones, they keep them frozen.

I agree the Schae products are great, I really like the ciabattas. Some genius products are good like their pancakes, the rolls are okay if heated. I agree with the pp who said the Tesco bagels are great.

I will always look for a jacket potato on a menu. One local cafe have lost me as a customer because they’ve taken salads off the menu (summer only apparently) and they don’t do jackets. They do GF sandwiches but I honestly don’t rate many GF sandwiches.

Good luck with your venture!