[steveBK123]

Not a diabetic but adult later onset lactose intolerant and the problem is you really have NO idea what restaurants put into stuff, even if you ask.

Even a stupid salad, what's in the dressing, what's in the bread/croutons, what was the meat glazed with. Etc.

Restaurant food tastes good because it is generally unhealthy top to bottom, with quantities of salt, butter, etc no sane person would use at home.

One thought experiment - when was the last time you ate out and needed to add salt to anything? Now thing of home cooking how often you might add a little salt while you are eating.

The easiest thing to do is ruling out restaurants entirely, but then that's rather anti-social.. Not to mention family/friends gatherings, etc.

[UomoNeroNero]

Things are changing nonetheless. My wife is celiac (we’re quite a problematic family: I’m diabetic, she’s celiac), but by law, she is guaranteed that a suitable menu must be available wherever she goes, or at least that waitstaff and business owners know how to handle the situation when she informs them. (I know for a fact that managing celiac disease and the most severe and dangerous intolerances is a mandatory requirement for obtaining a business license.)

[steveBK123]

I think in the US, it's basically an intractable problem the way restaurants operate and are staffed. Low margin, high failure rate businesses with many fly by night small operators. Front of house staff is high turnover, while back of house staff is largely non-English speaking of sometimes questionable immigration/work permit status.

And then there is the supply chain since most restaurants are not cooking every single part of every meal from absolute scratch ingredients.

There was a story about a woman near us operating some sort of celiac friendly/gluten free bakery. One day the donuts were delivered and she noticed some D shaped sprinkles and realized her supplier had come up short and just put some random Dunkin Donuts into the delivery. Good on her catching it, but how in good conscience could she operate a bakery advertising itself as celiac friendly/gluten free if she was outsourcing like this?

If I had any sort of food allergy that could result in hospitalization or death, I'd just stop eating out. I'd rather be a little boring than very dead.

[throwway120385]

Why would you run a bakery and not make donuts yourself? They're dead simple if you have a fryer.

[aziaziazi]

I didn’t know their simple and will try. To answer your question, perhaps donuts aren’t her main product, for me it’s more about pastry which is a side bonus for bakeries, thought if I go to a personal shop I expect 95% hand made products but that my differ depending on the culture (I’m not from the US). Also they may be just cheaper (taking into account your time)

[steveBK123]

Right, and to a consumer this is all opaque.

You go to a place advertising itself as gluten free / vegan / celiac safe / whatever .. and its been outsourced.

Once it's outsourced, all bets are off. Who knows if the vendor subbed it out further, etc.

Which is why for a certain level of food sensitivity it's almost not worth eating out. It comes down to - do you trust random strangers with your life?