Chick-fil-A has gone gluten free!
Not entirely, but the nationwide chicken sandwich chain is poised to capitalize on its consumers’ dietary needs with a new menu offering.
Chick-fil-A announced on Monday that it will offer gluten-free buns at restaurants nationwide, after reportedly receiving positive feedback from test marketed areas in 2016.
The gluten-free bun is made with ancient grains quinoa and amaranth and sweetened with molasses and raisins.
“We know our customers are looking for more gluten-sensitive alternatives. They asked, and we listened,” said Leslie Neslage, senior consultant of menu development at Chick-fil-A in a release on the company’s Chicken Wire. “Our hope is that the Gluten-Free Bun addition opens up options for gluten-sensitive customers to enjoy more of our menu.”
The new bun can be ordered with any of the restaurant’s sandwiches.
But there is one catch.
Customers who order the gluten-free buns will have to assemble their sandwiches themselves. According to the release, “Chick-fil-A kitchens are not gluten free,” so the gluten-free buns will be individually packaged and served alongside the guest’s other sandwich contents in order to avoid contamination.
The new buns contain 150 calories and cost an additional $1.15, according to Business Insider.
About 18 million Americans have a diagnosed gluten intolerance, but a study conducted by JAMA Interal Medicine reports that 1 in 5 people have eliminated or reduced gluten in their daily diets, regardless of a medical condition.
Chick-fil-A will be one of the few fast-food restaurants to have a gluten-free bread substitute. Shake Shake already offers a similar gluten-free bun.
