Sam & Louie's Pizza - Omaha, NE

[ostrich]

http://www.samandlouiesnyp.com/home.asp

If you scroll down to the bottom you'll notice they're offering a GF pizza. However, after talking on the phone with one of the managers I have some serious concerns. There's waaaaay too many opportunities for CC. I'm trying to get in touch with corporate about this. In the meantime do not eat there!
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Ostrich :>--O==={

Time falls away, but these small hours
These little wonders still remain

[ostrich]

It turns out that, as of this post, there's no way to get in direct contact with somebody at the top of the food chain. So just in case I never hear from them again, this is what I found out.

On Sept. 12 I called the closest Sam & Louie's and asked about the GF pizza. I ended up speaking to the manager:

Q: What are your crusts made out of?
A: I don't know. They're shipped to us frozen.

Well, at least the crusts are safe, though it'd be nice if they knew what the crusts are made of.

Q: What toppings are safe?
A: All of the toppings are safe except for the meatballs.

Great! Except...

Q: Do the pizza people switch gloves between pizzas? Are fresh toppings used for GF pizzas?
A: They do switch gloves between pizzas. And they try to grab from the middle to get toppings.

So even though they switch gloves, they're still rooting around in the same toppings that they previously had NGF gloves in. Plus, every pizza place I know spreads sauce by moving the ladle over the crust. That means the ladle and the sauce are contaminated too.

Q: How are the GF pizzas baked?
A: They're placed in their own pizza tin and put at the bottom of the oven.

Great! Except...

Q: Why the bottom?
A: The normal pizzas are cooked directly on a screen. Placing the gluten free pizza at the bottom helps prevent the flour from flying around.

BWAH?! Doesn't this mean the flour from the NGF pizzas at the top fall onto the GF pizzas at the bottom?!

Q: "Flying around"?!
A: Well yes. There's flour no matter where you go in the kitchen.




I'm mostly angry that they're advertising GF pizzas when their food clearly isn't GF. I'd hate to see somebody get sick because they didn't know all this. In the meantime stay away from Sam & Louie's. I'll be making my own (or buying from Godfather's). If I hear back from corporate I'll post their response.
_________________
Ostrich :>--O==={

Time falls away, but these small hours
These little wonders still remain

[ostrich]

OK! I've spoken at length with Michael, Manager of Franchise Operations. Apparently this was simply a "you didn't get the correct information" problem. Here are my questions the proper answers:

Q: What are your crusts made out of?
A: Please see attachment.

(Note: I have it saved as a PDF file. The ingredients are mostly rice flour, tapioca and potato starch. It does contain eggs and soy.)


Q: What toppings are safe?
A: All toppings except Meatballs and All Sauces except Alfredo.


Q: Do the pizza people switch gloves between pizzas? Are fresh toppings used for GF pizzas?
A: Yes, and hands are washed to the elbows. All sauces and toppings used for the Gluten Free Pizzas are taken from the back-up stock that has not been on the main pizza make line. Everything is in a sealed container in the refrigerator.


Q: How are the GF pizzas baked?
A: They're placed in the bottom oven on the aluminum pans on which we receive them. They never leave their pans. The pizza peel used to put them in and take them out of the oven is washed before being used for the GF pizza. When they come out of the oven they remain on their pans, are placed on a clean pizza tray and are cut with a clean pizza cutter.


Q: Why the bottom?
A: They are cooked in the bottom oven because it gets less use (much fewer regular pizzas) than the top oven and is at a lower temperature to better cook the frozen GF crust. Flour from the other pizzas in the top oven cannot fall in to the bottom oven. They are two completely separate units that are stacked one on top the other.


Q: "Flying around"?
A: No other pizzas are being stretched in the entire kitchen until the GF pizza is placed in the oven. Pizzas are stretched ten feet from the oven and the oven door remains closed 90% of the time.
_________________
Ostrich :>--O==={

Time falls away, but these small hours
These little wonders still remain

[cardine45]

You did a lot of legwork on this one Os, but I have one more concern. (I'm jealous that I usually just don't go to places that I can't get a good answer the first time--you're seeking out extra options)

I understand the "manager of franchise operations" has rules as to how things should be done, but I'm VERY concerned that the manager of the actual store doesn't seem to know these rules. Therefore, those he is actually managing may not be pulling new stock from the back, or using new pizza cutters, etc.

[ostrich]

Good point! Michael made it sound like a simple training issue. But you're right: you may want to avoid this place until it's doing the procedures correctly.

OTOH, he said they've been serving GF pizza for a little while, and haven't gotten one complaint. They also have a Celiac on their board who helps with the procedures.
_________________
Ostrich :>--O==={

Time falls away, but these small hours
These little wonders still remain