Gluten-Free Consumers and Food-Service Decisions

Gluten-free dining needs have surged over the last decade. While the share of U.S. consumers following a gluten-free diet is at 11%, broader estimates suggest that anywhere from 20% to 25% of Americans actively avoid gluten or consume gluten-free foods. As this consumer segment grows, so does the opportunity for restaurants to build trust, attract new customers, and capture revenue that might otherwise be left on the table.

Sources: Statista Consumer Insights, 2023–2024 (11% follow a gluten-free diet); Gallup, 2015 (21% include gluten-free foods, 17% actively avoid); Mintel, 2015 (25% eat gluten-free foods).

Minim Science conducted focused qualitative research with members of the gluten-free community, exploring how food information shapes where people go, what they order and which venues they suggest to others. Participants shared the everyday decisions behind those choices, giving us a closer look at where uncertainty can interrupt a purchase. Their experiences inform our view that clear, usable food information deserves a place in how businesses attract and serve guests.

Where, when and how a meal takes place matters as well. Some dining environments are more sensitive than others. In our research, the same information questions became more pressing when diners had less control over the venue, the menu or the timing: work dinners, travel, flights, hotel stays, weddings and catered events. In these settings, participants described fewer alternatives, reluctance to raise dietary needs in front of others and greater reliance on food brought from home. For hotels, caterers, airlines and corporate food service, as much as for restaurants and bakeries, the setting can influence whether a gluten-free guest participates fully or plans around the meal.

Key takeaways for business owners

For 80% of participants, staff communication shaped trust. Explanations of preparation helped some feel comfortable, while others remained uncertain even after a server checked with the kitchen. The conversation matters because a guest is using that answer to decide what they feel able to order. We see an opportunity to prepare staff to explain the available choices and limitations in a way guests can use.

A seated guest can still mean a missed order. Group restaurant selection can also depend on one guest’s dietary needs.

The decision may be made before your team hears a question

For many participants, the work of choosing a meal started well before arrival. Pre-visit research appeared in 68% of accounts, as people screened menus, consulted apps and reviews, or called ahead. Some used reviews to judge how staff handled dietary questions. By the time a guest reaches your door, the information they found may already have shaped what they expect from your team.

That makes your online information part of the service experience. When guests can identify suitable options and understand how to ask about preparation, they have a clearer basis for considering a visit. If getting there requires several calls or conflicting pages, even a capable kitchen may miss the chance to show what it can offer. We believe owners should review that search experience as carefully as the menu itself.

One guest can influence where the group spends

The research also showed how one person’s needs enter a shared decision. Companions considered suitable options, changed plans or relied on the gluten-free diner to review a venue. Although these accounts do not all involve a change of restaurant, they show why the person asking about food may influence more than their own purchase.

A menu that helps that guest assess their options can also help them suggest your restaurant to friends. Once everyone arrives, the individual order still matters. Looking at both moments gives owners a fuller picture of the opportunity: being considered by the group and giving each guest a meal they want to buy.

Look beyond the usual restaurant visit

The same information questions become more pressing when guests have less control. These settings apply the research themes; they are not a ranking of where problems occur most often.

A seated guest can still mean a missed order

A guest who remains uncertain may stay at the table with less food than they wanted. Restricted choices or missing out on food appeared in 76% of participants’ accounts, from simpler meals and eating less to passing on food or avoiding a venue. For an owner, this makes the guest who stays worth understanding. Asking what they felt able to order can reveal something that attendance and a completed bill leave out.

Take on the information work that comes before an order

Bringing food or eating beforehand helps explain why a visit may not translate into the order an owner expects. Alongside this preparation, 68% of participants described social friction or mental burden. Their accounts of planning and explaining show how much work can happen in a guest’s own time before your team has served them.

We believe businesses can take on more of that work by answering recurring questions in advance and keeping menu details consistent with staff explanations. When employees have a clear route to confirm preparation or explain a limitation, the guest has less to piece together. This gives owners a practical way to improve the experience before asking whether it changes ordering or return visits.

More detail earns its place when guests can use it

The same question applies to more detailed food information. After numerical gluten information was explained, 24% expressed positive interest. Some wanted detail beyond a gluten-free label, while others needed help interpreting a result or preferred avoidance. Because the topic was not discussed uniformly, this finding offers a direction to explore rather than a forecast of demand.

For Minim Science, these responses reinforce the importance of designing the explanation alongside the information. A guest needs to understand what was tested, when and what the result describes. Planning how staff will explain it is part of making that information useful at the point of ordering. The research explored responses to the concept; it did not validate test performance or establish individual tolerance.

Start with the decisions you want to improve

An owner can begin by following the experience from the first online search to the order at the table. Where do answers become hard to find, inconsistent or difficult to act on? Looking at those moments, including the guests who stay but order little, can help you decide which information improvements to test first.

The question we want owners to ask is whether guests can see and understand the care already going into their food. When they can, a dietary question becomes an opportunity to help someone choose a meal, include your venue in group plans and consider coming back. Those are outcomes worth measuring as you improve the experience.