Hi all,
I had contacted Chili's via their email on their website to inquire about any usage in their foods of soy, vegetable protein, and peanuts. At first they told me that they used too many products for me to receive an ingredients listing(?!) but then they said to list off some foods I commonly ate there. I inquired about the chili, because I've been having some minor problems with it, and that was what I usually ate. Here was their response:
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Dear Amanda,
Sorry for the delay, I have been out of the office.
As for your requests, we use a vegetable oil blend which is mostly soybean
oil. Therefore, any fried items should not be on your list of choices.
Many processed items contain vegetable protein, even the chili, also flavor
enhancers are made from soy. Therefore, I would suggest choosing items
which are whole foods. For example, the hamburger and steak selections,
salads can be an option without the chicken. The chicken has been marinated
in items excluded from your diet.
I hope this helps with some of your choices. Let me know if you have any
further questions.
Sincerely,
Karen Doty
We love to eat at Chilis and have always had good experiences there. Last time we went the waitress we got had seen a good friend have an allergic reaction after kissing someone.She immediately brought the manager to our table and they were very informative.He brought the labels to our table for us to read. He also strongly recommended we do not order any of their desserts since many contain nuts and they store them together.It is one of our favorite places to go.
The last time we were in a Chili's (in Maryland) was 5-6 months ago. We had eaten in this restaurant fairly often with our 4 year old PA son and had experienced no problems. As always, we checked on the oil they were using and were surprised to learn that they had switched to peanut oil. I am not sure that this is the case for all Chili's. My husband explained our son's peanut allergy to our waiter and the manager while I hustled our son out the door. We have heard the updates regarding the "safety" of peanut oil but do not feel comfortable taking a chance. Suppose our son is in the 2% for whom it is not safe?
I just spoke with Kate Doty at Chili's. It is corporate policy at Chili's that NO PEANUT OIL BE USED.
I just wanted to let others know that atleast that is safe...she said that the Chicken Crispers, my favorite food there, are just fine for people to consume nationwide.
Just ate at Chili's last week in Woodbridge, VA. Based on this thread, I asked if they were now using peanut oil and they checked and no they were not.
Christine
Just ate at Chili's in Burlington, Mass. last night and the waitress brought out the label of the oil they were using so I could read it myself. I was so happy with that! It was soybean oil, so my son had french fries for dinner. Yeah!