Recently, SeaWorld San Antonio invited me to visit the park to help them determine which of their menu items could be considered gluten free. I accepted this offer, and spent a hot Sunday afternoon escorted by Steve Johnson, VP of Culinary Operations. We walked around the park from one restaurant location to the next, and I inspected labels in every kitchen. We observed the processes in each kitchen to see how careful celiacs might need to be concerning cross-contamination when ordering different items. There is lots of good news!

First I will share their policy regarding food brought into the park. If you have unusual circumstances, it would be a good idea to make advance arrangements by calling SeaWorld and asking for the Culinary Operations Department. They do allow small coolers to be brought in, but do not allow you to bring in large coolers to feed the whole family. If you have a specific request it is good to contact the Culinary Operations Department in advance and please allow them time to respond back to you in a timely manner. Celiac disease falls under the category of “special dietary needs” and you can be allowed to bring a small cooler and food into the park. You will need a letter from the VP Operations, Melissa Holscher, 1-800-722-2762 ext. 3123, giving permission to bring in the cooler. On the day of your visit you can present the letter to the Security and Turnstile attendant at the front of the park. I suggest that you just consider bringing small amounts of bread or buns to go with the gluten-free hotdogs and hamburger patties in the park. That way you won’t need to carry a cooler around all day.

SeaWorld has consistently used the same suppliers and rarely change or substitute them. Some of the locations offer menu items that are specific to that restaurant, and some are available at multiple snack bars. As we visited each location, I scribbled madly so that I could contact the suppliers later and check on the ingredients that were questionable. For instance, I ran across modified food starch on many labels. I got Web sites, phone numbers, or addresses for these companies and contacted them to ask them the source of the food starch, and I also asked whether they considered their product to be gluten free. I heard from most of them. Those that I have not heard from will be omitted until I find out more about them.

At all food facilities there will be a supervisor or manager on duty who you can direct your questions to. Imagine feeding 3,000 or more people at one location after each Shamu show lets out! This happens several times a day. To keep everyone happy they need to have a quick and simple plan. SeaWorld is very talented at this, and the system they use is very streamlined. They make many of their products in house.

For instance, at Rio Loco they smoke their own meats, and the questionable sauce is not added until just before serving, so you can ask for the meats without the sauce added.

The Gluten-Free Menu List and the Specific Restaurant List accessible from the right menu are not complete yet, but should get you started. As I verify different items, I will update these lists. Please remember that I have done everything possible to determine the gluten-free status, and have names, phone numbers, e-mails, and faxes. As you know, this is not a certified program. I am just a celiac grandmother trying to help find safe food at a favorite theme park. If you have any doubts when trying to make selections, I suggest you check with the manager at that facility for more information.(AB June 2006)