Newly diagnosed with celiac disease, Conrad Manfred and his 7-year-old daughter quickly realized there was nowhere they could safely eat out.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe would just go home. I\u2019m not kidding. There\u2019s nowhere we could have really ate at, so we just ate at home,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Five years later, Manfred has just opened Kindler\u2019s, a completely gluten-free\u00a0fast-food restaurant in Spokane Valley. Located at\u00a014816 E Sprague Ave, Kindler\u2019s ensures families like Manfred can safely eat out.<\/p>\n
Most restaurants with gluten-free options are \u201crisky\u201d for those with celiac disease. A pizzeria may offer gluten-free crusts, but it is all too easy for flour with gluten to accidentally hitch a ride on that pizza. Those with gluten intolerance may risk the cross-contamination, but those with celiac face larger consequences.<\/p>\n
Ingestion of gluten for someone with the disease causes damage to the small intestine. Over time, it destroys the organ\u2019s lining and prevents the body from absorbing nutrients from food.<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore I was diagnosed, I constantly got sick. It was rough. I\u2019d been to the ER many times over many years,\u201d said Manfred, Kindler\u2019s owner .<\/p>\n
The chain\u2019s first location opened only weeks ago in Spokane Valley.\u00a0Kindler\u2019s CEO Ken Batali said the quick-service restaurant has been busy \u2013 with their drive-through often backed up into the parking lot. The reaction has been especially heartwarming from those with celiac and their loved ones.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne woman was practically in tears because it had been years since she had been able to eat out with her husband,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The food also tastes good, Batali added.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe food\u2019s made from scratch. It is clean. It is fresh. It\u2019s not greasy. We want a premium fast-food experience where mom and dad can drive through and get your kids a fast dinner you don\u2019t feel guilty feeding them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Each of the more than a dozen meals offered at Kindler\u2019s has at least one leafy green or vegetable. So far, the top sellers include a teriyaki chicken bowl, steak and potatoes, and a Korean-BBQ-style slow cooked beef dish.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The cost of eating at Kindler\u2019s is largely similar to rival fast-food chains. Their cheapest meal is approximately $13 and the most expensive tops out at around $17.<\/p>\n
More Kindler\u2019s may soon be popping up around Spokane. Locations on the South Hill and in Millwood are set to open next summer. More locations outside of the Spokane area are planned for 2028.<\/p>\n
No location of Kindler\u2019s will be franchised. By owning all locations, the chain can ensure gluten is never introduced by a franchisee, Batali said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Newly diagnosed with celiac disease, Conrad Manfred and his 7-year-old daughter quickly realized there was nowhere they could…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":875810,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[61],"tags":[97,269],"class_list":["post-875809","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nutrition","tag-health","tag-nutrition"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/875809","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=875809"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/875809\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/875810"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=875809"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=875809"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=875809"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}