Gluten Free at Sheetz

Sheetz Yogurt--Gluten Free!

How did we not yet review Sheetz?  Growing up in Pennsylvania, you could find a Sheetz convenience store on every corner.  Besides cheap gas, they also prepared MTOs, or made to order sandwiches.  Anything from hot dogs, to subs, to salads.  You just punched in what you wanted on the computer screen (or pad and paper in the old days), and they would prepare it.  Over time, Sheetz begin to migrate South, first into Virginia, which helped on the long trips back to Pennsylvania.  Between the gas and food, they provided a nice pit stop.  Then finally a few years back, into North Carolina.  And then they began to expand!  They went from just a drive-in and go store to a ‘restaurant,’ providing chairs and tables to eat in, if you wished.  Recently, they also developed a grab and go case with prepared sandwiches and other foods.

So, what does Sheetz offer to the typical Celiac?  Well, hopefully something, as we stop quite frequently, especially travelling.  I recently discovered their yogurt cups (see picture) as clearly marked gluten free.  This definitely helps when travelling, cutting down on the need for a large cooler.  In these cases they have other things, such as cheeses, snack packs (watch out for the pretzels), eggs, and other sliced fruits.  Obviously, their sandwiches are not gluten-free due to the bread.  They do not currently carry any gluten-free breads.  For all their made-to-order foods, they provide an allergy statement:

ALLERGEN WARNING: All foods, bakery items, and specialty beverages in our store are prepared in a shared environment which could cause exposure of any product to known food allergens. These would include, but are not limited to: peanuts, tree nuts, soy, wheat, egg, fish, and milk.

So for now, anyway, they cannot guarantee anything for their made-to-order foods.  However, the foods I mentioned, plus the fact this is a convenience store (think 7-11), you can find many types of chips, candy, and other gluten-free items.  Not a large selection, but you won’t starve!  I also hope, with them putting ‘gluten free’ on some things, like their yogurt, more will continue.  When travelling, we definitely look for Celiac friendly pit stops!