300 signatures for a gluten-free pilot at McDonald's and Wendy's

We reached 300 signatures in a little over a day and a half. Thank you to everyone who signed and shared.

I started this after my son was diagnosed with celiac disease. On a road trip or after a long day, it would mean a lot to pull into a drive-through once in a while and order something for everyone. When one person can’t safely eat somewhere, the whole family often goes somewhere else. For McDonald’s or Wendy’s, that’s a whole order they have a chance to earn.

I used AI to help run one simple example. If a wider U.S. rollout brought in one extra $25 order a year from 20,000 families across both chains, that would add up to $500,000 a year in added restaurant sales before costs. One extra stop a year is all that example assumes.

The bottom line matters. I don’t know what either chain would spend on ingredients, kitchen changes, crew training, or the extra work it takes to prepare and check these meals. That’s why I’m asking for a small pilot. Work with celiac and food safety experts to develop one affordable adult meal and one kids’ meal. Verify the preparation procedures before serving them, then measure how many new family orders come in, whether those families return, and whether the added business covers the costs.

Either chain could go first. If it can make this work in a busy restaurant at a price families can afford, other restaurants across the U.S. and beyond would have a real example to learn from.

If you’ve already signed, please share this with one person who’d use an option like this, even once in a while.