Allergy-Friendly Dining at Lulu’s Gulf Shores
This popular Gulf Coast spot for beach-centric family dining and fun has upped its game by providing allergy-friendly menus and isolated meal-prep stations.
LuLu’s Gulf Shores has been a coastal Alabama icon for more than 20 years. Along with its sister locations in Destin, FL, and North Myrtle Beach, SC, the restaurant is synonymous with beach-centric family fun. Boasting a menu of signature dishes featuring locally sourced seafood and produce, LuLu’s creates memorable dining experiences for one and all—even those leading food-allergy lifestyles. In addition to its fresh and delicious meals, LuLu’s treats visitors to waterfront views, live music, and plentiful patio seating. There are exciting activities, too, including an arcade, beach, and ropes course. “LuLu’s is about creating experiences for families,” says LuLu’s president Gerald Tipton. “We want visitors to relax, grab a drink, and watch the kids play in the sand. Our job is to help our guests forget about life for a little while.”
The Gulf Shores and Destin communities warmly embrace the inclusiveness LuLu’s offers with its attention to allergy-friendly menus. Nationally recognized by AllergyEats, the leading guide to allergy-friendly dining worldwide, LuLu’s is one of the top allergy-friendly independent restaurants along the Gulf Coast. “We’ve heard touching stories from our guests who have never been able to eat out before due to their allergies,” says Tipton. “It gives us satisfaction to know that we can make them feel safe and taken care of.”
With a firm understanding of how dining out impacts those with food-allergy and food-intolerant lifestyles, LuLu’s strives to ensure all diners enjoy a welcoming and positive dining experience. One of the unique in-kitchen features at each location is a separate meal-prep station where allergy-friendly meals are prepared free from common allergens like dairy, egg, gluten, shellfish, soy, and seafood. While LuLu’s Destin included an isolated meal-prep station during construction in 2015, LuLu’s flagship restaurant in Gulf Shores has undergone an extensive kitchen renovation to include a 500-square-foot food-prep station set off from the main meal-prep area.
The well-trained staff performs a careful review of each menu item when considering known food allergies. Substitute ingredients not only meet allergy guidelines but also align with LuLu’s standards for high quality. “We want our guests to have the confidence to relax and allow LuLu’s to care for their meal,” says Tipton. The staff follows extensive, well-defined allergy protocols designed to keep all diners safe. Food-safety protocols outline each interaction with the customer, from carefully taken food orders to food preparation and meal delivery. Managers bring out each allergy-free meal as confirmation that the food was not only prepared in a separate setting but to impress solidarity between LuLu’s and its guests.
The LuLu’s kitchen continues to take pride in balancing its menus with coastal favorites like LuLu’s Famous Seafood Gumbo, the blackened or grilled Catch of the Day, and its specialty cheeseburgers with healthy options like delicious salads with handmade dressings and the signature Key West Bowl piled with Cuban yellow rice, black beans, “Mama’s Turnip Greens,” and your choice of proteins.
LuLu’s focus on families and the “family beach tradition” sets it apart from other establishments. Vacationers and visitors alike choose it as a place to create lasting memories while enjoying fresh and healthful handcrafted meals in a casual, relaxed atmosphere.
