Thunder Bay Grille Rockford

What a cozy and welcoming atmosphere! The food is fresh and delicious, with friendly, fast and efficient servers. If you have dietary issues, let your server know, as they do have a gluten free menu. This was a fantastic experience and one you will absolutely want to check out!

Well, how pleasantly surprised my wife & I in town for the night, and finding this restaurant next door to our hotel. They have an extensive gluten-free menu, where she loved the Salmon BLT, and the veges! I devoured the Bison Meatloaf, which was covered with a mushroom glaze that made my taste buds dance! And I must put a shout out to our server, Angel. One of the most pleasant waiters we've had! We couldn't be happier in coming across this eatery, if only we didn't live 120 miles away.

Celiacs beware - this restaurant has a gluten sensitive menu but not a dietary restriction trained staff. My son and I ordered burgers from the gluten sensitive menu. When they were delivered, the buns looked like normal buns so I confirmed with our waiter that they were really GF and expressed my concern that they looked like regular buns. He assured me that they were GF and went on his way. I took one nibble and knew. Called another waiter over who confirmed that it was indeed a regular bun and not gluten free. Thankfully my son hasn't touched his yet but I had already taken a small bite and with celiac, that's all it takes. I was devastated and left the restaurant to collect myself as we were part of a family party and I didn't wish to cause a scene. But when you know what's coming, it's hard to just brush it off. The last time I had gluten, I ended up in the hospital getting an endoscopy and was on medication for 6 weeks. After I collected myself, I returned and the manager, with both waiters, stopped me to apologize. While the senior waiter (who confirmed the bun was not GF) and the manager did seem genuine in their apology, the younger waiter, who should have confirmed the food was correct before it ever left the line, seemed more stunned than remorseful. I tried to explain the the staff the importance of training around dietary restrictions ESPECIALLY if you are going to have a gluten sensitive menu. Your staff needs to be able to look at your normal buns and your gluten free buns and see the difference. It isn't hard. When they eventually brought me a turkey burger on the correct bun, it was VERY plain to see that the bread was different. I'm now on my second day of being incredibly ill after my experience at Thunder Bay Grille and suffice to say, I will never return. While I appreciated the ownership and the staff's apology, none of that will stop my immune system from attacking my own body for the next several weeks. So while the incident is over for them, it's only just beginning for me. I'm sharing this feedback, just as I shared with the restaurant staff, in hopes that it will lead to training AND also to warn folks that if you have dietary sensitivities, this is not a place I'd recommend eating. There are a ton of restaurants with engaged staff who actually care about making sure you can eat safely. No need to waste your dollar or your time with a place that doesn't.