FAZOLI'S:  Everything here is safe except the meat sauce and products containing sausage.  I was told by the Home Office that the lasagna contains
MSG; however the chicken is safe.  The only safe salad dressing is Italian Lite.  If the manager doesn't know the answers to your questions, ask him/her to call the Home Office.

DENNY'S:  Eggs, home fries, pancakes and waffles are OK.  However, you should bring your own syrup for the pancakes.  Their current syrup may give you a reaction.  Many items on the menu have MSG in one form or another.

CRACKER BARREL:  Choose eggs, baked potato, grilled cheese sandwich or vegetarian platter.  Plain house salad may be OK, but bring your own dressing.  All meats have been treated with Hydrolyzed Protein, based on an inspection of package labels in their kitchen.  All gravies and salad dressings have chicken or beef base, containing MSG in high percentages.

BOSTON MARKET:  This restaurant used to be OK, but now has Hydrolyzed Protein or Autolyzed Yeast in almost everything they serve -- a major disappointment to MSG-sensitive people.

OUTBACK STEAK HOUSE:  Everything in this restaurant is supposed to be MSG-free.  Still, stay away from the soups.  Salad dressings are OK.

RUBY TUESDAY'S:  Everything here is said to be MSG-free except soups.  Verify salad dressings.  I stick to the salad bar, where everything is homemade on the premises.  I bring my own salad dressing (Paul Newman's Own Italian).

CHILI'S:  This is said to be an MSG-free establishment.  I've had no reaction to anything I've eaten there, but still use my own salad dressing and avoid soups.  Have you had any reactions?  Let me know via e-mail on the Links page.

PIZZA HUT:  I wrote the Home Office and was sent a list of ingredients.  It indicated that the only thing I could safely eat was the pizza crust!  MSG was contained in the sauces, the meat products and the cheese.

PAPA JOHN'S PIZZA:  Here you can safely eat pizza without worrying about MSG.  I would, however, avoid adding meat products as an extra.  Stick to the veggies such as mushrooms, peppers, olives, anchovies, etc.

OLIVE GARDEN:  Most all food here is OK, except the soups which have MSG in the soup bases.  Salad dressings are OK.