DFW News App

Picture this: You’re a vegetarian out with a group of friends and all of them love beef. The group votes on where to have dinner and you are outvoted. Next thing you know, you’re sitting in a booth at a barbecue joint hoping your roll and grilled asparagus can keep you going the rest of the night.This scenario is pretty common for people with dietary restrictions. Vegans, vegetarians and those with gluten or nut allergies can have even more trouble finding meals at special events like outdoor markets and festivals. With the Fort Worth Food + Wine Festival coming in April, here are some things guests with dietary restrictions and preferences should know. Where to startThe main dietary resource for festival attendees is the Fort Worth Food + Wine Foundation app, where users can find a list of vendors and access maps for each of the festival’s five events: Tacos + Tequila; The Main Event; Rise + Dine; Burgers, Brews + Blues; and Ring of Fire. You can read more about the festival and these events in the Report’s rundown on what to expect this year.Menus are still being approved and submitted to the Fort Worth Food + Wine Foundation, or FWFWF, which runs the festival. Ivy Lopez, strategic communications manager for Holland Collective and the foundation’s media representative, said as the app is updated, it will allow users to search the vendors list and filter for vegetarian, pescatarian and vegan options. Menu descriptions will also note if the food is wheat-free, she added. “These events bring together a mix of seasoned culinary talent and emerging chefs, often inspired by national food trends, so there’s usually something for everyone,” she said in an email.There may be few vegan dishes, Lopez said, but attendees are encouraged to talk to chefs about modifying an item. She said the events with the widest variety of offerings are usually Tacos + Tequila, The Main Event and Rise + Dine. Ellerbe Fine Foods is one of the restaurants participating in The Main Event. Co-owner Richard King said Ellerbe will offer a vegetarian option as it has every year since the first Food + Wine Festival in 2014. “That’s kind of one of our shticks, is using local farms and what’s in season,” he said. “It’s pretty easy for us to make a vegetarian dish that’s going to be just tasty.”The festival’s website advises those with food allergies to ask chefs if dishes contain anything they’re allergic to. According to the data and analytics firm Statista, 11% of Americans aged 18 to 64 reportedly followed a gluten-free diet in 2024. About 6% of Americans are vegetarian and 4% are vegan, according to Statista. Two 2021 reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found approximately 6% of U.S. adults and children have food allergies. While there are limits to how much a chef can change their offerings on-site, King said most chefs can adjust to some degree, like excluding a dairy-based sauce. He also recommended using the app and keeping an eye out for dietary labels on signs in front of each restaurant.“Do your homework before you walk into the festival and you’ll be able to find a bunch of places to go eat,” he said.Alcohol-free drinks and mocktailsKing is president of FWFWF’s board of directors and said the foundation sends out a survey after every festival. Over the last five years, he said people have increasingly requested more mocktail options, so guests can expect to see nonalcoholic drinks and mocktails at every event this year.“Times have changed with the amount of alcohol consumption in the United States, so we adapted … to appease those people who want to not partake in any drinks that evening,” he said.A 2024 poll from research and advisory firm Gallup found 31% of respondents said they never consume alcohol and 26% said they only drink on special occasions such as holidays and New Year’s. Another Gallup poll that year found 45% of Americans –– a six point increase from the last year –– viewed moderate alcohol consumption as unhealthy.King said festival attendees won’t miss out by not drinking alcohol.“These nonalcoholic drinks, they’re the real deal,” he said. “They’re good. They’re really good.”Festival tickets are available for purchase online. Ticket prices vary by event and attendees must be 21 or older. We’d love to hear from you! Send your restaurant tips and hot takes to erin.ratigan@fortworthreport.org.Erin Ratigan is a freelance journalist and writer specializing in narrative news features. You can find her on X @erinratigan.