This was my recent experience with GF dining at DCA.
On February 9th I went to DCA with a GF friend. While our group was having a drink in the Carthay Lounge I waited for 30 minutes in line at the Chamber of Commerce where they told me that they no longer give out a list of GF options. The CM explained that this was due to rapidly changing menu offerings and ingredients, and that most places "should have 1 item" available, and that I needed to ask at each location.
Long story short, this put a lot of stress on our group, my friend was reduced to tears, and separated from the group because they felt they were having a negative impact on the rest of the group. I know they shared the Butcher's Plate at Carthay Lounge minus the crackers and then set off alone for lunch. (I ate at Cocina in DCA, and I had to wait 20 minutes just to order, I didn't ask about GF, but I would have been awfully pissed if the answer was they didn't have anything.) Later that day we were walking by Award Wieners and there was a CM out front doing line control. I asked if they had anything GF and she said yes, they have buns, it takes about 10 minutes to get one ready.
Two days later I was back at DCA, I ordered the special Lunar New Year drink at Lucky Fortune Cookery. Now, I honestly didn't expect them to have anything GF (due to soy sauce), but I asked the CM if they had anything GF and she said, "I don't know." I asked if she could find out and she said "I don't think we do." This really annoyed me because what if I had waited in that line for 20 minutes like I had on Saturday to get that answer? I didn't push it because I really hadn't waited in line that day, and I wasn't going to order food anyway.
Five days after that I was DL. (I ate at Jolly Holiday and noticed they took down the sign on the bakery case that said "Gluten Free options available.) I went to City Hall to leave positive feedback for a CM, and I asked again for a GF food list and was told they no longer hand those out. At that point I told the CM what happened in DCA when the CM didn't know what was GF and mentioned that that doesn't work when you're a family and you have to wait 20 minutes in each line to get that answer. The CM seemed very sympathetic and said he wished they had a list, but they're just not doing it anymore. I suggested that they could keep an updated database and print a dated copy on demand whenever a guest asks for it. At the very least they could put a date next to each item to show when it was last verified to be GF and guests could use it as a guideline on where to try to find that item. He suggested I sent an email to DLR and suggest that.
If anyone has had success obtain a list from guest services, please correct me, but as of February 16th I've told twice they are not providing a list any longer.
It was easier for us because as a small family on our own, we worked around what he could eat, and sometimes ordered from different counter service places and stuff. He is not celiac (at least not diagnosed - we will have to have private insurance eventually, and try to avoid official diagnoses for now) but seems to be super sensitive to gluten. It doesn't lay him flat by any means, but it's bad enough that we try to be pretty careful with cross contamination at home and in food choices. He didn't have any stomach issues while we were there, thankfully.
