Restaurant cards are small cards that explain the basics of the gluten-free dietary guidelines that you can give to a server or chef. You can make your own, download one from the Internet, or buy them from support groups and other entities. Basically, the card says something like this:

I have a severe reaction to gluten and am on a strict gluten-free diet. Thank you for working with me to prepare a meal I can safely enjoy.

I cannot eat wheat, rye, barley, or their derivatives. These include kamut, spelt, durum, semolina, bulgur, triticale, and malt. I also avoid oats. Foods and ingredients I need to avoid include croutons, bread, breadings, flour, soy sauce, orzo, buns and rolls, brown rice syrup, and malt vinegar. I caneat rice, corn, potatoes, tapioca, soy, beans, amaranth, arrowroot, buckwheat, quinoa, millet, teff, and nut flours. I can also eat vinegar (except malt vinegar) and distilled alcohols.

If you have any questions, please ask me. Thank you for working with me on this! Know that you have given me the opportunity to relax and enjoy my meal; I appreciate that very much.

If you make your own card, laminating it is a good idea, because it's likely to get covered in food when the chef handles it. You can even make up several of these cards and leave them behind with the chef for other patrons he or she may have in the future.