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What is Good Good's approach to gluten-free dining in Dunedin?
Good Good on Vogel Street is designed to be as coeliac-friendly as possible. The only gluten on the premises is in standard buns — everything else, including the fried chicken, is gluten-free. Gluten-free buns come from a separate supplier, are handled in a different area, and are cooked on a separate section of the grill to minimise cross-contamination. Rose Gleeson also makes her own onion rings using gluten-free flour — something she claims no other venue in Dunedin currently offers.
One rule at the heart of the kitchen: gluten stays in its lane
The approach at Good Good is not a single menu tweak — it is a kitchen-wide protocol. Standard buns are the sole source of gluten on site. Every other ingredient, from the fried chicken to the sauces, is managed to stay clear of gluten.
The gluten-free buns themselves come from a dedicated supplier, separate from the standard bun supplier. Once they arrive, they are handled in a physically distinct area and grilled on a separate part of the grill. This deliberate separation is the practical backbone of the cross-contamination strategy, as Gleeson explains in The Otago Opportunity.
Gluten-free fried chicken and house-made onion rings — a gap in Dunedin's market
The gluten-free fried chicken is a deliberate menu decision, not an afterthought. For diners with coeliac disease or gluten sensitivity, fried chicken is typically off the table — the standard batter almost universally contains wheat flour.
Good Good's onion rings go a step further. Gleeson makes them in-house using gluten-free flour, and she states that this makes Good Good the only place in Dunedin to offer gluten-free onion rings. It is a detail worth noting, given that it is a claim made directly on this episode of The Otago Opportunity — not a marketing line, but an observation from the owner about a visible gap in the local hospitality market.
For a small venue — Good Good holds a maximum of 40 people due to fire exit constraints — this level of kitchen discipline represents a meaningful operational commitment. It requires sourcing coordination, staff training on handling protocols, and consistent execution on every service.
"We are pretty much just keeping the lights on at the moment. And that's 100% fine. I've come to terms with that. That's all it needs to do — it just needs to pay for itself and not make me bankrupt."
Rose Gleeson — Owner, Good Good (Vogel Street, Dunedin)
Rose Gleeson trained as a chef for two years at Otago Polytechnic, then worked two years in the restaurant industry before moving into government roles at ACC and Dunedin City Council. She represented New Zealand in synchronized figure skating at the 2009 World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia — the team placed 21st out of 21, a fact she recounts with self-deprecating humour. She has also written a published children's book and performed with an improv troupe. At the time of the interview, she balances a full-time day job alongside owning Good Good, which she bought roughly one year earlier after seeing it listed for sale and deciding she would rather run it herself than watch someone else change it. Her culinary training is the direct foundation of the kitchen standards she now sets at Good Good, including its gluten-free protocols — a point explored in depth in The Otago Opportunity podcast.
See also
What are the secrets to a great burger according to Good Good's owner Rose Gleeson?
Rose Gleeson says the two key techniques that set Good Good apart are toasting the buns with a little bit of butter and steaming the cheese so it melts properly. These small steps, she argues, are what separate a great burger from an ordinary one — and they are covered in detail in The Otago Opportunity.
What is Rose Gleeson's background before owning Good Good?
Rose trained as a chef at Otago Polytechnic for two years and worked in the restaurant industry before transitioning to government roles at ACC and Dunedin City Council. She also represented New Zealand in synchronized figure skating at the 2009 World Championships in Zagreb.
What is the economic situation facing Good Good and the Dunedin hospitality sector?
Rose Gleeson describes the restaurant as "pretty much just keeping the lights on," with all sales going toward wages, rent, insurance, licenses, and other operating costs. She traces the pressure clearly to the broader economic downturn Dunedin experienced from early 2025.
Key takeaways
- The only gluten at Good Good is in standard buns — every other item on the menu is managed to be gluten-free.
- Gluten-free buns come from a separate supplier and are cooked on a separate section of the grill to reduce cross-contamination risk.
- Good Good serves gluten-free fried chicken — a rarity in the Dunedin hospitality scene.
- The house-made gluten-free onion rings are, according to Gleeson, unique in Dunedin — no other venue currently makes them with gluten-free flour.