Restaurants dealing with diners who have food allergies

Having dined in many Sri Lankan restaurants over a long period of time, hardly have I encountered the question ‘Are you allergic to any kind of food?” On the other hand, when travelling to cities both in the European and Australian continents, and when dining out, we have occasionally being asked “Do any of you have any allergies?”

Who in our society ensures our health and safety? Professions that immediately come to mind are doctors, nurses, law enforcers and firefighters. But, have any of you considered that the chefs at your favourite restaurants, by following food safety guidelines, also make their guests’ safety and health a top priority?

Dining outside of the home can be stressful, scary and even dangerous for persons with food allergies who must rely on restaurant staff to properly prepare allergen-free meals. Some restaurants are very accommodating of people with food allergies and it has been our experience to come across many front-of-the house and back-of-the-house staff, who, due to their ‘caring’ diligence have made it possible to enjoy the pleasures of dining out. Imagine how frustrating it would be to such persons if restaurants did not make such health accommodations… as otherwise, going out to eat for those suffering from serious allergies would be risking a trip to the hospital, or worse. However, despite taking all the precautions, things can go horribly wrong.

Sometime ago, my wife and myself dined at an Indian restaurant in Colombo 7. Infact, we dined very often at this restaurant and most of the service staffs were aware of our avoidance of food containing tomatoes. As it is the responsibility of diners to let kitchens know any special needs, each and every time we dine, we seek out the head-waiter or manager to suggest menu items that are free of tomatoes. The head- waiter made a careful note of our request. When the food arrived we began eating. Mid-way through the meal, my wife found her tongue beginning to swell (symptoms of anaphylaxis). To our horror we found that the vegetable dish (which incidentally we have consumed during past visits), had small pieces of tomato! She stopped eating and immediately took the medication she carries with her to avoid hospitalization.

A waiter in Quebec faced criminal charges after a diner suffered a near-fatal allergic reaction to seafood at a local restaurant despite explaining to the waiter that he had a life-threatening allergy to fish and shellfish – both when he was seated and again when he ordered. The diner claims he specifically asked the server, who did not take notes, to go to the kitchen to let the cooking staff know of his seafood allergies. A police spokesman said the waiter failed to do so.

In a previous civil case in Canadian courts, a judge found a server and her restaurant had been negligent when the waitress served a customer a piece of cheesecake containing walnuts, even though he’d asked whether the dessert would be safe for his serious nut allergy. The man suffered a severe anaphylactic reaction. In awarding a settlement of $ 25,000, the judge ruled that the restaurant and server had a duty to care to customers with allergies. “What is important to the customer with a food allergy is that the service staffs know that customers need an accurate answer about ingredients in food” the judge declared.

Here are a few tips to your staff safely and effectively serve customers with food allergies, etc:

• Develop a detailed Protocol for both front and back of the house; from seating to taking the order to informing the kitchen – when handling special food orders.
• The protocol to include training staff to communicate what is available (product knowledge where they know of each dish on the menu, the key ingredients / marinades used, method of cooking, sauces / garnishing used, etc) deciding what is doable and what is not.
• Train your staff; they must know the basics of food allergy, they must listen carefully as diners always mention about their allergies when seated and when ordering. Staff must ask the right questions, describe in general what is in each item and be prepared to either make any reasonable additional changes or politely explain that the dish may not be safe for them.
• Establish a point person per shift; he/she must be highly trained on food allergies / sensitivities, and should a server be unable to answer a question during service, be the ‘go to ‘person, rather than waste time running to and fro to the kitchen.
• After taking the order, avoid handing it over to another colleague to relay it to the kitchen. Every ‘hand-off’ can lead to dangerous mistakes…so have the same person walk this order all the way – to the kitchen and to pickup the dish/s once prepare from the kitchen.
• Chefs must be willing to remake dishes if necessary. Picking the sliced tomatoes off a mis-plated salad is unacceptable as the residue from those tomato slices can still send the customer into anaphylactic shock.

Over the years food allergies have been responsible for many deaths. Moreover, the population of people with food allergies is alarmingly on the rise with research suggesting that 1 in 13 children are afflicted in some or many ways. Consequently, allergic considerations will become more prevalent than ever before as millennials / post-millennials will soon emerge as the majority in the travel and workforce landscape. The reality of tomorrow is already here today.

Communications is the best form of prevention. To those who operate restaurants, “You owe every individual who sets foot in your restaurant a duty of care, and you should do your best to avert any crisis before it even has the chance of occurring”. Furthermore, your restaurant will continue to receive an increasing number of diners with food allergies, and, if treated right will be your loyal patrons – so it’s worth your while to do just that.

Ilzaf Keefahs – writes on hospitality related matters that he is passionate about and likes to share his views with hoteliers and customers alike.

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