Dining out for those with food allergies need not be risky, if...
A globally growing public health epidemic affecting millions of people, where several cases of customers suffering mild to extreme, sometimes fatal allergic reactions to restaurant food have been reported in the past. This has been occurring long before COVID-19 and will continue to happen in the future as well.
Dining out can be a harrowing experience for people with allergies, in part, because many restaurant employees lack the training, skills and awareness to manage food allergies safely and effectively. Most cases of allergy reactions arise because of miscommunication and with a little of effort, could easily have been avoided.
Communication is at the heart of the matter when ordering food. It involves verbal conversations between customers and servers (or order-takers when ordering takeaway food). In these conversations, the written mode of communication especially amongst staff comes into play at some stage via order forms or POS machines. As one can observe the mix of dialog (verbal / written), between customers to servers to kitchen, is ripe for mistakes to happen.
Experts recommend that servers when introducing themselves go the ‘extra mile’ by asking diners if they are allergic to any food. For example, whilst saying, “Good evening, I’m Kumar your server and I’m here to take your order”, why not add, “By the way, is there anyone who has food allergies?” Train staff to initiate conversations about food allergies. Some guests totally forget to mention about being allergic to certain foods, whilst others do not – going to the extent of explicitly describing how seriously it affects them.
Focus on the issue, not the person.
Just as much as servers are told to repeat orders taken to ensure that there are no mistakes, it is good practice to reconfirm the allergy disclosure or information and to obtain the diner’s nod that the information has been received correctly. Staff should use questions to clarify their understanding and ‘mirror the other person’, i.e. chose to repeat, in their own words what they have heard, in order to enable the diner to clarify any details. All this demonstrates interest in what is being said.
Servers’ knowledge of the dishes and how sharp they are can also be put to the test. My wife is allergic to tomatoes and on several occasions, has had to return the food – not because they added tomatoes to the food, but used it in the garnish. This is where force of habit by the cook and lack of focus by the server can lead to disaster.
We all know that when messages are passed verbally through several people, the end-person can receive a distorted version of the original message. Lesser the number of people involved in passing information, particularly when communicating about a diner’s food allergy…the better.
Restaurants may consider designating a floor staff member or supervisor, who is well versed in dealing with diners’ who have food allergies, to directly oversee orders for such vulnerable customers - from taking the order - to delivering the food to the table. Someone similar to the ‘Expeditor’ who is stationed near the kitchen door and whose job it is to check that the meal is presented and served correctly before a server leaves the kitchen with it.
Ilzaf Keefahs is a freelance writer who enjoys focusing on hospitality related matters that he is passionate about, and likes to share his views with hoteliers and customers alike. He delves into the heart of hospitality to figure out both customer service and consumer trends that impact the industry.
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