Is It Worth It To Dine Out With Food Allergies?

Photo Credit: Noel Malcolm

We don't eat out often. Frankly, I try to avoid it. I keep hoping my child's food allergies will go away and I won't have to worry about food allergies and dining out.


Dumb, I know...but the whole restaurant thing still feels scary and intimidating to me. So much can go wrong. Now, we have had several great restaurant experiences (McDonald's, Universal Studios, The Strand Bistro) and a couple of bad experiences. 

Mostly good, though...

Photo Credit: Noel Malcolm

Last Saturday, we thought we should get brave and have dinner out. I immediately went to AllergyEats and typed in our zip code. Several recommended options popped up. We checked out on-line menus and discussed the options.

Then, I noticed that it was 5 pm...on a Saturday night...

"Try to dine out during off-peak hours" is advice I've heard over and over. Not heeding that advice has led to some of those bad experiences. 

We ate dinner at home that night, but I've resolved that we will eat out locally once a month so all of us get comfortable communicating with wait-staff, chefs and managers. 

This is why I was so excited to see the results of the Allergy Eats survey of the most food allergy-friendly restaurant chains based on diner feedback (as in real people who care about food allergy concerns when dining out). The most recommended large chain  restaurants were (in order), Red Robin, PF Chang's, Chipolte, Outback Steakhouse and Longhorn Steakhouse.

A few comments as I explored these restaurant websites:

• Red Robin - while they offer a recommended menu for those with wheat/gluten allergies online, they suggest you send any other allergy questions through their comment page. Hmmmmm...
• P.F. Chang’s- their wait-staff automatically asks if anyone at the table has any food allergies and their nutritional information on-line does say they "will do their best to accommodate" food allergy needs.
• Chipotle -has a Special Diet Information page- Like!
• Outback Steakhouse - offers a gluten free menu on-line, but I couldn't locate any other allergen info on their site.
• Longhorn Steakhouse-has a gluten sensitive menu on-line, but I was unable to find any other info on their site about food allergens.

The most recommended medium chain restaurants (between 50-200 locations)  from the Allergy Eats survey were, Bonefish Grill, Ninety Nine, Zpizza, Uno's, and Bertucci’s.

I also took a look at their on-line allergen info:

•  Bonefish Grill - has a Wellness tab on their site and talks about offering a gluten free menu in their restaurants for those with celiac or an intolerance to gluten. No other food allergy information found on-line.
• Ninety Nine -  has an on-line pdf that lists the top 8 allergens in every menu item- Awesome! They also have a gluten-free menu.
• Zpizza - offers gluten-free crust and vegan cheese (with ingredients listed for both).
• Uno's Chicago Grill - has nutrition information AND INGREDIENTS (perfect!) for every menu item. Also, under nutrition information there is a page about food allergies as well as advice to diners to alert their server of food allergies prior to ordering. A list of gluten-free menu items can also be found.
• Bertucci’s - has a gluten free menu and asks diners to alert their server if they have any food allergies.

I hope to see more allergen information on-line for those of us who want to check out menus from home or on our devices while traveling.  I do believe that most restaurants are "getting it" in terms of serving people with food allergies, but more information is always helpful so we can make the safest choices for our families.

Check out Allergy Eats for smaller restaurants that made the recommended list and be sure to rate your restaurant experiences at the site so we can all benefit from the ratings.

Are any of the recommended restaurants your go-to favorites?

McDonald's and Food Allergies: A Few Fast Food Tips

McDonald's Hamburgers and Dairy Allergy

I've mentioned in the past that McDonald's has become our go-to restaurant when we're traveling or otherwise on the go. We stopped there last week and I wanted to share our experience:

Us to cashier: "We'd like two hamburgers, but our son is very allergic to milk and eggs so please ask the person making the burgers to change their gloves and use clean utensils. Please make sure they don't touch anything like cheese while making the burgers."

Cashier: "Certainly"

Cashier turns toward food prep area.

"GRILL CREW," (all McDonald's employees in the vicinity stop what they are doing and turn to her- including the guy mopping the floor) "WE'VE GOT A FOOD ALLERGY! CHANGE YOUR GLOVES AND DON'T TOUCH ANY CHEESE!"

It was like an airport lock-down.

Cashier, turning back to us says sweetly: "Will that be everything?"

She then positioned herself to watch her grill crew make those burgers. We all saw both employees change their gloves (even though only one of them actually prepared our food) and pointedly concentrate on the task at hand. The openness of the kitchen area allows everyone to see exactly what is going on (This came in handy a few weeks ago when we were traveling and I had to alert a McDonald's manager that an employee grabbed a slice of cheese and hurriedly put it down to continue making our burgers. The manager apologized and re-made the burgers.).

Here are a few tips we've learned about ordering at fast food restaurants:

• Avoid the drive-through.
• Try to arrive at less busy times.
• Be clear about the food allergies and what you need for them to do.
• Model a consistent dialogue and tone knowing that your child will eventually need to order for him/her self
• Watch the food preparation.
• Don't hesitate to alert the manager if you are uncomfortable with anything you've seen.
• Thank the employees for their extra efforts.

Remember to check out Allergy Eats to find and rate restaurants. The more ratings, the more helpful the information will be. Happy dining!

Menu Changes Could be Dangerous to Those With Food Allergies

For our family, a trip to McDonald's is a safe treat as the hamburgers, fries and chicken nuggets are free of dairy, egg and peanut. However, changes in menus could catch those with food allergies unaware. Paul Antico, founder of AllergyEats, shares that Wendy's recently started buttering the buns of certain hot sandwiches.

According to this USA Today article, "Wendy's researchers knew customers wanted warmer and crunchier buns, so they decided that buttering them and putting them through a toaster was the way to go."

Good to know.

Antico says, "people with food allergies should always inform restaurant employees about their food allergies and ask about ingredient lists, dedicated fryers and possible cross contact - even if they've comfortably eaten at that establishment in the past." 

Great advice.

To stay on top of menu changes, consider the free Allergy Eats app for iPhone or Android. Adventures in Fast Food has a list of every fast food chain I can think of, with a link to each website and each menu.
So the lessons here are to be safe, stay informed and speak up about food allergies when eating out. Menus get updated, restaurant training and practices change, so never assume that something from your favorite restaurant is safe even if you've eaten it 1000 times.

By the way, I love Allergic Girl's latest post about dining out. Great lessons!

Food Allergies and Universal Studios Florida

We've known that Walt Disney World is great when it comes to dealing with food allergies. I wasn't sure about the other Orlando area parks.

Recently our family went to Universal Studios Orlando with dairy, egg, peanut, tree nut and shellfish allergies. I contacted Universal by e-mail before we went and I got both a voice mail and e-mail response. Each messages assured me that the chefs and managers at the Universal parks, City Walk and Universal hotels were well-equipped to handle food allergy concerns. I was told that eating at a full-service restaurant where we can talk to the chef directly might be our best choice.

So, how did we make out, you ask? Very successfully, I'm happy to report.

• We had lunch at Bubba Gump Shrinp Co. on Universal's City Walk We spoke to our server and then the manager about food allergies. They brought out packages for us to read labels and talked to us about preparation. They communicated with the chef throughout. My son had a burger, jell-o and orange wedges. He had to pass on the fries as they are fried with shellfish items.
• We had dinner at the Buger King Whopper Bar on CityWalk at Universal Studios. We knew Whoppers were safe, so I just confirmed their cooking practices and ingredients and informed the staff of the food allergies.
• We had a wonderful lunch poolside at our Universal hotel, Loew's Royal Pacific. The chef and manager talked to us, along with our server. The chef said he could make anything from scratch for our food allergic son and would use a separate kitchen to ensure there was no cross-contamination. He chose chicken tenders and french fries. Both were freshly made and served in a huge quantity. We all picked off my son's plate. It was fun for his menu choice to be the favorite.

Universal made this an easy vacation for us. I only brought snacks for our two days there and our family was really able to practice talking to the right people and making sure that everyone understood what we needed. This was a good lesson for my food allergic tween who will need to manage his allergies at restaurants on his own in the coming years.

Great job Universal Studios Orlando!

Teenagers and Food Allergies- A Troubling Time

A recent survey of food allergic teens shows some surprising results. Of those surveyed, very few were troubled by having to carry epinephrine or by having to wear medical jewelry. What troubled adolescents with food allergy the most were:

• being a burden to others who may need to accommodate their allergy.
• feeling left out in social situations where eating is involved.
• not feeling supported by their schools in terms of the school educating others about food allergy.
• stress involved in eating in restaurants and while traveling.

Teens with food allergy are a target group of particular concern because they have a higher risk of death associated with anaphylaxis. This study sheds light on the specific concerns within this age group so that education and counseling can help teens deal with their food allergy concerns.

What can we do to help improve the quality of life for food allergic teens?

• Help our food allergic children, pre-teens and teenagers find the words to explain their allergy confidently and matter-of-factly to others.
• Provide our kids and teens with tools to use during social situations where food is served. This may mean providing safe food for all or suggesting your teen eat before the event and bring a snack to eat later.
• Continue educating and advocating at all school levels- including high school. Make sure school officials understand food allergy. Ensure your school has a food allergy management plan. Encourage discussion of food allergy in health and other relevant classes so students learn of the symptoms and dangers.
• Push for legislation within the restaurant industry to require proper accommodations for those with food allergy.
• Encourage your teen to seek counseling if needed and to be involved with others who deal with food allergy. FAAN Teen is a great resource where teens share their experiences and tips.
• Share books such as Allergy Information for Teens: (Teen Health Series) and Fatal foods:find out how one teen copes with her allergy to peanuts.: An article from: Scholastic Choices

Teens are stressed about their food allergies. We can all help decrease this stress and provide a safer environment for this group.

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Don't forget to support FAAN’s bid to win grants from the Pepsi Refresh Project for Fund a Cure for Life-Threatening Food Allergies.
There are three ways to vote through Dec. 31:
1. Vote on the Pepsi Refresh Website:
2. Text 104004 to Pepsi (73774)
3. Vote on Facebook with the Pepsi Refresh app

Food Allergy Awareness in the Restaurant Industry

Okay, it has a funny name...MenuTrinfo...but I like the concept. MenuTrinfo stands for Menu, Nutrition, Information. Their mission is to help the restaurant industry provide better and clearer nutrition information to restaurant patrons.

MenuTrinfo just announced a series of webinars, free and open to any interested party. The first one is Nov. 16  from 11-11:30 am EST. The topic is "Practical Approaches to Special Diets and Nutritional Labeling". Betsy Craig, MenuTrinfo’s founder, will focus on current dietary trends, food allergy management, status of menu nutritional labeling legislation and resources where restaurant owners can turn to for help.


Sign up on their website if you'd like to participate. Feel free to pass this information along to your favorite restaurant. Educating restaurants in the area of food allergy, safe food handling and nutrition labelling is a win-win for all of us.

Easy Fundraising for Food Allergy Research

Here's an easy way to raise money for FAAN (Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network)- rate restaurants.  AllergyEats counts on peer review to provide a listing of allergy-friendly restaurants across the United States. The more people who participate in the ratings, the more valuable it will be for all of us. The database currently lists over 600,000 eating establishments.

To help, simply go to AllergyEats, sign up, and rate restaurants. For every restaurant rated, AllergyEats donates money to FAAN.

Simple and effective. I like it!

Another great thing to do today- CampTag is currently #32 in the Pepsi Good Idea Contest. Vote every day until the end of October for the "good idea" of opening food allergy friendly camps across the country!

Now, don't you feel empowered about all the good things you can do for those with food allergies?

Enjoy your day.