Eating out with a food allergy or celiac disease: a card for the chef
A card puts your request in writing, so it can travel from the table to the kitchen.
Tips
- Call ahead. Call at a quiet time and ask how the kitchen handles allergy requests.
- Ask the server to pass the card to the kitchen. The cook is the person who needs to read it.
- Ask about the details. Sauces, dressings, seasonings, shared fryers and grills.
- Thank honest staff. Thank staff who say honestly that they can’t accommodate you. That honesty is useful.
Before you eat out
- Look at the menu online and pick a few options.
- Call at a quiet time, such as mid-afternoon, and ask how they handle allergy requests.
- Pack your filled-in wallet card or restaurant card.
- Hand the card to the server and ask them to show it to the kitchen.
- Ask about sauces, dressings, seasonings, shared fryers and grills.
- If the answers aren’t clear, choose something else or eat somewhere else.
- Bring a snack from home as a backup.
- Thank the staff for their honesty and their help.