Getting Easier to Eat at Restaurants with Food Allergies!

"We've come a long way, baby!" was my thought recently when we settled in to a lunch at a nearby Red Robin. As soon as we said "food allergy", we were given an electronic tablet with their fully customizable Allergen Menu. 

Awesome!

I couldn't help thinking back to another lunch with my food allergic child 12 years earlier. A lunch we walked out of before our food was served. This was after the waitress came back to our table and burst into tears, saying the kitchen staff was making fun of food allergies and hinting that they may "do something" to the meal we ordered. 

Seriously, this really happened.

Now, restaurants are on the hook for taking food allergies seriously. Legislation in several states, such

as Virginia, Rhode Island and Massachusetts require food allergy training for restaurant employees. While there is not a national mandate for restaurants, work continues on the local and state levels to make restaurants accountable when notified of food allergies. Right now, it's still often a hit-or-miss prospect when eating out.

That's why I am so happy to see that  AllergyEats, has released its 2015 list of Most Allergy-Friendly Restaurant Chains nationwide.  These chains have the highest ratings on the AllergyEats’ website and smartphone app, which is based on feedback from the food allergy community about how restaurants accommodated food-allergic diners. 

And the winners are:

Most allergy-friendly large chains (50 or more restaurants):

• Chipotle Mexican Grill (4.41 rating)
• P.F. Chang’s China Bistro (4.39 rating)
• Red Robin Gourmet Burgers (4.39 rating)
• Outback Steakhouse (4.32 rating)
• Mellow Mushroom (4.29 rating)

 

Most allergy-friendly small chains (fewer than 50 restaurants):

• Maggiano’s Little Italy (4.74 rating)
• Burtons Grill (4.69 rating)
• Legal Sea Foods (4.64 rating)
• Joe’s American Bar & Grill (4.63 rating)
• Not Your Average Joe’s (4.63 rating)

I'm thrilled to see some of our favorites on here. Overall, though, we've found that with proper planning- talking to manager/chef in advance, bringing a chef card to the restaurant and clearly explaining what is needed for a safe meal- many restaurants today are quite accommodating and well-educated. 

Where have you eaten recently?

For more information, or to rate or search restaurants, please visit www.AllergyEats.com. 

Please note that I am not endorsing any particular restaurant and I encourage those with food allergies to talk to their doctor about the risks of dining in restaurants.

MA Restaurants and Food Allergies

Food Allergy Signs

Our family recently visited the great state of Massachusetts and found a posting about food allergies in every restaurant we saw. From fast food to fine dining, some statement about food allergies was apparent. When we spoke to restaurant staff, nearly everyone was well-versed about food allergies and needed little coaching from us in discussing and preparing allergy safe foods. From the guy at Subway® who immediately washed his hands, changed his gloves and took out fresh utensils, to our server at the Omni Parker House Hotel who took the time to write down our allergen concerns and then discussed safe options, it was delightful to dine out in MA. 

This may not be big news in MA as they've had 
food allergy legislation since 2010 requiring all restaurants in the state to adhere to certain guidelines, but it's a big deal to those of us from out of state. While a few other states have passed similar regulations (RI and perhaps soon MD), most states lag far behind, making eating out with food allergies very challenging. Anyone interested in helping to enact similar legislation in their state is encouraged to contact FARE. 

Everyone should have the right to walk into a restaurant and have a safe dining experience. Paul Antico, founder of Allergy Eats is sponsoring the second annual Food Allergy Conference for Restauranteurs this November. Share registration information with your favorite restaurants and encourage them to become food allergy savvy. It's good for everyone.

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?

New Device to Help Those with Food Allergy Eat Safely

New Smartphone Device

The iTube may turn any smart phone into a testing lab for food allergens. Professor Aydogan Ozcan, recently named "one of the world's most brilliant innovators" by Popular Science, is working on a small device that can identify allergens in food products. The smartphone attachment weighs just two ounces and uses the phone's built-in camera to turn images into measurements to show how much of an allergen (such as egg, peanut, etc.) is in the food product.

Now, this isn't quite as simple as taking a picture of a cookie. It involves grinding up the food and mixing in some water and some reactive agents in a test tube...and then taking the picture. The process takes about 20 minutes. The product was recently introduced in the journal, Lab on a Chip and NY Daily News offers a picture and article. 

I love the potential this has both at home and while eating out. Twenty minutes is not so long if you're placing a restaurant order. Instead of playing with sugar packets, food allergy families can pull out the test tubes and check menu items for safety. Hmmmm...I think there's a potential for a new game here...

It's not on the market yet, but is this something you would buy?

Teen Makes Eating out With Food Allergies a Little "EZier"

Eating out with Food Allergies

I first wrote about 16-year-old Emily in July 2009. At the time, the industrious 13-year-old had launched EZgreetings and was donating a portion of her proceeds to food allergy research. 


Emily is at it again with a new site in her EZnetwork. This one is designed to help people with food allergies navigate restaurant menus. EZeatings provides links to over 50 (and counting) restaurant menus. Whether at home or on the road, finding ingredient information from major chain restaurants just got a whole lot easier.


Check out Emily's new site, and use the "Expand EZeatings" tab to recommend more restaurant menus, or to find a letter you can use to ask favorite restaurants to provide important ingredient and allergen information. 


You can also "EZily" find EZeatings in the resource section of Food Allergy Assistant. When eating out, always be sure to make the restaurant staff aware of your allergens and confirm ingredients and preparation techniques with the manager or chef. EZeatings, combined with direct communication, will go along way in making restaurant dining more palatable for people with food allergies. 

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 Allergy Friendly Massachusetts

Beginning tomorrow, February 1, Massachusetts restaurants will be required to have a certified food protection manager on staff. This staff member must must have completed allergen-awareness training through a state program and certification must be renewed every five years.

In addition, restaurant managers in MA must make sure their staff is trained and educated in the area of food allergy and the manager must deliver the meal to the table of the food allergic diner.

Yeah Massachusetts!

I've been saying for years, if Disney can make food allergic diners feel comfortable, so can other restaurants. MA is the first state to enact this type of policy. Here's hoping others soon follow.

I see a family vacation to MA in our near future. My kids would love the Freedom Trail and I've always wanted to visit Martha's Vineyard. How much easier our trip planning will be knowing we can speak to restaurant staff about food allergies and they will get it.

Really get it.

I'll be anxious to hear from Massachusetts readers and travelers as this law takes effect. Food allergy awareness will save lives and will allow those with food allergy to participate in activities others take for granted.

Like stopping at a restaurant for a quick lunch; or eating out with friends; or attending a family party at a restaurant...

Everyone has the right to eat safely.

Restaurants Benefit by Being Food Allergy Friendly

I love this article where Allergy Eats founder, Paul Antico explores how much it's worth for restaurants to cater to those with food allergies. He's got it right on the money. Our family would frequent an allergy friendly restaurant and would avoid those restaurants with an allergy unfriendly attitude. Eating establishments can take small steps that would put those with food allergies at ease.

I think it's funny that when travelling, our most comfortable eating spot is McDonald's. Our dairy, egg, peanut and tree nut allergic child can have a regular hamburger, apple slices and a drink. We explain the situation to the cashier (or manager if we can't identify an allergy-friendly cashier). Most of the time, the manager or cashier will decide they will just make his meal. Other times they go back and explain to the "cook" that we need to have hands freshly washed (or new gloves put on) and for nothing else to be touched while the burger is being made. We can also see and hear what's going on, which is another comforting feature of McDonald's.

So truly, if McDonald's can take the extra steps to ensure a safe experience, surely other restaurants can too!

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.

Allergy Eats Helps Those With Food Allergies

Paul is a dad of kids with food allergies. He's a busy man who set his sights on making it easier for families with food allergy to eat out. The result is a new online guide called Allergy Eats.

The concept is simple- people who deal with food allergies share information with one another by rating restaurants. It's a peer review system and it only works if everyone contributes.

Right now the majority of the reviews appear to be in the greater Boston area. So, the rest of us need to hop on over and rate the restaurants in our area. Who better to give commentary about the food allergy friendliness of a restaurant than a food allergy family? Let's share our experiences.

Food Allergy Issues One of Top Restaurant Trends in 2010

The National Restaurant Association lists gluten-free and food allergy-conscious meals within their top ten list of trends for 2010.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to walk into a restaurant and ask to see the dairy, egg and nut-free menu? Then wouldn't it be even more wonderful to know that whatever is ordered will be prepared by a specially trained staff to avoid cross-contamination and accidental allergens?

This is a trend that I hope sticks and spreads.

Here's the complete list of restaurant trends.