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!