An allergy notification card I received on one of the busiest nights in December.
Unfortunately I had to deny them service. It was peak trade, I had a mountain of tickets and one chef down. I had no real way of safely serving them food without causing a medical emergency.
by ArchaicInsanity
35 Comments
electricookie
You did the right thing.
BlueSky659
Dang. It sucks to say, but you made the right call.
Peanuts, Tree Nuts, Legumes, Seeds, *and* Pit Fruits is one hell of an allergy cocktail.
10inchezsoft
It’s like trying to disarm explosives.
Shanknado
Let me just change my fryer oil real quick for yoy
Least-Bear3882
Sorry you had to stop what you were doing to try and figure out that cluster fuck.
Appropriate-Series80
Obviously sucks for them and good on them for having such a clear card prepared but I still fail to understand why people with such complex allergies don’t call ahead to book/advise/check? It must make eating out a complete crapshoot for them..
Forward_Past3197
Why do people not call ahead of time with this amount of allergies, one or two is feasible to work around but when your producing a list it’s unreasonable at this time of year
Oghamstoner
If I had this many allergies, I would contact any restaurant I was going to the day before to figure out what I could eat there.
People with multiple allergies deserve to enjoy their meal in comfort as much as anyone else, but they need to take some responsibility for making it happen instead of dumping it on an overworked kitchen.
Abe_Froman_87
Pack a lunch!
BluButterfly95
Perfectly reasonable to deny service. As someone with celiac I’m very happy to find a place that’s not crazy busy and can actually accomodate me rather than a place that will make me sick because they don’t have capacity to do all the finicky things involved with accommodating food allergies. I also try phone ahead or go to places that I know are safe especially during busy times.
cube-drone
I have a friend (who has a nasty cocktail of intolerances, although it’s not this serious) who ordered an _allergy meal_ in Japan and they tell the tale to this day of the restaurant that got their “allergy meal” bags out of the freezer, boiled them while sealed in the plastic bags, brought the bags to the table, and opened them (curry and rice) right there at the table over a clean plate.
The flavor was very spartan but they were pleased at how safe it felt.
ProperPerspective571
If I have these allergies I wouldn’t go to any place that prepares the food. In other words, stay home and be safe if it’s that critical
Sonikku_a
“Thanks for letting me know. Unfortunately I unable to serve you due to cross contamination risks. Have a great night!”
**EDIT:** just saw that you posted the story with the pic, and yeah, sometimes it’s the right call.
FixMean5988
Why eat out at this point?. One mess up and you die, why mess around and find out.
_ImpersonalJesus_
As someone with 25 allergies (Tho’ not all of them are that dangerous) you did the right thing. Whenever I do really want to eat somewhere like a fine dining or simply a place I’ve been looking to try, I just make sure to add a note when booking my table, not last minute. If randomly I gotta go somewhere with friends, I will just stick to things I know they’re safe, point my main allergies and ask if it’s possible. If it is not, not their fault.
dronegeeks1
I’d have turned em down too, pre book if you have this amount of allergen needs 🤷🏼♂️
TealBlueLava
Yeah, if you don’t have the means to clean for cross-contamination, then it’s better to just decline service. Better a bad review than a dead customer.
grimmigerpetz
I am allergic to lots of nuts and soja. Mostly in raw condition. My brother too and he had an anaphilactic shock as a child. As long as it seems logic I dont have a problem with preparing food for them.
But ffs, just inform us with your reservation and not when you are already seated.
Also when they are gluten sensitive and order a lava cake for dessert I get angry. So many ppl are so uneducated on their own condition. Like lactose intolerance and especially gluten.
captain_poptart
So I am severely allergic to shellfish and I can’t eat from the same pans that have cooked shellfish. If this person is THAT allergic, they’re still putting their life at risk
alldayeveryday2471
As a lawyer, you did the right thing
AtlasADK
It’s always better to potentially ruin someone’s night than it is to risk their life. You made the right call.
mealteamsixty
And why they think it’s feasible to just…change out the fryer oil for them midshift is infuriating. I’ve had so many people try to tell me to tell the kitchen to change out the fryer oil for them…like honey how long do you and everyone else in the restaurant want to wait for food?? That’s at least an hour or more operation and then I’ve got to excuse at least 2 cooks to do it, so nothing unfried is getting made either. Are you gonna stand up and explain to the entire place why they have to wait 2 hours for food now?
thhoney08
So this is when “we ask them politely yet firmly to leave” is applied.
FieldOfFox
At this point… it’s easier to list exactly what two things you CAN eat, I swear.
mindlessenthusiast
A bag of ice it is then.
Mazinger_Zee36
If this many things could kill me when I ate them, I would learn to cook for myself.
Meldepeuter
You made a good call, not worth the risk. Z bit on them too, i have a son with allergies but just don´t go to crowded places where they are not equipped to handle this… Or i just get him some Fries while the rest can eat what they want
knightnstlouis
Here ya go, have a carrot stick…… If I had a severe food allergy, I would not pop into any restaurant without prior consultation. I would have to trust too many hands, handling my food…. Clean frying oil? cmon
Batteurius1
Good call!! Never take that chance
Dannimaru
If there’s rock fruits, shouldn’t all of them be listed? 🤔
ranting_chef
Clean frying oil? How do they even sit at a table with balls the size of bowling balls?
Mindless-Antelope-25
If they love you, they will make sure that you are cared for. Some people only go when it’s a special time and it doesn’t make it easier for any of us. I have things. I also know to be very clear and it makes the tip much higher. We know this.
ChipRed87
“The water fountain is out by the salad bar.”
SallyAslut
Two things.
1. People with allergies that are as wide as this and know well enough to have an allergy card like this. Should also know they can’t just walk into any restaurant and dump this truckload of restrictions on them. You know if you are going out. It’s not that hard to call beforehand and notify the restaurant and give them the allergies and see if the visit is feasible. Clearly this wasn’t done and they expected this would be okay on a busy night. It’s not. I don’t mean we should keep people with special requirements from living a good life. But this is like walking into a bar and asking for a baby seat. It’s not really reasonable.
2. Do people not know how time consuming it is to change fry oil? Nevermind the cost. Don’t go asking for clean fry oil in the deepfryer. It’s not going to happen. Don’t ask. A kitchen isn’t going to cool down a fryer and dump 50+ litres of good oil, clean the thing out, refill it and heat it all back up. That happens after close if you are lucky.
geo_info_biochemist
to the community, genuine question from someone with no allergies who ADORES food – when someone like this comes in, what is the best course of action? I see some good explanations in the comments here, but should people who have severe allergies like this really expect that they can walk in anywhere and get a full-up meal AND enjoy the experience a chef can provide a person? I don’t meant to sound exclusionary, but is there a way to circumvent this so people with severe allergies can enjoy food out like people without them? And also, how do chefs/kitchen personnel feel about getting these cards, across the board? Genuinely curious. I think it if were me, I might be frustrated. Especially on a busy night.
35 Comments
You did the right thing.
Dang. It sucks to say, but you made the right call.
Peanuts, Tree Nuts, Legumes, Seeds, *and* Pit Fruits is one hell of an allergy cocktail.
It’s like trying to disarm explosives.
Let me just change my fryer oil real quick for yoy
Sorry you had to stop what you were doing to try and figure out that cluster fuck.
Obviously sucks for them and good on them for having such a clear card prepared but I still fail to understand why people with such complex allergies don’t call ahead to book/advise/check? It must make eating out a complete crapshoot for them..
Why do people not call ahead of time with this amount of allergies, one or two is feasible to work around but when your producing a list it’s unreasonable at this time of year
If I had this many allergies, I would contact any restaurant I was going to the day before to figure out what I could eat there.
People with multiple allergies deserve to enjoy their meal in comfort as much as anyone else, but they need to take some responsibility for making it happen instead of dumping it on an overworked kitchen.
Pack a lunch!
Perfectly reasonable to deny service. As someone with celiac I’m very happy to find a place that’s not crazy busy and can actually accomodate me rather than a place that will make me sick because they don’t have capacity to do all the finicky things involved with accommodating food allergies. I also try phone ahead or go to places that I know are safe especially during busy times.
I have a friend (who has a nasty cocktail of intolerances, although it’s not this serious) who ordered an _allergy meal_ in Japan and they tell the tale to this day of the restaurant that got their “allergy meal” bags out of the freezer, boiled them while sealed in the plastic bags, brought the bags to the table, and opened them (curry and rice) right there at the table over a clean plate.
The flavor was very spartan but they were pleased at how safe it felt.
If I have these allergies I wouldn’t go to any place that prepares the food. In other words, stay home and be safe if it’s that critical
“Thanks for letting me know. Unfortunately I unable to serve you due to cross contamination risks. Have a great night!”
**EDIT:** just saw that you posted the story with the pic, and yeah, sometimes it’s the right call.
Why eat out at this point?. One mess up and you die, why mess around and find out.
As someone with 25 allergies (Tho’ not all of them are that dangerous) you did the right thing. Whenever I do really want to eat somewhere like a fine dining or simply a place I’ve been looking to try, I just make sure to add a note when booking my table, not last minute. If randomly I gotta go somewhere with friends, I will just stick to things I know they’re safe, point my main allergies and ask if it’s possible. If it is not, not their fault.
I’d have turned em down too, pre book if you have this amount of allergen needs 🤷🏼♂️
Yeah, if you don’t have the means to clean for cross-contamination, then it’s better to just decline service. Better a bad review than a dead customer.
I am allergic to lots of nuts and soja. Mostly in raw condition. My brother too and he had an anaphilactic shock as a child. As long as it seems logic I dont have a problem with preparing food for them.
But ffs, just inform us with your reservation and not when you are already seated.
Also when they are gluten sensitive and order a lava cake for dessert I get angry. So many ppl are so uneducated on their own condition. Like lactose intolerance and especially gluten.
So I am severely allergic to shellfish and I can’t eat from the same pans that have cooked shellfish. If this person is THAT allergic, they’re still putting their life at risk
As a lawyer, you did the right thing
It’s always better to potentially ruin someone’s night than it is to risk their life. You made the right call.
And why they think it’s feasible to just…change out the fryer oil for them midshift is infuriating. I’ve had so many people try to tell me to tell the kitchen to change out the fryer oil for them…like honey how long do you and everyone else in the restaurant want to wait for food?? That’s at least an hour or more operation and then I’ve got to excuse at least 2 cooks to do it, so nothing unfried is getting made either. Are you gonna stand up and explain to the entire place why they have to wait 2 hours for food now?
So this is when “we ask them politely yet firmly to leave” is applied.
At this point… it’s easier to list exactly what two things you CAN eat, I swear.
A bag of ice it is then.
If this many things could kill me when I ate them, I would learn to cook for myself.
You made a good call, not worth the risk. Z bit on them too, i have a son with allergies but just don´t go to crowded places where they are not equipped to handle this…
Or i just get him some Fries while the rest can eat what they want
Here ya go, have a carrot stick…… If I had a severe food allergy, I would not pop into any restaurant without prior consultation. I would have to trust too many hands, handling my food…. Clean frying oil? cmon
Good call!! Never take that chance
If there’s rock fruits, shouldn’t all of them be listed? 🤔
Clean frying oil? How do they even sit at a table with balls the size of bowling balls?
If they love you, they will make sure that you are cared for. Some people only go when it’s a special time and it doesn’t make it easier for any of us. I have things. I also know to be very clear and it makes the tip much higher. We know this.
“The water fountain is out by the salad bar.”
Two things.
1. People with allergies that are as wide as this and know well enough to have an allergy card like this. Should also know they can’t just walk into any restaurant and dump this truckload of restrictions on them. You know if you are going out. It’s not that hard to call beforehand and notify the restaurant and give them the allergies and see if the visit is feasible. Clearly this wasn’t done and they expected this would be okay on a busy night.
It’s not.
I don’t mean we should keep people with special requirements from living a good life. But this is like walking into a bar and asking for a baby seat. It’s not really reasonable.
2. Do people not know how time consuming it is to change fry oil? Nevermind the cost.
Don’t go asking for clean fry oil in the deepfryer. It’s not going to happen. Don’t ask. A kitchen isn’t going to cool down a fryer and dump 50+ litres of good oil, clean the thing out, refill it and heat it all back up. That happens after close if you are lucky.
to the community, genuine question from someone with no allergies who ADORES food – when someone like this comes in, what is the best course of action? I see some good explanations in the comments here, but should people who have severe allergies like this really expect that they can walk in anywhere and get a full-up meal AND enjoy the experience a chef can provide a person? I don’t meant to sound exclusionary, but is there a way to circumvent this so people with severe allergies can enjoy food out like people without them? And also, how do chefs/kitchen personnel feel about getting these cards, across the board? Genuinely curious. I think it if were me, I might be frustrated. Especially on a busy night.