Eating out with food allergies
My son has Eczema and allergies. The Eczema was easy to diagnose early on. The allergies came on sudden one day. It was a scary moment, complete with vomiting, constant sneezing and coughing, and don’t forget the hives! The next day, I took my son to an allergist and discovered he was allergic to milk, eggs and peanuts. We never found out what triggered the reaction.
For parents that have children with allergies, it can be a pain going out to a restaurant. Many times, the server won’t know the ingredients in the food he’s serving. Increasingly, however, restaurants do have allergy information available to their patrons.
I know, locally, that my neighborhood Arby’s (Click here for Arby’s Allergen list) & Taco Bell (click here for Taco Bells’ allergen list) offer either ingredient sheets or allergy information to the customer who asks. I have been to a local Wendy’s that has a poster as you walk in that details allergy information.
Surprisingly, I talked to a Mcdonald’s employee, a manager and even the local regional corporate office and found that none of the three people I talked to could answer the question about allergy information being made available to the public.
I talked to four franchised sit-down restaurants that most Americans have heard of. Three of the four did not have readily available info on allergies. One of the few five star restaurants in my area did say that they had partial information on ingredients or allergies in their food. The woman insisted that the restaurant plans on a more complete list available shortly to their patrons.
My suggestion to the dad that takes an allergic kid to an unfamiliar restaurant is to just plan ahead. Call the restaurant first and ask for the information and also check their website. If they can’t answer your questions and you still want to go, prepare the kid a meal before taking off.
Be mindful of cross contamination by yourself or another member of your party. Talk to the manager about the need for you to know this information and how having it makes the customer happy. Also, always be prepared for a reaction with Benadryl or an Epi-pen, regardless of where you are going.
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