Taking Allergy Orders

Your Job at the Table

People with food allergies want the decisions left up to them. They do not want you to decide whether something is “safe enough.” They want you to gather information as accurately as you can (what’s in the dish, how it’s made, whether there is possible contact) and present that information so they can choose: order, choose something else, take a chance they’re comfortable with, or leave.

Your words matter as much as the facts. Someone with an allergy lives with that worry every second of their life. Your job is to lessen that worry, not put more doubt in their mind.

Ask Clearly

When a guest mentions an allergy, or when your restaurant requires you to ask, use clear, specific language. Vague questions get vague answers.

• Ask which foods or ingredients they need to avoid.
• Listen carefully. Take what they tell you seriously, even if it sounds “strict” to you.
• Note things that matter: sauces, garnishes, breading, shared fryers, dressings, and sides.
• If you don’t know what’s in a dish, say you’ll check with the kitchen. Don’t fill the gap yourself.

Confirm Back

Repeat the allergy and the order in your own words before you leave the table. That catches mistakes while they’re still easy to fix.

• Restate the allergen(s) and the dishes they ordered.
• Confirm any modifications (“no butter on the vegetables,” “dressing on the side”).
• Ask if anyone else at the table has an allergy that should be flagged.

Everything That Goes to the Table

Once someone at the table has an allergy, it is your job to think about the whole group order, not only their entrée. Shared bread, appetizers for the table, sides meant to be passed around, and anything else that might end up in front of them all count.

Be clear with that guest about what you actually checked:

• If you checked the other dishes at the table for their allergen (and whether those dishes are okay to share), say so.
• If you did not check a specific dish someone else ordered, say that too, and tell them you will check it if they want you to.

Get the Facts, Then Present Them

Go to the kitchen. Use your restaurant’s process (POS notes, ticket calls, manager alerts) every time. Come back with what you actually learned, not what you hope is true.

• Enter the allergy on the ticket exactly as policy requires. Include the allergen, the dish, and modifications, not just “allergy.”
• Ask the kitchen specifically: does this dish contain the allergen? How is it prepared? Is there shared equipment or possible contact?
• Bring that answer back to the guest clearly. Let them decide what to do with it.
• If the kitchen can’t accommodate the request, say so honestly. Offer other options they can choose from. Don’t pressure them to “just try it.”

Never Say Things That Add Worry

Do not joke about allergies in any context. Not at the table, not in the kitchen, not to “lighten the mood,” and not during an emergency. Comments like “haha, don’t want to have to call 911 now, do we?” are completely inappropriate and disrespectful. You may have heard servers say things like that. Guests with allergies have heard them too, often. It makes a hard situation worse.

• No jokes about allergies, reactions, hospitals, ambulances, or dying, ever.
• No eye-rolling, sighing, or treating the request like an inconvenience.
• No guessing out loud (“I think it’s fine…”).
• Stay calm, matter-of-fact, and respectful. Accuracy without drama.

Never Guess

Guessing puts the guest at risk and forces them to decide without real information. If you don’t know, say so and find out.

• Don’t assume a dish is fine because the allergen isn’t named on the menu.
• Don’t invent details from a previous shift.
• Don’t promise “no cross-contact” unless the kitchen confirmed that.
• Get a manager or chef when you can’t verify the answer yourself.