Eating away from home can sometimes be a luxury or a necessity. However, for people with food allergies and other intolerances, it can be quite stressful, scary, and even dangerous at times. Any hidden food ingredient or simple exposure to an allergen on the restaurant table can cause a severe allergic reaction.
Fortunately, the good news is that some restaurants are highly accommodating of individuals with food allergies. Are you looking to dine out but you are worried about your food allergy or intolerance? We have prepared a list of simple things that you can do to make sure that you stay safe.
Choose the Right Restaurant
We can’t deny the fact that finding a good allergy-friendly restaurant can be quite a daunting task. The whole idea of spending a lot of time online going through customer reviews and contacting various restaurants to determine if they suit your needs can be time-consuming, but it is worth it.
Use online resources to determine which restaurants to visit and which to avoid. There are lots of free online apps that help individuals with food allergies identify ideal allergy-friendly restaurants within their localities.
If you are still unsure of what to do, consider going to a gluten-free restaurant in DDO that you have visited before. Elixor is always a good option since they always have food-allergy information in place. Before you step out, ensure that you call your preferred restaurant and explain your allergy.
Tell the Restaurant Staff about Your Food Allergies
Once you arrive at the restaurant, make sure that you clearly communicate about your food allergies with the manager, chef, or waiter. Do this even if you had called them earlier on and informed them about your food allergy.
Inquire everything that you need to know and ensure that the staff can answer your queries confidently and intelligently and reassure you that they are well prepared to deal with your food allergy.
Dine During Off-Peak Hours
You should be aware of the fact that restaurants usually have busy times. If you want to ask questions or hold a conversation with the staff about your food allergy, consider eating at a time when the restaurant isn’t too busy.
For instance, you can schedule to eat between 3:30 pm and 5:30 pm on a weekday other than 7:00 pm on a Friday or Saturday night. You may consider visiting the restaurant earlier on in the day and speaking to the manager when he/she has more time.
Keep It Simple
The best way to ensure that you dine out comfortably in a gluten-free restaurant DDO even if you are allergic to some foods is by keeping it simple. Stick to simple whole foods such as unprocessed meats and vegetables. Unless you know what is in them, you should avoid marinated food items, sauces, dips, and desserts.
Double-Check Your Food
Once you receive your meal, be sure to ask the waiter if he/she is confident that whatever you have been served is the special allergy-friendly meal that you ordered. Look closely and carefully to see if any of the allergens such as grated cheese or nuts are present.
Some restaurants will follow all the rules of preparing allergy-friendly meals and then make a simple mistake of adding something like grated cheese on a dairy-allergic diner’s salad.