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trilliumB · 08-05-2003

WDW restaurants have definitely developed a low-impact routine for helping guests with food allergies.

When we checked in, we'd tell the folks at the desk that I had food allergies, and that I'd like to speak to the chef to find out what would be safe for me to order/eat. This request was NEVER met with surprise or hassle; I was told repeatedly that they deal with food allergies ALL the time. The host/ess would then make a note about what specifically I'm allergic to, and send that back to the chef. We'd then be seated, and in a few minutes out would come the chef.

The same thing happened when we told our server (rather than the host/ess), but we found that usually it felt more private and relaxed to take care of notifying folks via the host/ess.

After you notified the host/ess or server, the chef will come out to your table, go over what you're allergic to, and then either tell you what to avoid or what's safe on the menu, or they will invite you to walk the buffet line with them from end to end, as they tell you whether each dish is safe, or not.

I ate all over the World, and the chefs were always incredibly nice and helpful. When we ate at Boma, Chef TJ was SUCH a sweetie, and even made us a special dish himself, just for us, which was both beautiful and delicious!

I started out with PSs for EVERYTHING, thinking that it would be such a hassle and problem for the restaurants. This idea was further encouraged by the PS people, who said I needed to call each restaurant individually 24 hours ahead of each PS and speak to the chef. This just resulted in playing phone tag, however, with the rather confused reply always being, 'sure, that's no problem, I'll help you when you get here'. At least for nut allergies like I have, the WDW restaurants seem to have such a good system set up to take care of guests, the interaction on-site with the chef was all that was necessary, or expected. We even ate several times without PSs, and it really was just not a problem.

I'd be interested to know how people with other food allergies than nuts have fared. But at least this is good news for those of us with nut allergies: Disney "gets" it! :laugh

08-05-2003	#3 (permalink)
trilliumB Senior Mouseketeer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Rhode Island, USA Posts: 326	What to do at the restaurant WDW restaurants have definitely developed a low-impact routine for helping guests with food allergies. When we checked in, we'd tell the folks at the desk that I had food allergies, and that I'd like to speak to the chef to find out what would be safe for me to order/eat. This request was NEVER met with surprise or hassle; I was told repeatedly that they deal with food allergies ALL the time. The host/ess would then make a note about what specifically I'm allergic to, and send that back to the chef. We'd then be seated, and in a few minutes out would come the chef. The same thing happened when we told our server (rather than the host/ess), but we found that usually it felt more private and relaxed to take care of notifying folks via the host/ess. After you notified the host/ess or server, the chef will come out to your table, go over what you're allergic to, and then either tell you what to avoid or what's safe on the menu, or they will invite you to walk the buffet line with them from end to end, as they tell you whether each dish is safe, or not. I ate all over the World, and the chefs were always incredibly nice and helpful. When we ate at Boma, Chef TJ was SUCH a sweetie, and even made us a special dish himself, just for us, which was both beautiful and delicious! I started out with PSs for EVERYTHING, thinking that it would be such a hassle and problem for the restaurants. This idea was further encouraged by the PS people, who said I needed to call each restaurant individually 24 hours ahead of each PS and speak to the chef. This just resulted in playing phone tag, however, with the rather confused reply always being, 'sure, that's no problem, I'll help you when you get here'. At least for nut allergies like I have, the WDW restaurants seem to have such a good system set up to take care of guests, the interaction on-site with the chef was all that was necessary, or expected. We even ate several times without PSs, and it really was just not a problem. I'd be interested to know how people with other food allergies than nuts have fared. But at least this is good news for those of us with nut allergies: Disney "gets" it! :laugh __________________ --CAT ...the Wild Sculptress...