The Dangers Of Dining Out

If you are one of the three million Americans that suffers from food allergies you know how difficult it can be to feel safe when dining in a restaurant. You may have experienced the "eye-roll" from your server, a clueless manager, multiple miscommunications with the kitchen, nagging uncertainty about the ingredients in your dish, or you may have even been refused service. This list does not cover, of course, a severe reaction, gotten from a "surprise" ingredient in your food.

Sloane Miller, social worker and president of Allergic Girl Resources, Inc. knows exactly how you feel and yet she dines out at least five times a week.

"Fifteen years ago, mistakes in restaurants were very common and scary. These days, many chefs and restaurants recognize that food allergies and food intolerances are on the rise and that food safety regarding allergies is as important a consideration as other food safety guidelines, says Ms. Miller."

After much trial and error, Ms. Miller has found local restaurants and chefs that were only too happy to create safe meals for food allergic diners. Craftbar, Lilli & Loo, Candle Café, Sambucca, Chef Michael Lomonoco of Porterhouse New York and Chef Josh Eden of Shorty's .32 are but a few local chefs and spots that cater to the needs of diners with special dietary needs with grace and without judgment. Following those relationships, she created a dining club for food allergic foodies who, like her, find restaurant dining to be a potentially harrowing experience.

Worry-Free Dinners™ offers an intimate and safe environment in which to dine with similarly restricted diners at a pre-screened restaurant. The chef carefully plans special menus with a range of choices with valuable input from Ms. Miller. Meals are open to a small group of 8-12 diners whose allergies are manageable and match the planned menu (e.g. wheat allergic diners would sign up for a wheat-free meal).

The camaraderie of dining with like-minded patrons is a key factor in the design of Worry-Free Dinners events. And it distinctly adds to digestion.

"What a welcome relief it is to eat with others who won't judge me for wanting the sauce on the side, wondering aloud if the meat is grilled on the same grill with the fish or asking the server about each ingredient in a dish to ensure that I can eat it safely", says Ms. Miller.

Ms. Miller gives the public tips on successfully replicating a positive dining experience and provides language to dialogue with chefs and restaurant management so that other restaurant doors open to allergic diners.

"I have perfected a system for clearly communicating my allergy needs with sympathetic restaurants that ensures a safe meal. I'm thrilled to be able to help other diners like me dine out with confidence and have a great time," says she.

Ms. Miller continues, "Ultimately, it's what any allergic diner wants: to enjoy a restaurant experience without worry. And we are the most loyal bunch: feed us safely and well and we'll bring friends and family back again and again."

For more information about Worry-Free Dinners™ see the website. And in the meantime, let that server know of your needs. It will be time well spent. Dessert should not be spent in the emergency room treating an allergic reaction.

Comments

[ZanIts1984]

I have very few and limited food allergies. .
I would think this article did not just extend to people who deal with food allergies but people who deal with digestive problems as well. I have a brother who has a bad case of Chrons Diesease and we us live together aways from any type of family members. His diet is very exclusive and exact. If something slips by he will feel it later on and that is a guarantee.

I w s a cook for a while and can see a cooks side to the argument but honestly it doesn't matter. Not everybody is going to order the food item prepared exactly to how the menu says it is . As a cook, especially during a lunch or dinner rush when you are slammed, this can become aggravating. Cooking becomes instinctual in which recipe is memorized but you'll put it together even ever before you realize you forgot to leave out that one or more ingredients the customer wanted left out. Its aggravating as hell. Mind you the customer always got what they wanted when I cooked but it was always after I realized I screwed up and had to take additional minutes to recook the food.
I did learn eventually how food can interact with individual people. All restaurants and their cooks need to realize that some customers have special needs due to religion, health, or any reason that could hurt that one person
.
Just my two

[ZanIts1984]

Wow, forgive a lot of my grammar mistakes. Late night working and lot of built up jumble thoughts splurged out in a not so graceful manner.

[TakeSake]

I do my best to get out of going to restaurants. They ignore this issue at their own peril, and that of their customers. I only go to a few selected ones that I "trust".

Asian restaurants are the worst ones are when it comes to MSG - they always claim "we don't put MSG in it" but it is there in amounts that never could have simply come from a sauce or something. However, I do find that compared to others, Korean places don't use it.

[Pippilangstrumpf]

I remember talking to a chef in a Chinese restaurant years ago. The subject of allergies to MSG came up and he made a comment concerning when waitstaff would come to the kitchen and tell the chef that the customer asked for his dish to be cooked with no MSG.

They were instructed to just tell the customer "OK", but the cooks do not care. This chef told me that their attitude is "MSG is the Head Cook in EVERY Chinese kitchen".

Also, they would offer "Vegetarian Vegetable" soup on the menu. But guess what? It was CHICKEN BROTH with a few chunks of tofu and seaweed and not ONE customer could ever tell the difference.

So, you'd get the vegetarians who would think they're ordering a meat free, MSG free meal. There is no respect for people's wishes in many restaurant­s...well..­.hopefully this has changed.

I have food allergies myself and since I know what this chef told me to be true, sometimes it's pretty frightening going into restaurants (especially Chinese ones).

Although I do think it's a bit different now because there is more of a fear of a lawsuit. We do live in a very legally contentious world now.

[rini]

As an allergist, I can tell you that dining out with food allergy can be frightening if you have a history of anaphylaxis. It is worse when it is your child. There are so many hidden ingredients. I had a patient who ended up in the ER after eating a chocolate covered marshmallow. She didn't check the ingredients because she was allergic only to fish. Well, the marshmallow was made with fish gelatin. I am glad people are becoming smart about this.

[sophieozz]

Thank you for this article, and thank you, Sloane Miller. It's wonderful that some restaurants gracefully accommodate special dietary restrictions. They'll gain our confidence and get our business time and time again. For those who roll their eyes – no, we're not crazy or neurotic. We have real health issues regarding food. With consciousness raising, it's likely you'll find more patrons questioning what goes into the preparation of your dishes.