It's a busy Friday night. A customer tells their server they have a food allergy. The server writes it on the order and sends it through.
Later, someone else picks up the meal from the pass. Do they know about the allergy, or are they just looking for the table number?
An order note is a start. Someone still has to check the ingredients and how the food will be prepared. The person serving it needs to know which meal belongs to that customer.
Listen first, then check
When a customer tells you about an allergy, ask which food or foods they are allergic to. Repeat it back, then follow your venue's procedure for checking with the chef or manager.
"I'm pretty sure that's fine" is an easy answer when you're busy. It also leaves the customer relying on a guess.
Say what you'll do: "Thanks for letting me know. I'll check the ingredients and preparation with the chef before we confirm your order."
Food Standards Australia New Zealand's guidance calls for staff training and accurate, current allergen information to help customers choose their food.
Check the whole dish
A dish can look suitable until you check the dressing or marinade. Bought-in garnishes need checking too.
Check the recipe and the current supplier labels, including any warnings. If your venue uses an allergen matrix, check that it matches the ingredients being used that day.
A replacement brand can change the answer. So can a last-minute recipe change. Having served the dish to another customer last week doesn't tell you what's in it tonight.
Queensland Government guidance says ingredient information needs to be accurate and available to the staff answering customer enquiries.
The recipe is only part of the check
Food can pick up an allergen from a shared utensil, preparation surface or fryer. That can happen even when the allergen isn't an ingredient in the dish. It's called allergen cross-contact, or cross-contamination.
Follow your venue's procedures for washing hands, cleaning equipment and keeping preparation areas separate. Sanitiser alone won't remove food residue and allergens. The National Allergy Council's All about Allergens booklet explains these controls.
If the wrong garnish goes on a meal, picking it off won't make the rest suitable for the customer. Cooking won't reliably remove allergens either. Don't serve a contaminated meal to that customer. The kitchen needs to reassess it and prepare a new meal using suitable ingredients and procedures. See the Council's preparation guidance.
If you can't confirm the ingredients or safely prepare the requested meal, tell the customer before confirming their order. Be clear about what the kitchen can and cannot do.
Keep the allergy information with the meal
Write the specific allergy on the order and speak directly to the person responsible for preparing it. Check they've understood.
That information needs to reach whoever takes the meal out, too. They should know which meal has been prepared for the allergy request and confirm the right customer receives it. An extra sauce or garnish added at the pass needs the same checks as the rest of the dish.
The National Allergy Council recommends identifying meals prepared for customers with food allergies and delivering them separately from other meals. Its food-service guidance covers this handover.
What should staff do?
Use an allergy request as a scenario at your next team briefing. Ask:
- Where do we find current ingredient and allergen information?
- Who checks whether we can accommodate the request?
- How do we record the allergy and confirm the kitchen has received it?
- How do we identify the meal and get it to the right customer?
- What happens if an ingredient changes or someone makes a mistake?
- Does everyone know what to do if a customer has an allergic reaction?
Include casual staff and anyone who runs food. If someone doesn't know who to ask or where to find the information, sort that out before service starts.
Know the emergency response
Anaphylaxis is a medical emergency. Signs can include breathing difficulty, tongue or throat swelling, or collapse.
Follow the current ASCIA first aid plan: lay the person flat, give adrenaline using an injector without delay if available, and call 000 for an ambulance. Do not let them stand or walk. If breathing is difficult, allow them to sit with their legs outstretched.
Make sure staff know the plan before they need it.
Food allergy training for your team
Zealifi's Food Allergy & Intolerance course is for staff who prepare or serve food. It covers identifying food allergens and intolerances, communicating about them and managing them at work.
Use the course alongside your venue's procedures and current ingredient information. Then walk through an order together so everyone knows their part.
View our hospitality courses or email hello@zealifi.com.au to talk about training your team.
Key takeaway
An allergy request needs to reach everyone who handles that order. Check the ingredients and preparation, pass on the specific allergy, and make sure the right meal reaches the right customer. If you're unsure, stop and check before serving it.
