CulinaryA guest with a food allergy: A guest tells the server about a food allergy before ordering
A guest tells the server about a food allergy before ordering. A guest tells the server about a food allergy before ordering. The order goes from the dining room to the kitchen and the person in charge without losing the allergy on the way: you ask when unsure, cook without cross-contact and know what to do if the guest has a reaction. It follows the food allergen awareness rules of Massachusetts, the first state to require them.
Free to startThis scenario
- A guest tells the server about a food allergy before ordering.
The steps
- The menu asks guests to tell the server about any food allergy in the party before ordering.
- Take the allergy seriously and follow the restaurant's step-by-step procedure, from the server to the kitchen and the person in charge.
- Know the nine major food allergens: milk, egg, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, wheat, peanuts, soybeans and sesame.
- Know that an allergy is not an intolerance: a reaction can be serious and even cause death.
- If you do not know whether a dish contains the allergen, ask; never guess.
- Keep the guest, the staff and the chefs talking with the same information until the dish is served.
- Clean fully before preparing the dish: wash, rinse, sanitize and air dry.
- Use separate tools and separate preparation and cooking areas.
- Recognize the symptoms of an allergic reaction.
- If the guest has a reaction, call 911 and stay with the guest until help arrives.
Safety rules that stop the station
- Sanitizing alone does not fully remove an allergen: the full wash, rinse, sanitize and air dry is what works.
- An employee who is unsure never guesses: they ask.
To pass
- A person in charge trained in allergen awareness is on site during all operating hours, with a trained alternate, and trains the staff for their duties.
- The employee poster, at least 8.5 by 11 inches, shows the nine allergens, the risks, the procedure, to ask when unsure and "Call 911" in a prominent place.
- The training certificate is valid for five years.
Official source
Food Allergen Awareness FAQs
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health publishes its food allergen awareness rules free: training, poster, menu notice and what to do in a reaction.
Making Synapses is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by the FDA, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health or any certification provider. Agency names are named only to describe the content.