Making Synapses · Bringing Knowledge to Mankind
CulinaryKeeping guest, server and chef in the loop
An allergy order passes through several hands: the guest, the server, the kitchen and the person in charge. Massachusetts allergen awareness training must teach why a consistent and reliable line of communication between guests, staff and chefs matters and how to keep it, so the allergy reaches the plate intact.
Free to startScenarios
- A guest's allergy order goes from the dining room to the kitchen during a busy service.
- The chef has a question about the allergy while the guest is still at the table.
- The person in charge is away and the trained alternate covers the shift.
The steps
- The server passes the allergy on to the kitchen with the order, as the step-by-step procedure for point of service employees, kitchen staff and the person in charge sets.
- The kitchen and the person in charge work with the same allergy information the guest gave.
- Any question from the kitchen goes back to the guest through the same line, and the answer comes back the same way.
- A trained person in charge, or the trained alternate, is on site and part of the procedure for every allergy order.
- The dish reaches the guest with the allergy information unchanged from the order to the table.
Safety rules that stop the station
- The allergy never stops at the server: it reaches the kitchen and the person in charge.
To pass
- Approved training covers the importance of a consistent and reliable line of communication between guests, staff and chefs, and how to keep it.
- The FDA Food Code lists the establishment's own procedures, processes, communication and controls for allergen management among the topics of employee allergen training.
- A person in charge trained in allergen awareness is on site during all operating hours, with a trained alternate for absences.
Official source
Massachusetts · DPH, 105 CMR 590.011
Food Allergen Awareness FAQs
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health sets in its Food Allergen Awareness FAQs (Q2 and Q3) the communication between guests, staff and chefs that the training must cover.
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