Eating out with allergies is like Russian roulette
"May the odds be ever in your favour."
Eating out with serious food allergies is like Russian roulette. We spin the cylinder and entrust our lives to others, hoping we don’t get unlucky.
“Opening a packet of nuts. . . is like staring down the barrel of a loaded gun,” writes Catherine Hobson in her book, Take Away the Fear.
Interestingly, I’ve also heard my Dad use the loaded gun / Russian roulette analogy to communicate the severity to people who ‘don’t get it.’
Systems are only as strong as their weakest link—the lowest common denominator. This is particularly pertinent for those with serious food allergies.
“One mistake and one bite, unfortunately, can cause an anaphylactic reaction,” states Food Allergy Fund CEO, Ilana Golant, on FoodBev’s Crunchtime podcast. (The episode is definitely worth a listen.)
For example, a last-minute, temporary member of waiting staff without adequate training or understanding of how they fit into the rest of the system, is a matter of life and death, potentially causing havoc for allergic patrons and the business. Catherine highlights an antithesis:
“We have had some excellent experiences of eating out, and they've all had one thing in common: the waiting staff could be trusted, and communication was clear and felt truthful.”
Even if you find a place, chain, or brand you trust, never let your guard down and assume things will be the same as last time—always be diligent.
Wagamama used to be one of my ‘safe havens.’ They often went above and beyond to make me feel as secure as possible—assigning me my own chef using clean utensils, and assuring me the peanuts used for other dishes were stored separately and solely used decoratively.
One Wagamama visit is etched in my memory, however. I did my usual spiel. All seemed tickety-boo. The waitress came to our table just before serving our meal with a final question: I’m just checking if you would like your peanuts on top, or the side of your meal?