Restaurants and allergy. AIBU?

[Hannahpandle]

Genuinely not sure what’s an appropriate response - went out for tea last night to a national chain restaurant. As we were seated, the waitress asked if we had any allergies and I said yes, soya intolerance. We ordered, and when the food arrived I could feel my mouth tingling. It certainly wasn’t a dish you’d expect soya to be in, so I looked on their website and sadly it says on the allergens page “contains soya beans.”

So we called the waitress over and she said “oh I’ll go and ask.” Then she came back and said “chef says it doesn’t contain soya.” I said I could FEEL that it did and it also says it on the website too, and she said “well chef says it doesn’t.” I showed her where it says “contains soya beans” and she said “well what do you want me to do about it?” I asked for the manager and she said she wasn’t in but she would get the supervisor. By this point I was uncomfortable and itchy. The supervisor was suitably embarrassed and said I wouldn’t have to pay for my meal and would I like something else but I didn’t want anything by then.

We finished up quite quickly, and asked for the bill. The supervisor said she had rang her manager who said she would write the bill off on this occasion but please could I leave my name and address and phone so she could phone me tomorrow.

Came home and had rotten tummy ache all night after it and am still a bit itchy today.

could they have handled it better?

you should always ask to see the allergy menu. They legally have to detail which items on the menu contain, or may contain, the top 14 allergens.

the main menu doesn’t need to show it.

My daughter has an egg allergy which won’t be indicated on the main menu, so we always ask to see the allergy menu, and confirm that the wait staff will inform the kitchen.

I can see it’s pizza express which is a rare safe place for us and which does have good allergy protocols. You should definitely raise that your server did not, when you told them you had an allergy, issue you with the allergen menu or take your intolerance seriously. They did not check you had understood the ingredients of your order.

However - YABU to expect to do no due diligence yourself and to expect that a menus that doesn’t mention allergens means it doesn’t contain them. A Quick Look at a chain restaurant website can usually sign post you to allergy info.

OP if the main menu included all ingredients then most dishes would list things like flour, egg, salt, sugar, butter etc. There are allergy menus even in places like costa

There should be a QR code on the menu that takes you to the allergen list. Our local PizzaExpress has them.

It's not always a QR code. Sometimes its folder with the allergy menu in

Either way, I am staggered anyone with allergies would eat in a restaurant without getting a full breakdown of ingredients first.

My children have been brought up since babyhood to know they don't eat anything unless we know every single ingredient in the food. It's meant saying no to all kinds of treats over the years but it's the only safe option.

Yes restaurants have a duty too but first and foremost we have to make sure we protect ourselves.

It's because you said 'intolerant' which isn't really a thing. You either have an ige-mediated allergy or a non-ige mediated one. If you say intolerance they'll think it's just you being a bit fussy.

Tbh though with a tingly mouth I'd say that's an ige allergy and could easily escalate into anaphylaxis.

If you have allergies it's never enough just to read the menu you have shared in this post.

You don't know from this what the ingredients of the dough are, what any of the vegetables or meat have been marinaded in or fried in. You don't know the ingredients of the tomato sauce or the BBQ sauce.

You don't get a tingling mouth from an intolerance.. everywhere needs to have allergens written down for each dish, ask to see it in future because staff can't always be trusted

Another person shocked that you’re not au fait with allergen menus… my son is 12 and checks the allergen menus himself. We always check them out before a restaurant visit is planned and if it’s impromptu he checks there. He’s 12…

I agree, intolerance isnt the key word, you need to say allergy.

I've just looked at the Pizza express website and actually I am really impressed. They have an easy to read allergen matrix covering all the main allergens (including soy) and a full ingredients list too.

100% report them!!

Maybe this is my doing because I thought it was an intolerance rather than an allergy because I don’t go into anaphylaxis. I just get an itchy mouth, and then later itchy dermagraphia, bad gut ache and diarrhoea and then am wiped out the next day.

I think you could do with speaking to an allergy specialist.
Immediate reactions are IgE allergies and should be treated as a potential anaphylaxis risk. You may have a mix of IgE and non-IGE allergic response by the sound of things.

People can have lots of milder IgE reactions before having an anaphylactic response. The severity on any exposure can depend on stress levels, hormone levels, general health, temperature, level of exposure... It's russian roulette every time.

You definitely need to say "allergy" not intolerance when speaking to staff and you definitely want to read the full ingredients list and also ensure the staff have actually written down your allergies.

In most chain restaurants now the manager will take the order for any customers with allergies. Still don't rely on their assurances, always ask for the full ingredients list and allergy menu. Soy is hidden in all sorts of products

There probably wasn't the allergens are supposed to be displayed on the menu they handed you,

No, that's not true. There are 14 allergens that must by law be clearly visible on the packaging of prepackaged food, but that information is only required to be available on request for non packaged food, including in restaurants. The problem here is that the OP did ask and was not provided with the necessary information but the restaurant was under no obligation to have all the allergens listed on the main menu.
Pizza Express are generally really good regarding information actually. All their allergen info is readily available on their website along with a complete ingredient list for everything they serve. If I recall rightly there's a QR code on the standard menu that takes you right to it and I presume they have a hard copy in each restaurant too if anyone can't access it online.
The company's policy was clearly not followed on this occasion. The OP is entitled to feel aggrieved and the issue should be raised so the training in that branch can be addressed. But Pizza Express do make the information relatively easily available and have very clear guidance for customers with allergies on their website. Like a PP said, Pizza Express is one of our "safe" places to eat with my multi allergic DS when we're away from home, basically because it is exactly the same wherever you go and the allergy information is easy to use.

Update : the restaurant staff hadn’t followed protocol and have all had retraining, which includes the allergy menu. All very swift and professional. And they sent me a voucher for £100. Well done Pizza Express!

This blase attitude towards food allergies really winds me up. I'm allergic to a preservative used in a lot of bread products. I went to a cafe a few weeks ago and I really fancied some toast, so I asked the server if their bread had this ingredient in. He shouted to the kitchen, does our bread have any preservatives in, no mention of allergies. Immediate answer, no. I said is that person sure because if I eat it I will be very poorly. He shouted to the kitchen, are they sure. No was the answer, they were not sure, they didn't have the list of ingredients for the bread. I was so cross.

Excellent result. Well done Pizza Express and well done OP, you may have saved someone else from an even worse experience.

If you are getting itchy, you are allergic NOT intolerant. Intolerant is a non-allergic difficulty digesting food, such as lactose intolerance or IBS triggered by FODMAPS. Intolerance is not the opposite of anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxis is a more serious reaction to an allergen. Allergies where you have an itchy response (especially in the mouth) can become anaphylactic reactions so you should not downplay your allergy by saying it’s an intolerance as service providers may not take your allergy as seriously; especially as many people who are simply avoiding foods because they merely suspect a problem with that food, or just think it’s better for them not to eat it, will use the term “intolerant”..

I'm really pleased @Hannahpandle but I hope you have also now learnt that you need to take full responsibility for your allergies too and unless you have had a full ingredients list or a proper allergy matrix then you shouldnt eat the food?

My children have known since before they can talk that they won't be getting food unless they know everything in the ingredients

This! Absolutely this.