To bring my own food for an allergic child???

[camdenflick]

We've been out several times recently and spotted notices stating that customers are not allowed bringing their own food on to the premises. Cockfosters Fancy Fair Festival refuses customer who bring their own food, and today, we went to the King and Tinker Pub in Enfield as found the notice below displayed on all their garden tables. (We left shortly after I looked them up on Trip Adviser and found a negative review stating, 'After buying food and drinks my daughter (remember 6 years old) ate a packet of crisps from my friends handbag. Well you’ve never seen anything like it the owner/manager came out shouting about the pub rules, had the 6 year old in tears'.) We ate in All Bar One, Leicester Square over the Easter holidays and one of the waiters instructed us to put away the food I'd bought for my son or leave the restaurant (after I'd ordered food for myself and my mum). I explained my son's food allergies, and that we'd otherwise ordered from the menu, but the waiter was adamant. I asked to speak with the manager, who never turned up. (I subsequently wrote to complain to head office and received an apology and a voucher.) My son is an Epi-Pen carrier, and severely allergic to wheat, fish, nuts, egg, lentils and sesame. I always take food for him and he's never eaten off a menu. But I'd like to know: where do we stand legally? Is it discriminatory behaviour for restaurants/venues to insist that no food is brought in? Is there any legislation that governs this in the UK? And is it REALLY so unreasonable to bring in some food for a child if the adults are eating off the menu?

I'm in two minds on this one especially as most (if not all) restaurants can cater for a lot of dietary requirements and allergies these days so there should be no reason to bring outside food in? I would have given them a list of his allergies and then if the manager stated that nothing was suitable then tell them that you would then be providing your own - can't imagine that they would then be able to complain then?

Fact is you didn't give them chance to be able to offer any meal suggestions As you state you've never given him good off the menu?

We have a different problem - always hope to be able to eat from the menu but when we say dd has a peanut allergy very often we'll be told that e.g. they don't handle peanuts in the kitchen but can't "guarantee" food is safe (I don't expect any guarantees only that they check any packets/ingredients, that's the most we can do for her at home even, there are no guarantees anywhere.)
Anyway, unsurprisingly, dd usually doesn't want to eat after the "no guarantees" speech so the meal out is ruined for her. I try to ask away from the table to protect her but still we've had staff come over to reiterate the point in front of her. I think they mean well but it's unnecessary - I'd be horrified if a bus driver/pilot emphasised to my kid that their safety couldn't be guaranteed on a bus/plane journey, even though it's true, which I think is equivalent. I think it's going to take a while for people to find the best way to manage allergies and i do see it's hard for some places. Thankfully we've never had an issue with our own food when there's nothing suitable on the menu - always ask at the ordering stage though.

We've never had any problems with DD's food in places, but we always ask first. Generally we ask if they can provide a meal that would be suitable for her and then when they can't as if we can bring something for her. A couple have even happily taken her food and brought it out with the rest of the meals so she feels part of it.

I think asking, and asking first, rather than just turning up and explaining after (or demanding) is the way to go with it.

imo, what would be fair to both parties is to have a cover charge^^

• which the restaurant sets equal to its estimated profit for one diner -

for bringing in food for each person who can't eat the restaurant food, whether because of allergies, SEN or any baby / toddler who doesn't BF or eat pouches.

I have an allergic child/epi pen carrier. I tend to bring food for her if the restaurant is flaky on safety or not known to us. I don't ask and have never been challenged, there are always the rest of us buying food and we get drinks/desert for the allergic DC.

I've always worked off the premise that serving 3 of us full meals and drinks/desert for 4 is better for the restaurant than having no business at all...

And just to point out my DS is a fully paid up EpiPen carrying 16 year old, and I've managed to keep him alive so far...

I'm genuinely astonished by this statement! All of us with children with life-threatening allergies know the feeling of playing Russian roulette when feeding our children at times, the above comment is unbearably smug.

Why don’t you ask? That’s pretty rude really.

Surely basic manners says you explain to a business why you need to take someone else’s produce onto their premises?