Lots of people struggle with this topic, and I know a lot of people who can’t or won’t eat out because of their food allergies. And I think that is a real shame, because there is something so nice about having someone else make you dinner (not to mention have someone else do the dishes), and it's really nice for once in a while to go out with your friends, family, or your special someone…
So, with my sister’s suggestion, I am writing this blog post all about how to stay safe when eating out…
Do: Know when and where you are going out. Give yourself lots of time to make a trip out to the restaurant to talk with the manager and have them go over the food menu with you. Maybe even talk to the chef and tell them your food allergies, have the chef or manager explain to you how they prepare and cook the food. Maybe you have a fish allergy, but the restaurant cooks everything in the same oil as the fish.
This step is one good thing to do to make sure you are safe when eating out, and if you do go and talk to the chef he or she might tell you that it would be safer for you to eat out some where else…
Don’t: I was once invited to a resterant by a friend, I did not do my due diligence beforehand. And when I got there I spent proably an hour and a half to two hours just looking throught the menu reading to see what food would be safe for me; and after all that time I finally found something on the menu that didn’t have contact with peanuts. So, I ordered French fries… So, don’t make my mistake, plan ahead and do what you can to make sure you are safe.
Do: If you can’t make it out to the restaurant before you go then another great thing to do is google the restaurant. Many restaurants have websites with allergy lists, and if you can’t find an allergy list on their website Google the menu item because often you will be able to find the ingredient lists somewhere else on the internet. You may also find links on their blogs or through other customer's reviews.
(Sorce https://www.wendys.com/en-us/allergen-information )
Restaurants like Wendy's that have such great allergy information on their website -- for example if you are allergic to fish you should not eat chicken nuggets at Wendy's only because they might be cooked in the same oil as their fish products.
(Sorce https://www.wendys.com/en-us/allergen-information )
And if you are allergic to eggs, fish, milk, and wheat then you should not have a Caesar Side Salad with Caesar Dressing at Wendy's.
And if the allergy menu isn’t something you want to completely rely on then you can Google and find sites like this one with an actual ingredient list like you would find on packaged products (the one below is the ingredient list for Wendy's Small Chocolate Classic Frosty):
(Sorce for picture http://www.fooducate.com/app#!page=product&id=138776FC-28C7-11E2-A40C-1231381A0463 )
I have just used Wendy’s as a reference but you can look at other restaurant websites for the information on their menu items.
A shout-out to Wendy's ... Thank you so much to Wendy's for caring for people with allergies! It makes life so much easier to have peace of mind to know that your food is safe for me to eat. To everyone reading this... If you have not tried a Wendy's Small Chocolate Classic Frosty before then you have to try one today... They are AMAZING!
I hope all this info is helpful and it helps to keep you safe at your favourite restaurants...
