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Though there’s no one formula for a great review, here are things to look for at any business you visit:
- With whom did you communicate your allergy – maitre d’, server, chef, flight attendant?
- Have they had any previous experience serving food allergic patrons?
- Do they provide a detailed list of ingredients upon request? How do they avoid cross-contamination?
- What kind of response did you get? (accommodations? cold shoulders?)
- Did you use a “chef card” stating in writing your food allergy?
- Does the restaurant/hotel/airline provide ingredients in writing? If not, did you get a thorough explanation of ingredients? [We STRONGLY advise any food allergic individual to BRING YOUR OWN FOOD onto any airplane flight. It’s simply not worth eating any airline food and risking an allergic reaction 30,000 feet above any medical facility.]
- Were tree nut-free, peanut-free, or gluten-free options clearly marked on the menu?
- Which allergen were you trying to avoid?
- Were there any unexpected locations for allergens? (For example, chicken marinated in yogurt, sesame flour tortillas, peanut butter used as thickener for chili.)
- Any detail on which staffers were helpful and who was not. You don’t need to post names, just titles like “server” or “maitre d’”
- If there was an allergic reaction, what happened and how did the restaurant handle?
- Stay topical: we’re interested in food allergies here, we go to other sites for reviews of how clean your hotel’s sheets were.
- Stay clean: all profanities are automatically filtered and your review won’t be posted.
- Don’t get personal: no personal insults to restaurant staff or your fellow reviewers. Remember, together, we keep ourselves safe. Divided, we fail.
Here’s wishing us all safe and fun travels!
DISCLAIMER: LonelyPlate.org publishes user-written reviews about businesses that serve food. Each review may make unique claims, and an individual food establishment may or may not be appropriate for each food allergic individual depending on one's specific food allergies. LonelyPlate.org has no authority or control over the safety of the foods these companies serve or the claims made by reviewers and companies regarding their products. Each business has its own terms and conditions. No matter what an individual reviewer may choose to include or omit on this website, we urge you to inquire about ingredients carefully and to inquire about safe food preparation practices as you would with all foods you purchase. LonelyPlate.org is not a party to the relationship you may establish with these third parties, nor does LonelyPlate.org own, operate, control or endorse these companies or their business practices. The information on this website is presented for information and interest only. It is not medical advice. Always consult your health care provider. You assume full responsibility for using the information on this site and you understand and agree LonelyPlate.org and any hyperlinked websites are neither responsible nor liable for any claim, loss or damage resulting from its use.