How front-of-house teams can handle guest allergy questions
An allergy question can take five minutes and pull a manager and a chef off the line. A consistent routine makes the answer faster and more reliable.
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A five-step routine
Listen and repeat the allergy back to the guest, including how severe it is.
Check the written source, not memory. Recipes change.
Flag the allergy on the ticket so it is visible at every station.
Confirm with the kitchen when anything is unclear, including shared fryers and garnishes.
Deliver the dish separately or have the runner confirm the allergy at the table.
When the answer is not certain
Say so. Offering a dish the kitchen is confident about is better than guessing about a favorite.
Where a digital allergy menu helps
With Can I Dine?™, guests scan, choose their restriction, and see the menu sorted. The five-minute allergy conversation becomes a one-minute decision, and one allergy at one table never puts the whole service into the weeds. Staff still confirm the order; they just start from the same information the guest is looking at.
Frequently asked questions
What should a server do first when a guest mentions an allergy?
Repeat the allergy back to the guest, ask how severe it is, and flag it on the ticket before checking dishes.