Disappointed with Allergy Menus

[cgh]

Allergy tables don't work because there's just not one allergy. You can have an ANA reaction to dairy. So the nut allergic child sits there with cheese pizza. (and those goldfish are EVERYWHERE!) Generally I would never ask another table near us to change the way they are eating. I think ultimately, it is my responsibility to keep my son safe and prepare him to be out in the world. It is hard. Very hard. We go near stuff that he is allergic to all the time and I'm working on how we deal with it. If my son was so allergic that smelling the items would cause a severe reaction I would rethink our dining reservations. Please do not judge all allergy parents or situations bases on the reactions of a few.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

If someone has an allergy of such severity that they cannot be in the same room with the allergen, I would assume they or whoever is responsible for them would at least check out a restaurant before deciding to patronize it. I see a lot on here from parents and/or allergic adults who have decided against 'Ohana because peanuts are so prevalent there. There is currently not any way to remove all peanut products from 'Ohana.

There are plenty of allergic persons who are fine so long as they do not ingest the allergen, so I assume these cases are beyond just avoiding ingestion.

 

[CynBeth]

What do they do with buffets? Hubby has a lactose issue, so in the past I have requested a milk allergy to keep him comfortable and keep our day running smoothly (no flames please). Last year we didn't get a menu of any kind, but the chef came out. So if there is a menu now do they have to order from that instead of the buffet?

Same as before. One person in the party was walked around the buffet and the chef made things to supplement. The other person could not eat from the buffet at all so things were made. That was for a few breakfasts and a dinner.

 

[Egdisney]

All these allergies. Never an issue until the 90's. When we were going to school in the 70's and 80's allergies didn't exist.

I feel for you if you do have these issues. But 98% of the rest of the world does not have your problems.

Disney should designate 1 location at every park as "allergy free". People can go there if they need to.

But do not go to Ohana and complain that you can't be near peanuts, and ask my family to move or not eat the peanut dipping sauce next to you. (yaeh, this has happened so I am a but bitter).

Allergies are the real deal. I developed a peanut allergy this year, after 33 years of peanut eating fun. Thanks to some contact hives and the Internet I was able to realize the weird things going on were due to a peanut allergy rather than having to find out bc I went into anaphylactic shock. I miss peanut butter.
I would never in 100 years ask that someone move bc of what they are eating. Those people give everyone a bad name. It's embarrassing. For my own safety I would simply avoid places that served things like that. I won't ever get to go to my favorite local restaurant bc they have barrels of peanuts and I'm not sure how I would react. Finding info on allergies for adults is hard!

 

[LemonNeko]

My son has celiac and my husband is severely lactose intolerant. We've been to restaurants such as Boston Pizza that will give us a menu that lists the ingredients for every dish and highlights items that can be omitted. We know certain types of restaurants are going to be hard for us to go to. I love French food but we never go as those dishes are almost always have butter.

 

[pasapphire]

Disney dining has always been a highlight of our visits to WDW, especially since my wife has a severe food allergy. They made it so easy to inform the staff when you make ADRs about allergy concerns, and we've become accustomed to a chef visiting our table and making something from the menu without the offending foods. This changed, however, on our visit last week.

In restaurant after restaurant, we were handed a pre-printed menu that detailed the allergens in each dish (which is great, normally). The only problem is that these menus typically limited DW's choices to one or two entrees at most. And this isn't counter service -- this happened at Artist Point, Hollywood Brown Derby, San Angel Inn, Sci-Fi Drive In, and Be Our Guest. Disney has clearly changed their policy regarding diners with allergy concerns.

Two places followed the routine that we are used to. At 'Ohana and Saana a chef came to the table at the beginning of the meal and offered to prepare any menu item without allergens. I guess you could say that we've been spoiled by this special treatment in the past, but it's honestly a major reason that we choose WDW for an annual family vacation.

I just started my own blog about Disney dining with multiple food allergies (restaurant reviews). I am ambivalent about the allergy menus. I am avoiding a LOT of foods, and I go to WDW a lot. Several times a year, as a FL resident and DVC member, I'm there. I've also been on the cruises, ABD, etc. But my choices are always pretty limited because of the multiple allergies, and I agree it seems like things aren't as easy or happy as they used to be. I've seen these menus in multiple restaurants already, and I just don't know yet. At first, I thought it would be good to see the allergy menu, as a starting point. But I always have to call the chef anyway. There wasn't a single thing on one menu recently that I could eat straight out, and I got pretty nervous. But the chef had no problem putting something together once I talked to him. I think they are trying to stop the trips out of the kitchen, and if you are in a TS restaurant with one food allergy, I think that's safe. Anything more than one allergy, or with a fairly untrained cashier at QS, I would ask for someone.

My one time trying to order off the QS allergy menu (Backlot Express), I ended up getting fries I couldn't eat on my plate, and even in my burger, with the manager who handed me my green tray just saying "Oops." She didn't pull the meal. If it were my child, I would have been sending it back. I picked out the fries away from my GF burger, instead. That type of flippant attitude had never happened prior to the allergy menus for me, at least. That being said, several months ago, at a fancy two-meal restaurant at HS that shall remain nameless, before the allergy menus were released, I spoke to the chef as usual, I was confident they understood my allergies ,but I got extremely sick a couple of hours after eating. That had never happened after any WDW dining experience. Sometimes I've had migraines, but none of the reactions were severe. This was enough that I won't be going back. So it can happen even in a nice place talking to a chef, I guess.

I think it is entirely possible that the kitchen staff are being encouraged not to call the chefs out if they think they can 'handle" the allergy now, because of these menus. I don't like it, because I rarely encounter a chef who seems annoyed to help, as busy as they are, and I feel infinitely more comfortable when I speak to them directly. I just keep asking for the chef, despite the menu in front of me, and they oblige. If Disney starts cutting back on special dining services, then what?

[As an aside, after reading other replies here.... What makes me really sad, though, is people complaining here about others with allergies somehow infringing on their rights. I wouldn't ask anyone not to eat foods I can't eat around me in a restaurant, but I would also ask to not be treated like a second-class citizen, asked to eat elsewhere, etc. If my child had an airborne peanut allergy, though, I might feel differently. It already sucks enough to have food allergies, but to have nowhere to travel or dine out, because it's somehow inconveniencing strangers who don't have these issues, I just don't understand that. What if the child (whose mom didn't want anyone eating peanut sauce near them at O'hana) really, really loves Lilo and Stitch? What if the family can afford WDW but could never afford Hawaii, and that's the closest they'll ever get? What if the peanut sauce on your table is enough to cause the 3-year-old at the next table to die? Someone like that can't go anywhere else. Disney is pretty much the only vacation when I don't have to be scared. Because of my allergies, I'm literally never going to go to anywhere in Asia or South America or Africa or the Middle East, or much of Europe or pretty much any standard chain restaurant or seafood or Japanese or Chinese or Mexican or Thai or Indian or mom and pop diner restaurant in the US, etc etc. I would just ask anyone who thinks they've been somehow wronged by someone else due to a food allergy, to stop and think what they would really do if that were them.]

 

[Hibiscus]

I just started my own blog about Disney dining with multiple food allergies (restaurant reviews). I am ambivalent about the allergy menus. I am avoiding a LOT of foods, and I go to WDW a lot. Several times a year, as a FL resident and DVC member, I'm there. I've also been on the cruises, ABD, etc. But my choices are always pretty limited because of the multiple allergies, and I agree it seems like things aren't as easy or happy as they used to be. I've seen these menus in multiple restaurants already, and I just don't know yet. At first, I thought it would be good to see the allergy menu, as a starting point. But I always have to call the chef anyway. There wasn't a single thing on one menu recently that I could eat straight out, and I got pretty nervous. But the chef had no problem putting something together once I talked to him. I think they are trying to stop the trips out of the kitchen, and if you are in a TS restaurant with one food allergy, I think that's safe. Anything more than one allergy, or with a fairly untrained cashier at QS, I would ask for someone.

My one time trying to order off the QS allergy menu (Backlot Express), I ended up getting fries I couldn't eat on my plate, and even in my burger, with the manager who handed me my green tray just saying "Oops." She didn't pull the meal. If it were my child, I would have been sending it back. I picked out the fries away from my GF burger, instead. That type of flippant attitude had never happened prior to the allergy menus for me, at least. That being said, several months ago, at a fancy two-meal restaurant at HS that shall remain nameless, before the allergy menus were released, I spoke to the chef as usual, I was confident they understood my allergies ,but I got extremely sick a couple of hours after eating. That had never happened after any WDW dining experience. Sometimes I've had migraines, but none of the reactions were severe. This was enough that I won't be going back. So it can happen even in a nice place talking to a chef, I guess.

I think it is entirely possible that the kitchen staff are being encouraged not to call the chefs out if they think they can 'handle" the allergy now, because of these menus. I don't like it, because I rarely encounter a chef who seems annoyed to help, as busy as they are, and I feel infinitely more comfortable when I speak to them directly. I just keep asking for the chef, despite the menu in front of me, and they oblige. If Disney starts cutting back on special dining services, then what?

[As an aside, after reading other replies here.... What makes me really sad, though, is people complaining here about others with allergies somehow infringing on their rights. I wouldn't ask anyone not to eat foods I can't eat around me in a restaurant, but I would also ask to not be treated like a second-class citizen, asked to eat elsewhere, etc. If my child had an airborne peanut allergy, though, I might feel differently. It already sucks enough to have food allergies, but to have nowhere to travel or dine out, because it's somehow inconveniencing strangers who don't have these issues, I just don't understand that. What if the child (whose mom didn't want anyone eating peanut sauce near them at O'hana) really, really loves Lilo and Stitch? What if the family can afford WDW but could never afford Hawaii, and that's the closest they'll ever get? What if the peanut sauce on your table is enough to cause the 3-year-old at the next table to die? Someone like that can't go anywhere else. Disney is pretty much the only vacation when I don't have to be scared. Because of my allergies, I'm literally never going to go to anywhere in Asia or South America or Africa or the Middle East, or much of Europe or pretty much any standard chain restaurant or seafood or Japanese or Chinese or Mexican or Thai or Indian or mom and pop diner restaurant in the US, etc etc. I would just ask anyone who thinks they've been somehow wronged by someone else due to a food allergy, to stop and think what they would really do if that were them.]

If peanut sauce on an adjacent table is life threatening, you don't go to Ohana. Period. End of story. Doesn't matter how much the kid loves Lilo & Stitch (who aren't even there at dinner). Plenty of people would love to go to Hawaii and can't afford it.

 

[quandrea]

^^^^
This. The thought of all the peanuts at 'Ohana scares me. Nothing would make me take the chance with dd's life. We stay away. There are plenty of other places she can eat.

 

[720L]

All these allergies. Never an issue until the 90's. When we were going to school in the 70's and 80's allergies didn't exist.

I feel for you if you do have these issues. But 98% of the rest of the world does not have your problems.

Disney should designate 1 location at every park as "allergy free". People can go there if they need to.

But do not go to Ohana and complain that you can't be near peanuts, and ask my family to move or not eat the peanut dipping sauce next to you. (yaeh, this has happened so I am a but bitter).

My brother was born in 1976. Allergic to peanuts. Bad seasonal allergies. Grew up on a farm with animals in house. It isn't because we are too clean or vaccinations...it just happens.

 

[Baklava]

[As an aside, after reading other replies here.... What makes me really sad, though, is people complaining here about others with allergies somehow infringing on their rights. I wouldn't ask anyone not to eat foods I can't eat around me in a restaurant, but I would also ask to not be treated like a second-class citizen, asked to eat elsewhere, etc. If my child had an airborne peanut allergy, though, I might feel differently. It already sucks enough to have food allergies, but to have nowhere to travel or dine out, because it's somehow inconveniencing strangers who don't have these issues, I just don't understand that. What if the child (whose mom didn't want anyone eating peanut sauce near them at O'hana) really, really loves Lilo and Stitch? What if the family can afford WDW but could never afford Hawaii, and that's the closest they'll ever get? What if the peanut sauce on your table is enough to cause the 3-year-old at the next table to die? Someone like that can't go anywhere else. Disney is pretty much the only vacation when I don't have to be scared. Because of my allergies, I'm literally never going to go to anywhere in Asia or South America or Africa or the Middle East, or much of Europe or pretty much any standard chain restaurant or seafood or Japanese or Chinese or Mexican or Thai or Indian or mom and pop diner restaurant in the US, etc etc. I would just ask anyone who thinks they've been somehow wronged by someone else due to a food allergy, to stop and think what they would really do if that were them.]

Then that's really sad, but much like eating a peanut butter cookie it's one of those things the child will have to accept as a part of life. Peanut free tables in school are reasonable- most families believe that school is the only/best way to educate their child and there is a definite legal right for the child to access that education. Peanuts are not necessary to the function of school and can therefore be excluded. There is no legal right to access Ohana. The function of Ohana is to serve the food on the menu and telling other people they are not allowed to use Ohana for its intended function is not a reasonable accommodation.

Yes, the people with the hypothetical 3 year old who will die CAN go somewhere else. If your kid will DIE because people are doing the thing that they are intended to do in the place that is set up for them to do it then the answer is that that place is not for the 3 year old and you eat somewhere else.

I understand allergies. Cigarette smoke can kill me. I ask people not to smoke next to me at bus stops and queues and assorted places. What I DON'T do is go to the designated smoking area and ask everyone to stop smoking. Doesn't matter if that's where the empty bench or the lovely view is, that place is not accessible to me because my needs run directly counter to the reason for that place.

 

[eeyoreandtink]

[As an aside, after reading other replies here.... What makes me really sad, though, is people complaining here about others with allergies somehow infringing on their rights. I wouldn't ask anyone not to eat foods I can't eat around me in a restaurant, but I would also ask to not be treated like a second-class citizen, asked to eat elsewhere, etc. If my child had an airborne peanut allergy, though, I might feel differently. It already sucks enough to have food allergies, but to have nowhere to travel or dine out, because it's somehow inconveniencing strangers who don't have these issues, I just don't understand that. What if the child (whose mom didn't want anyone eating peanut sauce near them at O'hana) really, really loves Lilo and Stitch? What if the family can afford WDW but could never afford Hawaii, and that's the closest they'll ever get? What if the peanut sauce on your table is enough to cause the 3-year-old at the next table to die? Someone like that can't go anywhere else. Disney is pretty much the only vacation when I don't have to be scared. Because of my allergies, I'm literally never going to go to anywhere in Asia or South America or Africa or the Middle East, or much of Europe or pretty much any standard chain restaurant or seafood or Japanese or Chinese or Mexican or Thai or Indian or mom and pop diner restaurant in the US, etc etc. I would just ask anyone who thinks they've been somehow wronged by someone else due to a food allergy, to stop and think what they would really do if that were them.]

My husband has life threatening food allergies. It IS us and I still feel the same way. My husband's allergy doesn't give us a right to police what others do in public, period. It isn't fair to ask the world to stop because he has an allergy. We have to accept that there are some places we will never eat. It's life, and life isn't always fair to everyone. We have to deal, build a bridge, and get over it. I would LOVE to be able to cook shellfish at home, but I don't dare try it. Some other things are less severe and I can do it if I do through cleanup. We don't have the right to ask anyone to stop what they are doing/eating for him. It's OUR job to make sure he and potentially my DD if she develops the same allergies safe.

You say you don't want to be treated like a second class citizen and be asked to eat elsewhere. Why is it ok to ask those sitting next to the person with the allergy to do the same?

 

[Planogirl]

I can't believe this notion that a restaurant should somehow alter their regular menu throughout the restaurant if someone with an allergy eats there. I see this occasionally and always wonder why that seems the least bit reasonable. Luckily I don't see it often.

 

[EarsAndTiaras]

I just started my own blog about Disney dining with multiple food allergies (restaurant reviews). I am ambivalent about the allergy menus. I am avoiding a LOT of foods, and I go to WDW a lot. Several times a year, as a FL resident and DVC member, I'm there. I've also been on the cruises, ABD, etc. But my choices are always pretty limited because of the multiple allergies, and I agree it seems like things aren't as easy or happy as they used to be. I've seen these menus in multiple restaurants already, and I just don't know yet. At first, I thought it would be good to see the allergy menu, as a starting point. But I always have to call the chef anyway. There wasn't a single thing on one menu recently that I could eat straight out, and I got pretty nervous. But the chef had no problem putting something together once I talked to him. I think they are trying to stop the trips out of the kitchen, and if you are in a TS restaurant with one food allergy, I think that's safe. Anything more than one allergy, or with a fairly untrained cashier at QS, I would ask for someone.

My one time trying to order off the QS allergy menu (Backlot Express), I ended up getting fries I couldn't eat on my plate, and even in my burger, with the manager who handed me my green tray just saying "Oops." She didn't pull the meal. If it were my child, I would have been sending it back. I picked out the fries away from my GF burger, instead. That type of flippant attitude had never happened prior to the allergy menus for me, at least. That being said, several months ago, at a fancy two-meal restaurant at HS that shall remain nameless, before the allergy menus were released, I spoke to the chef as usual, I was confident they understood my allergies ,but I got extremely sick a couple of hours after eating. That had never happened after any WDW dining experience. Sometimes I've had migraines, but none of the reactions were severe. This was enough that I won't be going back. So it can happen even in a nice place talking to a chef, I guess.

I think it is entirely possible that the kitchen staff are being encouraged not to call the chefs out if they think they can 'handle" the allergy now, because of these menus. I don't like it, because I rarely encounter a chef who seems annoyed to help, as busy as they are, and I feel infinitely more comfortable when I speak to them directly. I just keep asking for the chef, despite the menu in front of me, and they oblige. If Disney starts cutting back on special dining services, then what?

[As an aside, after reading other replies here.... What makes me really sad, though, is people complaining here about others with allergies somehow infringing on their rights. I wouldn't ask anyone not to eat foods I can't eat around me in a restaurant, but I would also ask to not be treated like a second-class citizen, asked to eat elsewhere, etc. If my child had an airborne peanut allergy, though, I might feel differently. It already sucks enough to have food allergies, but to have nowhere to travel or dine out, because it's somehow inconveniencing strangers who don't have these issues, I just don't understand that. What if the child (whose mom didn't want anyone eating peanut sauce near them at O'hana) really, really loves Lilo and Stitch? What if the family can afford WDW but could never afford Hawaii, and that's the closest they'll ever get? What if the peanut sauce on your table is enough to cause the 3-year-old at the next table to die? Someone like that can't go anywhere else. Disney is pretty much the only vacation when I don't have to be scared. Because of my allergies, I'm literally never going to go to anywhere in Asia or South America or Africa or the Middle East, or much of Europe or pretty much any standard chain restaurant or seafood or Japanese or Chinese or Mexican or Thai or Indian or mom and pop diner restaurant in the US, etc etc. I would just ask anyone who thinks they've been somehow wronged by someone else due to a food allergy, to stop and think what they would really do if that were them.]

A child with such a severe allergy MUST, from a very young age, be aware that they ARE different from others & must learn to treat their allergy as the life-threatening condition that it is. They can't be taught to expect accommodations or rely on other people to keep them safe. You don't want them to be lulled into a false sense of security & have a lackadaisical, "someone else will take care of it for me" attitude to something that can kill them. If they are very small, you as their parent are entirely responsible for their medical needs & you should never, ever be willfully bringing them into (what is for them) a very dangerous place.

 

[kiford]

At first I wasn't thrilled with the allergy menus I was given. I'm allergic to all seafood and spinach (kiwi fruit too but that almost never comes up so I didn't bother to report it). I found it somewhat annoying that the allergy menu I was given was almost 50% seafood which kind of limits me. So I looked at DH's menu to see if there was something on it that wasn't on my menu. But each time the server asked me about my allergies and then said that it would be easy for me to pick something off either menu because it's pretty obvious if there's seafood or spinach in them and they could also check to ensure that what I chose didn't have those items. They did ask if I needed the chef's assistance or if I was OK to work with the allergy menu; I didn't feel that I needed the chef since there were plenty of clearly non-seafood options. There were one or two menu items that were mostly OK except that they did contain spinach and I was told that they could do the meal without it but I chose something different in the end.

I think only twice I picked something off DH's non-allergy menu. Turns out that they aren't hugely different from the regular menus.

I usually check out the menus on the Disney site prior to booking a reservation. DH would like to go to Narcoosee's but I nixed that. There's only one or two items that don't contain seafood so it leaves me very little choice, I can't stand the smell of seafood and I'd have to know that the non-seafood items were cooked completely separately. Same for Flying Fish. A little research and precaution goes a long way as does taking responsibility for your own health and safety. IMO, the chefs and staff of a restaurant are there to assist you and answer questions, not be your watchdogs or be your private cooking staff.

 

[katt789]

Disney implemented a new allergy process sometime over the summer (?) can't quite remember when.

The process is that the seating cm should be dropping off the allergy menu AND a regular menu, explaining which is which. The allergy menus ARE limited, for instance, for a gluten allergy, there are still things on the regular menu you can have that might be missing on the allergy menu. You can always ask to speak to a chef or ask if it's possible for another dish to be done without the allergen.

 

[Veals_Family]

Plus someone could have fed their kids peanut butter and then neglected to clean them up well before going to the parks.

This is my fear with my peanut allergic children.
I will say, wdw is the only safe place we can go for vacation.

 

[720L]

At Flame Tree I read the allergy menu first, which said no nuts/peanuts are used in the restaurant. My dd is also allergic to coconut so I have to read the ingredients also. I noticed the buns said they were made in a facility with nuts. This contradicts the allergy menu!

 

[Dis703]

If peanut sauce on an adjacent table is life threatening, you don't go to Ohana. Period. End of story. Doesn't matter how much the kid loves Lilo & Stitch (who aren't even there at dinner). Plenty of people would love to go to Hawaii and can't afford it.

I agree. My oldest is severely allergic to rice and for years reacted to trace amounts. So we have never eaten in any Asian restaurant with him because rice is served in abundance. It's just not worth the risk. Same for some of the Mexican style restaurants that serve rice. And sadly one of my all time favorite restaurants at home is a vegetarian Asian style restaurant.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

Yes, the people with the hypothetical 3 year old who will die CAN go somewhere else. If your kid will DIE because people are doing the thing that they are intended to do in the place that is set up for them to do it then the answer is that that place is not for the 3 year old and you eat somewhere else.

1) YES.
2) It is not the other person's fault that someone else has an allergy.
3) The person should not be inconvenienced.
4) The individual with the allergy should make alternate arrangements.
5) Of course, this sounds crass and unfeeling, but society cannot accommodate everyone equally - nor, should it.
6) As it relates to WDW, why should a person coming for a vacation be imposed upon by another?

 

[Ashleybritton]

I'm a little frustrated with Disney regarding allergens. I've always had great experiences at TS restaurants and am not concerned about eating there, but this trip we are doing more counter service. I'm allergic to garlic so a cast member has to read through the ingredient list since it's not top 8 and is in everything. This takes a long time, and while cast members were all great, I could tell this was an inconvenience for them (understandably so). At the suggestion of a cast member I emailed Disney ahead of time for our upcoming trip inquiring about some menu items I thought might be safe at the CS restaurants we were interested in and Disney won't disclose that information.

I believe the concern is that ingredients may change, but it would be so much more efficient to just confirm that something is still garlic free on the day of. Oh well.