Disney becoming lax with allergies?

[Lilsia]

Menus do not provide the necessary information to determine if a restaurant is allergy-safe. It would be great if they did, but they just don't.

No, but they can give you an idea if a restaurant is seafood heavy, if that is your allergy.

 

[MinnieSweetheart]

And you know this from personal experience or from others reporting this? Or just a wild guess?

Just saying that it is completely possible that they review all allergies reported during the reservation process and plan food accordingly but giving just a single menu as to avoid needing to create a variety of allergen friendly meals specific to the person.

In your shoes if my allergy was serious I would be asking to speak with the chef each time I ate. If I couldn't talk with them I would leave the restaurant/party, ask for a refund, and go elsewhere to eat. Heck I will leave a place over bad enough service and I would say not being willing to talk about your allergy would be the worst service of all (regardless of how obscure it is - since you said it was not a top 8).

See the next post. I was served an “allergy” platter at ‘Ohana that contained my allergen.

Yes we sent it back and we had already spoken with the chef!

 

[sethschroeder]

starts telling us we're not allowed to leave until we pay our bill,

That is when you just tell them you will be back but you need to go to first aid for your allergy and just walk out. That is a crazy story though it really sucks that the dumb shrimp bounced in your direction. That chef probably does it 500 times a day and doesn't have an issue. Luckily it didn't turn in to anything worse.

 

[disneysteve]

There are plenty of restaurants where it is easy to get food that is not cross contaminated

No, but they can give you an idea if a restaurant is seafood heavy, if that is your allergy.

Sure, but the only way to know that is to speak to the chef. Is the chicken parm fried in the same oil as the crab cakes? Are you grilling veggies on the same grill you use for shrimp? Does the oriental chicken dish have oyster sauce? Does the sauce on that beef dish contain Worcestershire sauce?

 

[sethschroeder]

See the next post. I was served an “allergy” platter at ‘Ohana that contained my allergen.

Yes we sent it back and we had already spoken with the chef!

Man such scary stuff especially for those with severe reactions. I didn't see your other post but that is crazy. Hopefully these more limited parties take more control though since its a smaller group and not a restaurant where something slips through.

 

[Lilsia]

Sure, but the only way to know that is to speak to the chef. Is the chicken parm fried in the same oil as the crab cakes? Are you grilling veggies on the same grill you use for shrimp? Does the oriental chicken dish have oyster sauce? Does the sauce on that beef dish contain Worcestershire sauce?

We are on the same page here. I don't know what you are trying to prove to me. I am saying in extreme cases, there are some restaurants that a person with allergies should not go into(like red lobster if you have a seafood allergy, etc) and there will be some that will be OK if you talk to the chef and they can make you something. That is where personal responsibility comes in. I am not at all saying that the OP should not have gone into Teppan. She has been in before and they said that they could handle her allergy. It was a freak accident that shrimp came into contact with her.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

We haven't experienced anything this bad, but this makes me angry. I just have intolerances, but my older one has life threatening allergies. Yes...I carry her EpiPens and Zyrtec, but I always liked having her eat at Disney because they were usually so careful. Sure, there was that time when 'Ohana accidentally brought us the peanut sauce and the moronic chef at 1900 PF who didn't realize that coconut isn't tied in with tree nuts and their nut warnings on their allergy menus were based on bad info. Still, we'd encountered so many chefs over the years who went out of their way to keep her safe. I know it's hard accommodating so many with allergies and these allergy menus are to help simplify things, but those in charge of the food still should be trying to use safe food practices. I'm sure that part was an accident, but the manager's response is downright disgusting. What if you had a more serious reaction? Every second counts and it could quickly turn into a life or death situation. A manager like that sounds like he'd proudly tell his superiors that he at least got you guys to pay. Grrrrr.

 

[Toolulu22]

@MinnieSweetheart suggested I post about this here.

So on our recent trip to Disney we had two very questionable run ins with allergies, one of which I posted about a few months ago. I'm going to start off by saying I am very allergic to fish, if it comes out of the ocean I can't have it. We notate this on all our reservations, mainly out of habit and also because menus can change without our realizing it. But recently I'm becoming more and more concerned about how Disney is handling the allergies of guests and making sure they have the same experience as guests without dietary restrictions. For example we did the Fantasmic Dessert Party and my allergy was notated on the reservation, mainly because we didn't realize it was prepackaged food (and if it was a buffet I remembered someone mentioning shrimp of some form at a dessert party so I worried about cross contamination). They never asked what the allergy was just handed me a teal card and told me to give it to the next CM. When DH and our friends got their regular platter I realized I could eat everything in it so I just said to the cast member that she didn't have to worry about doing anything for the allergy I could have the normal platter. Which she then told me since I had the allergy card I had to get the allergy plate which I figured would be fine. It probably was just nut free. It was awful! the cotton candy had melted to the paper wrapping, the marshmallows were like biting into rocks, and the little cakes were stale. Even the grapes had turned sour, I had some off of DH's and his were fresh and even his cakes were moist and delicious. So what I don't understand is why Disney is applying a one size fits all for events like this and why is the food terrible for those with allergies? It was disappointing because usually Disney is great about accommodating this type of thing.

Which brings me to my next story I posted about this briefly not too long ago. We had dinner at Teppan Edo and as I mentioned above, I can't eat fish. The chef did everything he was supposed to, cooked my food separately, made sure I knew what everything was, etc. Well during his hibachi act he slipped and missed catching the shrimp tails and they came flying right towards me, we checked around my plate and in my food and it didn't look like anything was wrong. We figured no harm no foul. Fast forward to dessert when I start breaking out in hives and DH is getting nervous because of hoe fast they're spreading up my face. Clearly something had gotten into my food. The manager comes over and instead of offering some type of help, starts telling us we're not allowed to leave until we pay our bill, and even once I pay she starts telling me how I can't leave until she takes down all of my information. DH is starting to get upset because he wants to get me to first aid as quickly as possible, and when he asks about getting me there and doing this after the manager says "oh you can just walk over to Mexico when we're done here"at this point the DH of the other group we were with gets up and runs to the other side of World Showcase because he's getting increasingly worried about this, and he was able to get over to first aid get Benadryl and buy a bottle of water (because Teppan Edo told me I couldn't even have water anymore) and get back to us before the manager would even let me go. Which now leads to my next question of why are allergic reactions not being taken seriously? I'm lucky that it was only hives but if this were anaphylactic I'd probably be dead, because of her lack of urgency. I get that you need to cover your bases but I feel like the health and safety of someone is more important than paperwork and making sure you get your money for my meal.

Has anyone else experienced anything similar? Be it the allergy options are subpar or allergies and their reactions are not taken seriously?

Benedryl for an allergic reaction? Besides the rest of your story, with a food allergy severe enough to cause anaphylaxis- did you not have epinephrine with you? I don't go out to eat without it because if I didn't cook or prepare meal, I can never be 100% certain and why put your life in someone else's hands. Sorry you had such a bad reaction to whatever you ate, but maybe it was something in the dessert. You should probably get some more testing and talk to your doctor about how to handle food reactions.

In regards to the dessert party- they probably put together a certain number of allergy dishes for people who requested them. If the dish was unsatisfactory, I would have brought it to someone's attention and requested a fresh serving.

 

[MickeyMouseCD524]

And you know this from personal experience or from others reporting this? Or just a wild guess?

Just saying that it is completely possible that they review all allergies reported during the reservation process and plan food accordingly but giving just a single menu as to avoid needing to create a variety of allergen friendly meals specific to the person.

In your shoes if my allergy was serious I would be asking to speak with the chef each time I ate. If I couldn't talk with them I would leave the restaurant/party, ask for a refund, and go elsewhere to eat. Heck I will leave a place over bad enough service and I would say not being willing to talk about your allergy would be the worst service of all (regardless of how obscure it is - since you said it was not a top 8).

I don’t blame Disney for trying to streamline the process a little. If your questions can be answered just by looking at a menu. Awesome! It saves the chef from having to come out from the back every time there’s an allergy notated. I’ve always seen the chefs more than happy to come out and talk to guests about it.

That is when you just tell them you will be back but you need to go to first aid for your allergy and just walk out. That is a crazy story though it really sucks that the dumb shrimp bounced in your direction. That chef probably does it 500 times a day and doesn't have an issue. Luckily it didn't turn in to anything worse.

We tried. Believe me. DH and our friends all had something to say to her about it. But she wasn’t letting us go anywhere. It was a shame because it was such a good meal! I don’t blame the chef for it, accidents happen and I’m sure it had already been a long day for the poor guy. I was very lucky it didn’t turn into anything worse. And for that I’m grateful because that could’ve been very scary for all parties involved.

We are on the same page here. I don't know what you are trying to prove to me. I am saying in extreme cases, there are some restaurants that a person with allergies should not go into(like red lobster if you have a seafood allergy, etc) and there will be some that will be OK if you talk to the chef and they can make you something. That is where personal responsibility comes in. I am not at all saying that the OP should not have gone into Teppan. She has been in before and they said that they could handle her allergy. It was a freak accident that shrimp came into contact with her.

I think some previous comments by other posters have rubbed people the wrong way.

It was a freak accident. Which is why I’m not upset over the fact a reaction happened. The issue was more the way the restaurant handled it, and it was concerning to me because I don’t think she realized how potentially serious an allergic reaction could be.

 

[disneysteve]

We are on the same page here. I don't know what you are trying to prove to me. I am saying in extreme cases, there are some restaurants that a person with allergies should not go into(like red lobster if you have a seafood allergy, etc) and there will be some that will be OK if you talk to the chef and they can make you something. That is where personal responsibility comes in. I am not at all saying that the OP should not have gone into Teppan. She has been in before and they said that they could handle her allergy. It was a freak accident that shrimp came into contact with her.

Gotcha. Sorry if I was misunderstanding. It came across as if you were suggesting nobody should go to a restaurant where their allergy might possibly be an issue because that is pretty much everywhere.

 

[MickeyMouseCD524]

Benedryl for an allergic reaction? Besides the rest of your story, with a food allergy severe enough to cause anaphylaxis- did you not have epinephrine with you? I don't go out to eat without it because if I didn't cook or prepare meal, I can never be 100% certain and why put your life in someone else's hands. Sorry you had such a bad reaction to whatever you ate, but maybe it was something in the dessert. You should probably get some more testing and talk to your doctor about how to handle food reactions.

Yes Benedryl can be very effective for these situations. I think I said before that I did have an epipen but have been told to only use it if I feel my throat start to close. I’m not going to get into specifics of my situation. But it definitely wasn’t dessert and I’m very well versed in how to handle my reactions.

 

[Dug720]

In practice, the allergy menu is given out regardless of actual allergy. I ask for a regular menu every time I’m seated, but because there is a red allergy stamp on the ticket, I get the allergy menu. It is in fact ridiculous, because my allergen is all over the menu.

I know to speak to a chef, but it’s frustrating because now they try to prevent you. If I hadn’t come to Disney before these new menus, I might not have known that you could request that. In my experience, the waiters are hesitant to get the chefs and I’ve had to push multiple times.

Interesting. Both in February and in July I was always asked without prompting if I wanted to speak with a chef.

 

[Toolulu22]

If you can't eat certain foods please don't go somewhere there can be cross contamination or as pp said be PROACTIVE I'm sick of the "allergy thing" if you have a TRUE allergy then again , be proactive... "I need to have a chef come out " really? If you have a true allergy then you know what you can eat. This kind of thing is really over the top

To a certain point. I developed an allergy to pork just a few years ago- and who knew that it is an ingredient in things like marshmallows and jello? Not me! My almond allergy is harder now that people are really turning away from dairy and looking for alternatives. The almond milk container looks very similar to the oat milk one and my husband has grabbed it accidentally. Some cookies contain almond paste, etc. So, while some things obviously contain a food allergen, with other foods its not as obvious. This is especially true when you are not preparing the meal. I would never know if a chef has cooked my eggs on the same grill that he has cooked your bacon. So, that means never eating breakfast out ever again due to cross contamination? Unfortunately, most times yes. I won't take a chance. But, sometimes I'll order poached eggs or a griddle and hope that it hasn't touched bacon in its journey to me. Have some compassion. The "allergy thing" is life threatening for some of us, who have to deal with it on a daily basis, and while we do the best we can- sometimes rely on kitchen staff to do the right thing by us.

 

[disneysteve]

I know to speak to a chef, but it’s frustrating because now they try to prevent you. If I hadn’t come to Disney before these new menus, I might not have known that you could request that. In my experience, the waiters are hesitant to get the chefs and I’ve had to push multiple times.

This part is scary. I would ask once to speak to the chef. The second request would be to speak to the manager if the chef wasn't forthcoming.

 

[sethschroeder]

If your questions can be answered just by looking at a menu. Awesome!

As much as you (all of us) are paying I don't think you should ever have to deal with what you did. I also think it should be an expectation that a chef (doesn't have to be the head chef) talks with you and not something a family should feel they need to ask for. This is different than personal restriction which I think fall more in to the category that wait staff should be trained on that piece.

This is coming from someone who luckily doesn't have any allergies but our 5 month old may have a milk allergy that she does or does not grow out of.

 

[disneysteve]

who knew that it is an ingredient in things like marshmallows and jello?

You quickly get an education once you or someone in your family develops a food allergy. When my wife's seafood allergy popped up, we learned all sorts of things. I alluded to some in a previous post - shared fryers, oyster/fish sauce, Worcestershire sauce (contains anchovies), Caesar salad dressing. Lots of things we just never had any reason to think about before.

And cross contamination in restaurants is a HUGE problem. She has had reactions when eating dishes that had absolutely no seafood ingredients but all it takes is someone grabbing a chicken breast with the same tongs they just used on a piece of salmon or cutting a turkey sandwich with the same knife used to cut a tuna sandwich.

But that's why she carries epinephrine, antihistamine, and prednisone with her whenever we go out.

 

[Toolulu22]

Yes Benedryl can be very effective for these situations. I think I said before that I did have an epipen but have been told to only use it if I feel my throat start to close. I’m not going to get into specifics of my situation. But it definitely wasn’t dessert and I’m very well versed in how to handle my reactions.

Didn't mean to offend you. But, you made it seem like you were having such a severe reaction that you needed to get out of there asap to get medical help right away.

 

[Toolulu22]

You quickly get an education once you or someone in your family develops a food allergy. When my wife's seafood allergy popped up, we learned all sorts of things. I alluded to some in a previous post - shared fryers, oyster/fish sauce, Worcestershire sauce (contains anchovies), Caesar salad dressing. Lots of things we just never had any reason to think about before.

And cross contamination in restaurants is a HUGE problem. She has had reactions when eating dishes that had absolutely no seafood ingredients but all it takes is someone grabbing a chicken breast with the same tongs they just used on a piece of salmon or cutting a turkey sandwich with the same knife used to cut a tuna sandwich.

But that's why she carries epinephrine, antihistamine, and prednisone with her whenever we go out.

Yes. I can relate. It's a steep learning curve. So strange that these allergies are showing up as adults too. Many people comment on developing them in recent years.

In regards to the chefs at Disney- from my experience, after they ask about an allergy, they automatically send out a chef. I've never had to ask to speak with one. Some go into depth, others not so much. But, I've never asked or not seen a chef. I think that some many people visit, a fair amount of visitors must have food allergies. They must been accustomed to making accommodations I would think.

 

[Dug720]

Yes. I can relate. It's a steep learning curve. So strange that these allergies are showing up as adults too. Many people comment on developing them in recent years.

In regards to the chefs at Disney- from my experience, after they ask about an allergy, they automatically send out a chef. I've never had to ask to speak with one. Some go into depth, others not so much. But, I've never asked or not seen a chef. I think that some many people visit, a fair amount of visitors must have food allergies. They must been accustomed to making accommodations I would think.

Agreed! I developed a peanut allergy about 8 years ago - as an adult. I also tested positive for wheat but did not think anything of it - asked my doctor her thoughts on going gluten-free to cut belly fat and she asked if I'd been tested for a wheat allergy because my air flow was lower than it should have been (I always felt fine, and she said "Because this is how you have always lived!") and I admitted my allergist said I tested positive for wheat and she said "Try it for the summer" - no need for my inhaler for my reactive airway even when I had a bad cold equals no more gluten/wheat for me.

 

[MickeyMouseCD524]

We haven't experienced anything this bad, but this makes me angry. I just have intolerances, but my older one has life threatening allergies. Yes...I carry her EpiPens and Zyrtec, but I always liked having her eat at Disney because they were usually so careful. Sure, there was that time when 'Ohana accidentally brought us the peanut sauce and the moronic chef at 1900 PF who didn't realize that coconut isn't tied in with tree nuts and their nut warnings on their allergy menus were based on bad info. Still, we'd encountered so many chefs over the years who went out of their way to keep her safe. I know it's hard accommodating so many with allergies and these allergy menus are to help simplify things, but those in charge of the food still should be trying to use safe food practices. I'm sure that part was an accident, but the manager's response is downright disgusting. What if you had a more serious reaction? Every second counts and it could quickly turn into a life or death situation. A manager like that sounds like he'd proudly tell his superiors that he at least got you guys to pay. Grrrrr.

That’s the part that bothered me was how nonchalant she was about it. It was like “yeah she’s got hives so?” Not that it happened. As I said accidents happen but that manager was something else.

To a certain point. I developed an allergy to pork just a few years ago- and who knew that it is an ingredient in things like marshmallows and jello? Not me! My almond allergy is harder now that people are really turning away from dairy and looking for alternatives. The almond milk container looks very similar to the oat milk one and my husband has grabbed it accidentally. Some cookies contain almond paste, etc. So, while some things obviously contain a food allergen, with other foods its not as obvious. This is especially true when you are not preparing the meal. I would never know if a chef has cooked my eggs on the same grill that he has cooked your bacon. So, that means never eating breakfast out ever again due to cross contamination? Unfortunately, most times yes. I won't take a chance. But, sometimes I'll order poached eggs or a griddle and hope that it hasn't touched bacon in its journey to me. Have some compassion. The "allergy thing" is life threatening for some of us, who have to deal with it on a daily basis, and while we do the best we can- sometimes rely on kitchen staff to do the right thing by us.

Well said!

As much as you (all of us) are paying I don't think you should ever have to deal with what you did. I also think it should be an expectation that a chef (doesn't have to be the head chef) talks with you and not something a family should feel they need to ask for. This is different than personal restriction which I think fall more in to the category that wait staff should be trained on that piece.

This is coming from someone who luckily doesn't have any allergies but our 5 month old may have a milk allergy that she does or does not grow out of.

Oh I completely agree! 95% of the time they’ve just brought a chef out to us without even asking is if we wanted to talk to one. Which has been great. I’m just saying if the allergy menu can give a quick answer without needing to talk to the chef great. If you need to talk to one that’s completely fine too you should have the option. I’m just saying I can see where Disney is coming from. Be it not the most effective way.

You quickly get an education once you or someone in your family develops a food allergy. When my wife's seafood allergy popped up, we learned all sorts of things. I alluded to some in a previous post - shared fryers, oyster/fish sauce, Worcestershire sauce (contains anchovies), Caesar salad dressing. Lots of things we just never had any reason to think about before.

And cross contamination in restaurants is a HUGE problem. She has had reactions when eating dishes that had absolutely no seafood ingredients but all it takes is someone grabbing a chicken breast with the same tongs they just used on a piece of salmon or cutting a turkey sandwich with the same knife used to cut a tuna sandwich.

But that's why she carries epinephrine, antihistamine, and prednisone with her whenever we go out.

SO TRUE! I had no clue certain sauces and dressings contained fish when we first discovered my allergy.

Didn't mean to offend you. But, you made it seem like you were having such a severe reaction that you needed to get out of there asap to get medical help right away.

No offense taken! I had wanted to get out of there because it can be severe and go from bad to worse very quickly and I wanted to make sure I was somewhere that would equipped to help, plus in the moment the benedryl I had wasn’t doing much and to help so everyone was getting more concerned. Also I was very much over the situation 15 mins into talking to this woman and just wanted to leave. Haha.