Deadly food allergies....

I agree Traca. Unless the diners divulge their allergies,

how can a restaurant make good? My ServSafe course described the duties of the order taker and chef as you mentioned and it's just plain common sense. Reasonable disclosure by both parties would prevent a lot of illnesses.

I can't believe that woman put flour in her ice cream! That's unreasonable!

 
It is like I said, it comes down to the individual's responsibility

to find out what is in a food. If you have extreme allergies, it is up to you to inquire what is in a product. You cannot assume that there is no flour in ice cream.
Personally, if I had extreme allergies, I would not be eating out much. I would not trust my life in the hands of others. It is too easy to just make an innocent mistake. A friend of mine who is extremely allergic to shellfish, was mistakenly served a shrimp chowder instead of a potato soup by a new waitress. Needless to say, the waitress was not waiting tables for awhile and my friend ended up in the ER again.

I am guessing that if California law is the norm, it is the the consumer's responsibility not the caterers.

 
Traca, it never occurred to me to include it in a contract. I have alway been willing to send an

ingredient list if I'm notified ahead of time. I may consider adding a clause about it.

I'm always there for people to ask if they have allergies, so I know what's in everything, and I cook mostly from scratch so there aren't so many processed foods involved. If I had a big company and guests were dealing with my staff it could get more complicated.

The big culprit is hidden things. For instance, somebody with celiac disease would know to avoid bread, but may not guess there are breadcrumbs in the aioli, or flour (gack!) in the ice cream.

 
Exactly. I was with some catering friends and we were chatting after an event

they put a clause in their contract that they are not responsible for any allergic reations without prior notice. I worked at a seafood restaurant for a number of years and that's an allergy that people can develop later in life. We had training on what to do if someone had a reaction, etc. Our downtown location had considerably more traffic and they experienced this quite often.

I think in our society when people can sue so easily, it's worth stating it in your contract. It's amazing how people react during times like those, even when there's a solid relationship in place.

 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top