Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016 - 379

difference between a gluten free diet and a gluten intolerance." When customers have gluten intolerance, "the minimal trace of gluten can affect you," but if customers are on a gluten free diet for any other reason, "a trace of gluten in your diet will not affect you." Whenever customers "have stated that it is allergy we have to assume it's an allergy." Participants also stated that "a lot of times people come in and they don't say anything." Information sharing Restaurant managers used different ways to share food allergy-related information with customers who might have food allergies. Some restaurants (n = 3) had separate menus or allergen-free menus designed for customers who are allergic to major food allergens (e.g., peanut, shellfish). Other restaurant managers (n = 3) mentioned that they listed major ingredients on menus and would provide allergen-free items upon special request. One restaurant had a binder that included all ingredients of menu items, and staff would refer to it whenever a customer requested allergen-free dishes. An example from the industry is the computer system developed and used in one of the largest casual-dining Chinese restaurant chains in the U.S. that filters menu items automatically when servers enter allergens (31). Communication procedures Previous research found that customers were concerned about the consistency in communication because often different restaurant staff place the order, prepare the food, and deliver it to the table (20). When asked about food allergy risk communication procedures (Fig. 1), all participants indicated that their servers would wait for customers to notify them about food allergies or ask for allergen-free items. After receiving the request, most participants (n = 9) mentioned that their server would notify the manager about a special requests. After that point, managers would talk to customers about their allergen-free orders and communicate customers' needs with the chef. Four participants said their servers usually communicated orally with the chef, and only two participants mentioned that their servers usually wrote down customers' food allergies on the ticket that would be sent to the kitchen. The other two participants explained that their servers would enter customers' allergen-free requests into their point of sale (POS) system. Among the 16 participants, only five mentioned that managers or chefs would go to the customers' tables to reassure them that their orders had been received and follow up to ensure consistent and correct communication between staff and customers. Food allergy risk communication strategies In addition to describing communication procedures, participants also discussed specific strategies they used when serving customers with food allergies. Some participants would inform customers of uncommon ingredients in food items (n = 2), ask questions (n = 1), Manager (9) Chef (4) Customer with food allergies Server (16) Ticket (2) Chef (9) Manager reassure with customer (3) Chef reassure with customer (1) Chef (2) Chef (2) Manager reassure with customer (1) POS system (2) Manager (1) Figure 1. Communication procedures when serving customers with food allergies September/October Food Protection Trends 379

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Food Protection Trends - September/October 2016