Allergen information to the guest

The kitchen makes the food, but it is often the waiter who answers the question: "Does this dish contain nuts?" This makes allergen information a shared task, where the dining room's part is as important as the kitchen's. For some guests, the answer is crucial to their safety, and therefore it is one of the most serious pieces of information you convey during a shift.

§Pligten kommer fra EU 1169/2011

The EU's Food Information Regulation (1169/2011) requires that information about the 14 mandatory allergens is accessible to the guest—also for food served unwrapped at the restaurant. In Denmark, information about unwrapped food may be provided in writing, e.g. on the menu, on a sign, or in a folder that you as a server can look up. It is not enough that the kitchen knows the allergens; the guest must be able to get the information.

§The 14 allergens — know the categories

You don't need to be an expert in food chemistry, but you must know the 14 categories so you understand the guest's question and can look up correctly: gluten-containing cereals, crustaceans, eggs, fish, peanuts, soya, milk, tree nuts, celery, mustard, sesame, sulphur dioxide and sulphites, lupin and molluscs. Many of them hide in sauces, stocks, dressings and breading — not just in the obvious.

§How to answer the question correctly

• 01Always ask about allergies and special considerations when ordering.
• 02Look it up in the allergy list or ask the kitchen — never guess from memory.
• 03Think the whole dish through, including sauce, stock, dressing, garnish and breading.
• 04Ask the kitchen about the risk of cross-contamination, not just about the recipe's contents.
• 05Confirm clearly to the guest what the dish can and cannot be adapted to.
• 06Clearly mark the guest's seat or place so it is not confused during serving.

§Never 'I don't think so'

The wrong answer to an allergy question is a guess. 'I don't think there's any in it' is neither a yes nor a no — it is a risk you pass on to the guest. Go to the kitchen, look it up, and come back with a safe answer. It takes longer, but it is the only responsible way to do it.

§Cross-contamination — also a salsa matter

A dish can be free of an allergen in the recipe and still be risky if the allergen has accidentally come into it during preparation. When a guest has a serious allergy you should therefore not only ask if the allergen is in the dish but also if it could have come in through utensils fryer or shared surfaces. Always clearly relay the guest's allergy to the kitchen.

§Survivor and pass on

If you leave the table during service or change shift, information about a guest's allergy must follow. It must not disappear because a colleague took over. Clear marking and handover are what ensure that the correct dish is placed in front of the correct guest — every time.