The restaurant industry has always adapted to changing customer behavior or shifting markets. In recent decades, clients have become more picky with their food. That’s thanks to the hypercompetitiveness of the food service sector as well as phenomena such as the foodie culture. One of the trends among restaurant businesses is to offer meals that are suitable for people with dietary restrictions. That includes diabetics, people who follow the keto diet, or customers with intolerances to certain ingredients. This has led to changes such as providing allergen information on menus and including dishes that contain no allergens. Multiple businesses also brand themselves as allergy-friendly restaurants as their goal is to become the go-to place for people with allergies. In this post, we’ll share more about how to make a restaurant allergy-friendly and how that can help with restaurant marketing and success. If you’re a restaurant owner or manager, other articles that might interest you are our guide on building an eco-friendly restaurant and the latest trends in sustainable restaurants.
Key takeaway: As the number of people with allergies grows, allergy-friendly restaurants have become a major trend in the food service industry. These establishments have various menu options for people with different dietary restrictions and follow strict procedures to avoid cross-contact between allergens and other ingredients.
What Are Allergy-Friendly Restaurants
These are dining establishments that accommodate the needs and preferences of customers with different allergies or dietary restrictions. Allergy-friendly restaurants might still have menu items that contain allergens. However, they have a more extensive list of allergen-free dishes compared to other establishments. In addition to their diverse menu, these diners often have more strict food handling procedures and proper allergen labeling. They might allow clients to customize meals in order to remove allergens or replace them with alternatives such as plant-based dairy products or gluten-free bread.
Allergy-friendly restaurants are also likely to provide additional staff training related to information about common allergens. Some diners also seek certifications such as “Gluten-Free Safe Spot” or other organizations that partner with food service businesses. This helps ensure allergy-friendly policies are followed properly. It also helps restaurant marketing efforts and appearance among a broader audience.
How to Make a Restaurant Allergy-Friendly
Business owners who wish to make their food service business more allergy-friendly in order to attract customers with dietary restrictions can do so fairly easily. As allergies have become more common, there are many ingredients that are alternatives to classic allergens and recipes that avoid them. Here are some steps that will help make a restaurant more allergy-friendly.
Kitchen Procedures
Various kitchen protocols need to be implemented to turn your food service establishment into an allergy-friendly restaurant. That includes storing allergens separately from other ingredients, using dedicated utensils and other equipment for allergen-free dishes, and cleaning meal prep areas thoroughly between uses. Some restaurants also use color-coded cutting boards, storage containers, and cookware to prevent cross-contact between allergen-free ingredients and allergens.
Menu Changes
The menus of allergy-friendly restaurants have strict labeling policies. Allergens in every menu item need to be mentioned. To ensure restaurant success, it’s also crucial to also include allergen-free dishes. Some restaurants go all the way through and offer only meals without any allergens. Nowadays, there are various food alternatives that make that possible. Read our guide on menu management for restaurants.
Staff Training
Both serving and kitchen staff need to go through training related to allergens and allergy-friendly menu options. Employees need to be aware of the methods to prevent contact between allergens and other ingredients.
Certification
Getting certified will also show a company’s full commitment to operating allergy-friendly restaurants. Some of the most popular certifications for restaurants are the Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) and the Gluten Intolerance Group (GIG). Other organizations might also offer certifications for allergy-friendly restaurants. It’s recommended that these certifications be displayed and used in marketing materials in order to promote the establishment to people with allergies or dietary restrictions.
Adapt and Improve
Procedures of allergy-friendly restaurants might need constant adaptation and improvement based on new regulations or market demand. Managers need to seek customer and staff feedback on how to make the establishment even better. Staff training should also be conducted regularly to reduce the chance of cross-contact between allergens and other ingredients.
Allergy-friendly restaurants have become a trend in the food service sector. However, businesses need to continuously adapt to market demand. This can be done by introducing innovative restaurant technologies or ordering sustainable wholesale restaurant supplies. Read our quotes on how to deal with food waste in restaurants and how to increase restaurant sales.
Frequently Asked Questions about Allergy-Friendly Restaurants
From tips on how to reduce the cost of goods sold to statistics about restaurant failure rates, you’ll find plenty of resources on BlueCart and BinWise. Below we’ve shared the answers to some common questions regarding allergy-friendly restaurants and common allergies.
What Are the Most Common Allergies?
Allergy to peanuts is considered one of the most common ones and also one of the most dangerous ones. Other than peanuts, other common allergens include tree nuts (cashews and almonds), shellfish, and eggs. Although a growing number of people strive to avoid food with gluten or dairy products, lactose and gluten intolerance (also known as celiac disease) are not strictly speaking allergies. They still cause health discomfort and a reaction in the digestive tract. That’s why labeling laws mandate that companies should label them as allergens.
What Are Examples of Allergy-Friendly Restaurants?
Chipotle is considered one of the best examples of an allergy-friendly restaurant chain. Wendy’s is another well-known chain that is suitable for people with allergies. Domino’s, Taco Bell, and Olive Garden are excellent examples of allergy-friendly restaurants as well. Offering meals suitable for people with allergies and intolerance to lactose or gluten has become a major restaurant industry trend. That’s why many food service businesses have adapted their menus to also include a wide variety of allergy-friendly dishes. Most also have restaurant staff training related to allergies and allergy-friendly menu options. If you’re not sure as to which meals are suitable for you, make sure to ask the waiter.
What Is the Most Allergy-Friendly Food?
Allergy-friendly meals are the ones that avoid using common allergens (peanuts, milk, eggs, and others) as ingredients. That being said, here are some of the most allergy-friendly food groups:
- Vegetables;
- Fruits;
- Rice, quinoa, and other types of grains;
- Legumes like chickpeas, black beans, and lentils but not soy and peanuts;
- Meat, especially unprocessed meat cuts;
- Plant-based vegan dairy products;
Even though most products in these categories rarely cause allergic reactions, there are still people who might be allergic to certain foods in these groups. Furthermore, during the manufacturing process, some products might be contaminated with an allergen.
BlueCart: The Wholesale Marketplace for Allergy-Friendly Restaurants
Whether you’re looking to find vendors who specialize in allergy-friendly products or you want to partner with a broadline distributor that offers goods in all categories, BlueCart’s platform is the place for you. Our marketplace connects restaurants, cafes, and other food service businesses with wholesalers in various categories. Suppliers also have many reasons to sign up for BlueCart. Thanks to our wholesale ordering software, distributors can increase their wholesale sales, automate various processes, and scale their operations. Schedule a demo today and see why BlueCart is used by many Michelin-starred restaurants and some of the well-known distributors.