Allergy Awareness Front of House: 10 Tips for Handling Allergen Requests with Confidence

If you’re working front of house, you play a critical role in allergen safety. Allergy awareness front of house is essential for protecting food-hypersensitive customers. You’re often the first person a customer will speak to about their allergy. And what you say and do next really matters.

I get it can feel difficult, especially during a busy shift. Maybe you’re worried about making a mistake and this can show up in how you respond to the customer. But when you’re hesitant, non-committal, unclear or avoid eye contact this can make the customer feel more anxious, ask more questions, become agitated etc. Once you have good allergen awareness front of house you’ll feel able to handle allergen requests with confidence and deliver exactly what hospitality is all about: great service, delivered with care.

Handling allergen requests isn’t just about knowing the menu. It’s about understanding the risks, asking the right questions, and knowing how to respond confidently and in a way that makes the customer feel at ease. Customers are trusting you with their health. In some cases, their life. This is why building strong allergy awareness front of house should be part of every team’s training.

Here are some tips for how to handle allergen requests with clarity, care and confidence.

1. Put yourself in the customers shoes

Let’s pause and look at things from the customer’s point of view.  Just think about how much of a role food plays in our lives and our social activities; meals out with family and friends, birthday parties and other celebrations. A food hypersensitive customer may have to miss out on so many of these events, or at least, feel really anxious about them.

A customer with a food hypersensitivity isn’t asking for a special meal to be awkward, because it’s trendy or because they’re fussy. It’s a medical necessity. For some, eating the wrong thing could be life-threatening. For others, it might mean being seriously ill after their meal.  

It’s helpful to consider what a food hypersensitive customer may want to know when they come to your business. It might include:

• Am I welcome here?
• Can I trust them?
• Are all team members suitably trained?
• Will their food be safe for me to eat?
• Do they have an allergen policy?

Once you understand things from the customer’s point of view, it can shape how you approach every conversation. It also highlights the importance of consistent allergy awareness front of house, especially in busy or high-pressure environments.

2. Build your allergy awareness front of house

Every front of house team member should know:

• What to do when a customer says they have a food allergy, intolerance or coeliac disease.
• Where the allergen folder or matrix is kept
• How to read it
• Who to speak to if something’s unclear
• What to do in an emergency

You should also be able to explain:

• Which dishes contain which allergens
• If a dish can be safely adapted
• Whether there’s a risk of cross-contact

If a customer asks about an allergen outside the main 14, you should still try to help. Check the ingredients list or ask your manager for support.

3. Know the process in your business

Do you know who has overall responsibility for allergen management in your business? Do you know what the process is for handling allergen requests from customers?

For example; some food businesses have a dedicated allergy expert or allergy champion who handle all allergen requests. In other businesses, every front of house team member is responsible for providing the information. Make sure you understand the process in your business and follow it. If you’re not sure about something, ask!

4. Ask early and ask clearly

Don’t wait until the customer has already placed their order. Ask about allergies at key moments:

• When they book
• When they arrive
• When you take their order

Use a simple, clear question like:

“Are there any food allergies or intolerances we should be aware of?”

This gives the customer a chance to speak up before it’s too late. Some customers might be shy or nervous about asking, so you’re helping them feel safe just by starting the conversation and being approachable.

If a customer has made a booking and noted food allergies, intolerances or coeliac disease, it can be a proactive measure to reach out to them before they visit. This will enable you to have a conversation with them when there is less pressure and you’re not in the middle of a busy service. Most food hypersensitive customers really appreciate this gesture.

5. Never guess or assume

If you’re not 100% sure whether something is safe, don’t guess. Check the allergen matrix, product labels, ask a manager, or speak to the kitchen team. Saying “I think it should be okay” is never okay.

If you’re unsure, let the customer know you’ll check and get back to them with accurate information.

6. Communicate clearly with the kitchen

Once you’ve taken an allergen order, pass it to the kitchen in a way that’s:

• Accurate
• Prompt
• Easy to understand

Use any systems in place at your site (written tickets, coloured labels, digital POS prompts, verbal alerts) and double check it’s been seen.

You’re like air traffic control, if the message gets lost in translation, the whole system breaks down.

7. Make sure the right meal gets to the right customer

This sounds obvious, but it’s an area where things can go wrong.

• Double check the plate before you deliver it
• Confirm verbally: “Here is your gluten-free chicken burger” or “here is your salad with no peanuts”.
• Don’t hand it to someone else at the table to pass down
• If the plate gets contaminated en route (e.g. another dish spills on it), go back to the kitchen and start again.  You should take allergen-free meals to the table separately.

To make it easy to identify meals that have been prepared for a food-hypersensitive customer, many businesses will distinguish them by using:

• Coloured or shaped plates
• Flags, stickers or labels
• Separate trays or covers

8. Body language matters

When a customer tells you they have a food allergy, your response should be professional, calm and reassuring. You might be busy or stressed, but avoid:

• Eye-rolling
• Looking confused or blank
• Sighing and walking off
• Tossing the allergen folder onto the table

Show the customer that you take it seriously. Smile, make eye contact, and say something like:

“Thank you for letting us know. I’ll check that for you and make sure the kitchen is aware.”

You’re not just giving them information, you’re helping them feel safe and welcome.

9. What you say and how you say it also really matters

Keep in mind, for the customer this isn’t just a conversation. Essentially they’re revealing personal medical information which can feel awkward or uncomfortable. So the way the interaction is handled really matters. Be professional, respectful and make sure the customer feels heard, supported and safe. Show empathy and compassion. Such as “thank you for letting us know. We understand how important this is”.

Also, avoid these red flag phrases:

• “It should be fine”
• “We’ve never had an issue before”
• “It’s just a mild allergy, right?”
• “Is it an allergy or just a preference?”

Statements like this can make a food hypersensitive customer feel very anxious.

10. Know what to do in an emergency

Every team member should know the emergency procedure if a customer starts to show signs of an allergic reaction such as anaphylaxis. If you’re not sure what it is, ask your manager and make sure it’s part of your allergen training.

Here’s what to do:

1. Check for an adrenaline auto-injector and help the customer access and use it straight away.
2. Call 999 and state “we think the customer has anaphylaxis”.
3. Help the customer into the right position.
4. Use a second adrenaline auto-injector (if the customer has one) if symptoms don’t improve after 5 minutes or if they come back.
5. Inform the on-site first-aider.
6. Stay with the customer until the ambulance arrives.

Find a more detailed breakdown of what to do here.

Summary

Handling allergen requests well isn’t just about avoiding mistakes. It’s a chance to build trust with your customers and give them a great experience.

When you respond with confidence, empathy and professionalism, food-hypersensitive customers remember. And they’ll come back again and again.

Want to build a stronger front of house team? Check out the Level 2 Food Allergen Awareness and Level 3 Food Allergen Management courses.

Want to learn more? Check out The Ultimate Allergen Management Guide for Foodservice and Hospitality Businesses.