Allergy notes: the record that must not fail

Allergy notes are the records a venue keeps about a guest's allergies and serious dietary needs: on the booking, on the guest's profile, on the order and on the kitchen ticket. Of all the guest data a restaurant holds, they are the one record that must not fail. A missed preference is a disappointment. A missed allergy can make a guest seriously ill.

Most venues take allergies seriously, and most allergy incidents do not come from carelessness in the kitchen. They come from information that was given but did not travel. The guest mentioned the allergy when booking, but the note stayed on the booking. The host knew, but the server who took the order did not. The order was taken correctly, but the modifier did not stand out on the ticket. Each handover is a point where an allergy note can be lost.

This guide follows an allergy from the moment a guest mentions it to the moment the plate leaves the pass. It sets out where the allergy has to appear, the handover that most often loses it, how allergy notes connect to the allergen matrix and guest profiles, how to show allergies on the ticket, and what to do if an allergy mistake happens. It is practical guidance; food safety rules vary by country, so check what applies where you trade.

Food allergies can cause reactions ranging from discomfort to life-threatening anaphylaxis, and even small amounts of an allergen can be enough for some people. The general entry on food allergy describes how serious reactions can be. For a guest with a severe allergy, eating out depends on trusting that the venue will get it right every time.

For the venue, the stakes are also high: the guest's safety, legal duties under food safety law, the team's confidence and the venue's reputation. An allergy mistake is the kind of incident a venue never forgets.

Allergy notes are how the venue keeps the guest's allergy in front of everyone who needs it, from booking to plate. When they work, the guest feels safe and the team works with confidence.

An allergy has to travel through several stages, and at each one it must be visible to the person who needs it:

A failure at any stage can lead to an allergy mistake, however careful every other stage was.

In many venues, the weakest handover is between the booking and the order. A guest mentions an allergy when booking, and it is noted on the reservation. But the server who takes the order works from the table, not from the booking, and may never see the note. If the guest assumes the venue already knows and does not mention it again, the allergy never reaches the kitchen.

This happens because bookings and orders often live in different places: the booking system at the host stand and the order pad or till on the floor. The information is in the building, but not where the server is looking.

The fix is to make the allergy follow the guest. When an allergy is saved to the guest and shown on the table they are seated at, the server sees it when they open the table to take the order. And the server should always ask anyway: "Does anyone at the table have any allergies?"

Ask about allergies at booking. An online booking form can include an optional field for allergies and dietary needs; someone taking a booking by phone can ask directly. Make it clear that the guest should also mention it at the table, so it is confirmed on the day.

Record the allergy specifically. "Nuts" is less useful than "tree nuts and peanuts, severe". If the guest is booking for a group, ask which guest has the allergy, so it can be attached to the right person.

If your form allows it, save the allergy to the guest's profile as well as the booking, so it is known on future visits without the guest having to repeat it.

An allergy saved on the guest's profile protects every future visit. When the guest books again, the allergy appears on the new booking automatically. When they are seated, it appears on their table. The guest does not need to remember to mention it, though they should still be asked.

Keep allergies on the profile accurate. If a guest says their allergy has changed, update it at once. If an allergy is recorded but the guest says it is wrong, correct it and note who made the change. Our guide to guest profiles your floor team will trust covers how to keep profiles reliable.

Treat allergy information as sensitive. Show it to the people who need it for service, never use it for marketing, and keep it secure.

When the guest arrives, the host should see the allergy on the booking and pass it on: to the server, through a note on the table, or in the pre-service briefing if the booking was known in advance. A host who says "table 12, one guest with a severe sesame allergy" makes sure the server starts the conversation knowing what to listen for.

For bookings made well in advance, mention notable allergies at the pre-service briefing, so the kitchen can prepare. A severe allergy may affect which dishes can be offered, or how they must be prepared.

The server should always ask about allergies at the table, even if the booking and profile already show one. Needs change, other guests at the table may have allergies that were never mentioned, and the guest may assume the information was passed on when it was not.

Ask clearly and without making the guest feel awkward: "Before I take your order, does anyone have any allergies or dietary needs I should know about?" Listen carefully, check the details, and explain which dishes are suitable. Use the venue's allergen matrix, the record of which dishes contain which allergens, rather than memory. Our guide to building an allergen matrix that stays correct covers how to keep it accurate.

If you are unsure whether a dish is safe, ask the kitchen. Never guess.

Once confirmed, the allergy must be recorded on the order, attached to the specific guest and dish. A note on the table as a whole is less useful than a note on the dish that must be prepared differently. Seat numbers help: the kitchen knows which plate is for the guest with the allergy.

Use structured choices where possible. Modifiers on the ticket such as "no sesame" chosen from a list arrive the same way every time; a free-text note typed in a hurry may not. If the dish needs to be adapted, record exactly what changes.

Never rely on telling the kitchen by word of mouth alone. A spoken message can be misheard or forgotten. The allergy must be written on the order, so it travels with the ticket.

The kitchen ticket is where the allergy reaches the cook, and it must be impossible to miss. Show allergies prominently, in a style no other information uses, at the top of the ticket or across the affected dish. "Allergy: sesame" in large, highlighted text is the minimum.

Attach the allergy to the dish and seat it affects, and make sure every station that touches the dish sees it. A dish assembled by two stations needs the allergy on both tickets.

Our guide to kitchen tickets that never need a shout covers how to design tickets that cooks can read at a glance.

When an allergy ticket arrives, the kitchen should follow a set procedure. Check the dish against the allergen matrix. Use clean equipment, boards and utensils. Avoid cross-contact with the allergen, including shared fryers, oils and garnishes. Prepare the dish separately where needed. Many kitchens assign allergy dishes to a senior cook.

Be honest about what the kitchen can and cannot guarantee. If the risk of cross-contact cannot be controlled, for example because nuts are used throughout the kitchen, the guest must be told before ordering.

Food safety systems, such as a HACCP plan, are where these procedures usually live, so they are followed the same way every time.

The pass is the last check before the plate leaves the kitchen. The person on the pass should confirm that the dish matches the ticket, that the allergy instruction has been followed and that nothing has been added at the last moment, such as a garnish or a sauce, that contains the allergen.

Mark allergy plates clearly, for example with a flag, a different plate or a separate tray, so the runner knows which plate is which. Many venues have the person on the pass or a senior member of staff carry allergy plates to the table themselves.

The final handover is putting the right plate in front of the right guest. Seat numbers make this reliable. The runner or server should confirm with the guest: "This is your sesame-free dish." That small confirmation catches the rare case where plates have been mixed up.

If a guest with an allergy orders more during the meal, such as dessert, the whole process applies again. The allergy must be on the new order and the new ticket, not assumed from earlier.

Large groups multiply the risk. A table of twelve may include several guests with different allergies, guests who did not book and never mentioned anything, and children whose parents are managing their needs. The organiser may have mentioned one allergy at booking without knowing about the others.

Ask every guest at a large table, not just the organiser, and record each allergy against the right seat. For set menus at events, ask for allergies in advance and confirm them on the day. Check children's dishes as carefully as adults'; a child may not be able to describe a reaction, so extra care at every handover matters even more.

When guests order from their own phones, the allergy has to travel without a server in the conversation. A good digital menu shows each dish's allergens, lets guests filter out the allergens they need to avoid, and asks them to confirm that they have read the allergen information before the order is sent. Any note the guest adds should reach the kitchen on the ticket.

That does not replace the human check. Encourage guests with allergies to speak to a member of staff, and train servers to follow up with any table that has an allergy on file or in its order. A server who stops by and says "I see there is a nut allergy at the table; let me just confirm with the kitchen" closes the gap the screen cannot.

If a guest with an allergy is served the wrong dish, or eats something containing their allergen, act immediately. Take the guest seriously, follow your emergency procedures, and call emergency services if there are any signs of a serious reaction. Do not wait to see whether symptoms develop.

Afterwards, investigate carefully. Find out where the allergy was lost: at booking, on the profile, at the table, on the order, on the ticket, in the kitchen, at the pass or at the table. Record what happened, and check whether you need to report it to your local food safety authority. Our guide to an allergy mistake: the next ten minutes covers the immediate response in detail.

Then fix the handover that failed, so it cannot fail again.

Allergies and dietary preferences are different, and allergy notes should keep them distinct. An allergy is a medical need; a preference, such as avoiding meat, is a choice. Both deserve respect, but they require different levels of care in the kitchen.

Record which is which. A note that says "no dairy" could mean a severe milk allergy or a preference, and the kitchen needs to know which. Ask the guest when it is unclear.

Never treat a preference as an allergy in a way that leads to cutting corners on genuine allergies. The standard for allergies must always be the highest.

Allergy notes only work if every member of the team understands their part. Train hosts to ask and record allergies at booking and pass them on at arrival. Train servers to ask at every table, use the allergen matrix, record allergies on the order and confirm plates at the table. Train cooks in the kitchen's allergy procedures. Train runners to carry allergy plates carefully and confirm with the guest.

Practise the process. A short role-play of an allergy order, from booking to table, shows quickly where the weak points are. Repeat training whenever the menu changes and for every new member of staff.

In the UK, for example, the Food Standards Agency's allergen guidance for food businesses sets out what businesses must do and offers training resources; other countries have their own authorities and rules.

Check the allergy process regularly, not only after something goes wrong. Pick a few allergy orders each month and trace them: was the allergy on the booking, the profile, the order and the ticket? Was the plate marked at the pass? Was it confirmed at the table?

Look at near misses too. An allergy caught at the pass because the ticket was unclear is a warning that the ticket needs changing. Record near misses and act on them.

Here is an illustrative near miss, to show how the handovers work. The details are examples.

Every handover worked, and the one moment of risk, the garnish at the pass, was caught because the allergy was impossible to miss.

In servearound, allergens, dietary needs and drink preferences are noted once, on the booking or the profile, and saved to the guest. They show as a flag on the reservation list, on the table the guest sits at and on the kitchen ticket, so the person serving them and the cook making their food both know. Each dish carries its allergens, guests ordering from the table's QR code menu confirm they have read the allergen information before ordering, and the guest's allergy is called out across the kitchen ticket, with the seat each plate is for.

The kitchen's procedures, the allergen matrix behind the menu and the conversation at the table remain the venue's responsibility. See the guests module and fulfillment.

Always. Needs change, other guests may have allergies, and the conversation confirms the record.

On the booking, the guest's profile, the table, the order, the kitchen ticket and the plate at the pass.

Prominently, in a style nothing else uses, attached to the specific dish and seat.

No. Use it only to keep the guest safe.

The handover from the booking to the order, when the server never sees the note made at booking.

Every month, by tracing a few allergy orders through every handover.

Many venues have the person on the pass or a senior member of staff carry them, and confirm the dish with the guest as it is placed.

Allergy notes are the record that must not fail. An allergy has to travel from the booking through the guest's profile, arrival, the order, the ticket, the kitchen and the pass to the right plate at the right seat, and it must be visible at every stage. The handover that most often loses it is between the booking and the order.

Save allergies to guest profiles, always ask at the table, record allergies as modifiers on the ticket attached to the right dish and seat, use the allergen matrix rather than memory, mark allergy plates at the pass and confirm them at the table. Train every role, check the process monthly and, if an allergy mistake happens, act at once and fix the handover that failed.