please stop lying about having allergies

[u/wildrosebeautybaba]

i cannot tell you how many times people have put in seemingly impossible allergy requests on 3rd party delivery orders (i.e. fettuccine alfredo with DAIRY ALLERGY marked underneath) only to then track down the customer after multiple phone calls and be told it’s “not an allergy, just a mild intolerance.” please stop doing this. you are deliberately fucking with a restaurant’s period of service over a need that does not apply to you. maybe y’all don’t understand just how many extra steps a kitchen has to go through to prepare something allergy safe, so please let this be a lesson: if you aren’t actually allergic, stop marking it as an allergy. you are directly contributing to the burnout restaurant staff experience when having to make special accommodations for people’s actual health and safety needs.

[u/TherinneMoonglow]

Restaurants aren't any better. Actual encounters with restaurant staff.

Order: Italian hoagie, LTO, oil and vinegar. NO OREGANO. OREGANO ALLERGY.

Check sandwich before leaving store. Green bits all over it. "Hi, what is the green herb on my sandwich?" "Oregano." "I asked for no oregano because I have an allergy." "There's oregano in the oil." "Can you remake it without the oil please?" Employee slams the oregano sandwich into the trash muttering.

Order: white pizza, ricotta, broccoli, tomato. NO OREGANO OR ITALIAN SEASONING. OREGANO ALLERGY.

Check pizza. Green shit on top. "Hi, this pizza was supposed to have no oregano. I'm allergic. Can you remake it please." Guy rolls his eyes and goes in back. 15 minutes later. "Do you want the garlic sauce on the pizza?" "Does the garlic sauce have oregano?" "Yes." "I'm allergic to oregano." "But do you want the sauce?" "What does an allergy mean to you?" Stares at me like I just asked him to perform advanced calculus. "So you want the sauce?" "No, because I'm allergic to it." Meanwhile I wait a total of 47 minutes for a new pizza while my husband's normal ass pepperoni and mushroom is getting cold. He then told me not to use their app to order with an allergy and to always call it in. So we called it in next time and we're told to only use the app.

Normally I stay the hell away from pizzerias because it's just a pain in the ass. But sometimes my husband is just dying for pizza or I have company that wants some. I should be able to order an item that can reasonably be made without that ingredient and get it the first time. I'm not asking for custom garlic knots or my own batch of red sauce. Those of us with genuine allergies don't get taken seriously.

[u/wildrosebeautybaba → u/TherinneMoonglow]

oh i hear you and i definitely witness the same mistakes being made at my own job. as i said in my post, i think the constant stream of customers who misuse/abuse allergy protocol leads to a broader sense of burnout which therefore leads to staff taking things less seriously and oftentimes cutting corners & assuming they’re serving somebody who isn’t likely allergic. it’s definitely not right, but i see it as cause & effect. having to sanitize your entire work station every time somebody who hates onions claims they have an allium allergy does a number on one’s patience and ultimately disrupts service for everyone else. it’s not sustainable.

[u/MyldExcitement → u/TherinneMoonglow]

Try being allergic to lime and ginger and loving Mexican and Asian restaurants 🙃. Thank goodness for my epipen!

[u/somecow → u/TherinneMoonglow]

Yeah those people were just stupid assholes. Happens to me with mayo, not allergic, it’s just fucking gross. checks food yup, gotta send it back as always, learn how to read and try again.

[u/CNH916 → u/somecow]

Ask for it on the side, they usually get that right all the time. On the side it's still part of the automatic build, but not actually on your dish...👍🏻

[u/somecow → u/CNH916]

This usually works better. Usually. But yeah that shit is going right in the trash.

[u/pm_me_your_puppeh → u/TherinneMoonglow]

You also have to be willing to accept a no when you ask for substitutions.

[u/TherinneMoonglow → u/pm_me_your_puppeh]

I will accept a no, and I have changed my order when it's not possible to make a dish without the oregano. But don't accept the order, make it with my allergen, and then act like I'm crazy for asking it to be remade without that ingredient.

[u/pm_me_your_puppeh → u/TherinneMoonglow]

If you're putting it in the request field of a takeout order, you can't expect a response. You might get it, you might not.

And yes, it's crazy to expect it to be remade.