[DBrow]

” the customer makes choices in food that does not have the allergens.”

Yes indeedy, and how does the customer know that the restarant puts in a dish? The waitstaff has to be informed as to whats in a dish. Does the chicken pot pie have peas? If it’s not in the menu description, how does the customer know?

Do you cook your fries with peanut oil?

[HiTech RedNeck]

Well it’s catch as catch can.

The default answer should be “We don’t know.” If the lawsuit didn’t teach that, I don’t know what will.

[Olog-hai]

The customer can ask. And if the wait staff doesn’t know, they ask the cook. Is it that hard, really? The state has to step in?

[Albion Wilde]

how does the customer know that the restarant puts in a dish? The waitstaff has to be informed as to whats in a dish. Does the chicken pot pie have peas? If it’s not in the menu description, how does the customer know?

People whose allergies must be that fastidiously mitigated against constitute probably less than one percent of the population. I'm speaking as the parent who raised a child with food allergies. Yet muslims constitute more than one percent of the population in the U.S. Shall we then require all restaurants to install foot baths and prayer rooms, and whipping posts for women who do not wear the hijab or who show their ankles?

Tyranny of the minority is no better than tyranny of the majority. When we went to restaurants with our chlld, whose food allergies were severe enough to warrant "the shots" every few days, we asked a few questions, took his inhaler, and taught him to push any dangerous morsels aside.

[Ellendra]

Yes indeedy, and how does the customer know that the restarant puts in a dish? The waitstaff has to be informed as to whats in a dish. Does the chicken pot pie have peas? If it’s not in the menu description, how does the customer know?

I know someone who is allergic to parsley. Many restaurants get their soup pre-made. Nobody has a flippin' clue what's in it. She gave up eating out at all, it was too hard to find things she could eat.

I'm allergic to peppers and onions. You wouldn't believe how many times I've reacted to things that the server insisted didn't have pepper, "the cook just uses (fill in the blank) seasoning mix, not pepper!" Well, that seasoning mix has pepper in it!

Or worse, the ones who think it's their duty to prove to me that allergies don't exist, so they hide extra pepper and onions in my meal, and then get offended when I can't eat it.

I'm lucky, my allergies are fairly mild. I just get nasty stomach cramps and have to stay by a bathroom for 2 days.