Food Allergy and Special Diets Checklist

States like MA, IL, MI, NY, and RI require at least one PCFP or AllerTrain-certified manager on every shift. Pull current certificates, check expiration dates, and confirm the cert covers the jurisdictions where you operate.

ServSafe, Learn2Serve, or state-equivalent for cooks, servers, bartenders, and dishwashers. Most cards expire on a 3-5 year cycle. File copies in the employee folder.

Pull anyone with an expired or missing card off allergen-handling stations until they recertify. Book the next ServSafe or AllerTrain class and post a sign-up sheet.

Cover the FDA Big 9: milk, egg, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soy, sesame. Walk through anaphylaxis signs (hives, swelling, wheeze, BP drop) and the call-911 trigger. New hires get this on Day 1; full team gets a refresher quarterly.

Spreadsheet or POS-integrated allergen flag for each dish across the Big 9 plus gluten. Cross-check each recipe card against actual sub-ingredient labels — a 'natural flavor' panel often hides soy or dairy.

Laminated card at expo and each station listing the Big 9 callouts per dish. Update whenever the menu, a sub-ingredient, or a vendor changes.

In Toast, Square, or Aloha, set the modifier flags so allergy tickets print with the alert banner at the line. Confirm the kitchen printer renders the flag in bold or red.

Annual review with an RD or allergen consultant. Catches hidden allergens (Worcestershire = anchovy, miso = soy + sometimes wheat) and validates the GF/vegan claims you make on the menu.

Purple is the standard allergen-aware color (boards, tongs, gloves). Station lives away from flour, fryer splash, and shellfish prep. Sous chef owns the kit and re-stocks weekly.

Shared oil cross-contaminates — celiac guests react to fryers that also cook breaded items. Either run a separate dedicated fryer or remove fried items from the GF menu. Document which fryer is GF on the line allergen card.

Until a dedicated fryer is sourced, remove fried GF items and update the menu, online ordering platforms, and POS. Don't claim 'gluten-friendly' as a workaround — celiac patrons rely on the GF label.

Standard sequence: server marks ticket ALLERGY, expo confirms verbally, cook changes gloves, pulls clean pan from the dish pit, builds on purple board, runner double-checks plate before pass. Post the protocol at expo.

Quat sanitizer 200-400 ppm, chlorine 50-100 ppm. Test with strips at open and after each rush. Allergen residue requires soap-and-water wash before sanitize — sanitizer alone does not remove protein residue.

Server asks every table 'any allergies or dietary restrictions tonight?' before taking the order. If yes, server tags the ticket, walks to expo, and confirms with the chef on duty before firing. No verbal-only pass-throughs.

Resy, OpenTable, and SevenRooms all have guest-profile allergy fields. Hosts review notes at the pre-shift meeting and again as the party is seated. Pre-warned kitchens make fewer mistakes than reactive ones.

Binder at the host stand with full sub-ingredient detail by dish (sauces, marinades, oils). Servers reference rather than guess. Update whenever the allergen matrix changes.

Steps in order: call 911, identify the affected guest and seat, ask if they carry an EpiPen, clear path for EMS, preserve the suspect plate for testing, log incident time and witnesses. Manager on duty owns the call.

Two closest hospitals with ER addresses, phone numbers, and walking/driving distance. Posted at expo, host stand, and the office. Re-verify annually.

Red Cross or AHA certification, valid 2 years. Schedule so every operating shift has at least one certified responder. File copies of the cards.

Book a Red Cross or AHA course and assign two more shift leads. Until the gap closes, the GM or AGM personally covers shifts that would otherwise have no certified responder.

Sysco, US Foods, PFG, and Restaurant Depot all publish allergen statements per SKU. File them by vendor in the BOH binder. Statements should reference the FDA Big 9 plus gluten and sesame.

Manufacturers swap formulations without notice — soy lecithin appears, an oil supplier switches to a peanut-processing facility. Compare the case label to the spec sheet on file before the case lands in the walk-in.

Chef de cuisine reviews the spec, updates the allergen matrix, and signs off before the new SKU hits a recipe. Block prep cooks from substituting in untested SKUs at the line.

Pull the incident log: every reported allergic reaction, near-miss, comp tied to allergy, and guest complaint. Identify root cause patterns — recurring station, recurring dish, recurring shift.

GM, executive chef, and BOH manager close the loop. Capture the result, action items for next quarter, and any policy updates that should propagate to training, the matrix, or the line allergen card.