Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate restaurant operators’ food allergy knowledge, training procedures, and in-store policies related to serving clients with food allergies.
Methods: The questionnaire was developed based on interviews with three restaurant owners and literature review. Research panels consisted of restaurant owners and managers in the U.S. were recruited by a professional marketing research company.
Results: A total of 110 participants completed this survey. About 79% (n = 87) participants had never received any food allergy training. Of maximum 28 points possible, the mean food allergy knowledge score was 19.7 ± 4.6 (range = 6 to 27). Only 69% (n = 76) respondents had provided food allergy training to their employees in the past 12 months. Most of the training was provided when the employees were newly hired (n = 49; 44.5%) and only lasted 1-2 hours (n = 39; 35.4%). “Identifying food items that have allergens in the menus” (n = 66; 60.0%) and “Avoid cross-contact with food allergens” (n = 61; 55.5%) were topics most commonly included in employee training. Conversely, the respondents indicated “Communicating with back-of-the house about food allergies” (n = 49; 44.5%) was the least included topic in the training. The respondents identified “lack of commitment and interest among employees” as the biggest challenge that prevents them from initiating food allergy training. Policies to assist customers with food allergies included modifying recipes for customers with food allergies upon request (n = 85; 77.2%), stating food allergen on menus (n = 69; 62.7%), and posting food allergy information on restaurant websites (n = 52; 47.2%).
Significance: This study benefits the foodservice industries by identifying food allergy training needs and suggesting strategies to better serve customers with food allergies.