What do I need to know about food allergens as a server?
The short answer
The routine
Here’s the check-don’t-guess routine, start to finish, when a guest says “I’m allergic to sesame”:
- Take it seriously and write it down. Note the allergen and the seat.
- Don’t answer from memory. Say: “Let me check that for you.”
- Check the allergen chart for the dish they want, and follow your restaurant’s allergy procedure.
- Tell the manager, every time, even if the chart looks clear.
- Mark the order the way your house flags allergies, so the kitchen sees it.
- Go back to the guest with what the chart and the kitchen said. If they can’t confirm it, say so.
Sesame is only the example. The steps are the same for any allergy. If a guest has a reaction, follow your restaurant’s emergency procedure and call emergency services. Not tax or legal advice.
Plain English
The rule
Your restaurant’s allergen chart and your manager or kitchen are the source of truth. Never answer an allergy question from memory. If you’re not sure, say you’ll check, and tell the manager about every allergy.
The US list: 9 major food allergens (FDA)
Milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans, and sesame. Sesame was added as the ninth by a 2021 law, the Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education, and Research Act.
The Canadian list: 11 priority food allergens (Health Canada)
Eggs, milk, mustard, peanuts, crustaceans and molluscs, fish, sesame seeds, soy, sulphites, tree nuts, and wheat and triticale.
These lists name the allergens each agency singles out, not every allergy. A guest can be allergic to something that isn’t on either list, and you handle it the same way.
Why memory isn’t enough
Recipes and suppliers change, and a menu description doesn’t list every ingredient. The chart and the kitchen keep up with that; your memory of last week’s menu doesn’t. That’s why this page won’t tell you which dishes contain what. Learn the list so you recognize an allergy question the moment you hear one, then check.
What the law requires where you work
In the US, the FDA publishes a Food Code for restaurants and other food businesses. It’s a model code, not a requirement: state, local, tribal, and territorial agencies choose whether to adopt it. The 2022 edition added informing consumers, in writing, of major food allergens as ingredients in unpackaged food. Whether that applies to your restaurant depends on what your state or local health department has adopted. We haven’t checked each state, so ask your manager or your health department.
In Canada, Health Canada’s allergy page also covers the labelling rules for prepackaged food. What restaurants must tell guests is set by your province or city. We haven’t checked each province.
What to say at the table
- “Does it have nuts?” → “Let me check the allergen chart for you.”
- “Is it gluten-free?” → “Let me check with the kitchen how that’s made here.”
- “I think I’m fine with a little” → Still tell the manager and mark the order.
Common mistakes
- Answering “no, it doesn’t have nuts” from memory.
- Not telling the manager because the chart looked clear.
- Treating a flashcard or a menu description as an allergen reference.
- Assuming a dish is safe because the menu description doesn’t mention the allergen.
Official sources
Last verified:
Checked the FDA food allergies page, the FDA 2022 Food Code release, and Health Canada’s food allergies page.
Still open: Which states have adopted the 2022 Food Code’s written allergen notice, and what each province requires of restaurants, is not checked here.