Dining Out
If you have a food allergy, you know that dining out can be risky business. After all, you don't have the ingredient labels available to scrutinize. Often, dishes can contain surprise ingredients ... and the surprise may be that it's a food you are allergic to!
In addition to asking a lot of questions about ingredients and preparation methods, many food-allergic teens and adults carry a "chef card" with them that outlines the foods that they must avoid. The card is presented to the chef or manager for review and serves as a reminder of the food allergy.
Download our interactive chef card 
and customize it to include information about your allergy. Print your chef card on brightly colored paper so that it will stand out in a restaurant’s hectic atmosphere. Laminate your card to protect it from getting stained. Be sure to make several copies of your chef card so that if you forget to get it back, you have extra copies available.
Always remember to ask questions about ingredients and preparation methods. Don't rely on your chef card to take the place of talking to the waitstaff and/or management of a restaurant!
The chef card is designed to help you convey food allergy information to the chef. It will not prevent a reaction ... you must make careful food choices.
