A small dietary restrictions rant...

[Honeybee83]

Before anyone misreads my intent, I want to make clear that I think it is commendable that Disney goes out of their way to accommodate a whole host of dietary restrictions and allergies. You won't find that at most theme parks. However, I do wish they would make the exact recipes and ingredient lists more widely accessible.

I have a pineapple, kiwi, and avocado allergy which is by no means life threatening or severe, but could really ruin a day if I were to directly consume these items. Pineapple is by far the worst! My family, after hearing the rave reviews on the disunplugged 5 best table service 1 credit restaurants, really wanted to give Ohana a try. Given my predisposition to digestive pyrotechnics in relation to all things pineapple (fruit, juice, etc), I was a little leary. I decided to just contact the special diets team so they could give me the exact details of what was in each item that would be served in regard to dressings, sauces, glazes, and especially the food items themselves. I already knew after some research that the welcome bread and the dessert contained my arch nemesis the pineapple . I not only wanted to know if Ohana had a good substitute for these items, but also if any of the dips sauces, glazes, dressings, etc contained the juice of that prickly beast. (To clarify, I think pineapple is delicious, but once you spend six hours writhing in pain while all of your insides wish to be on your outsides, it really changes your relationship with this lovely bromeliad).

My concern was that all of the above mentioned accoutrements would contain pineapple juice directly roasted onto the meat etc leaving me with potentially just a plate of noodles and veggies, which while I'm sure are lovely unto themselves, are obviously not meant to carry the meal single handedly. I sent an email to special.diets@disneyworld.com and the next day was given a very generic "canned" response that didn't answer a single one of my questions. I persisted with my questions, and was responded to with a vague "You can always ask to speak to the chef once you arrive for your reservation." However, as many of you know if you have ever tried to dine at WDW, if it turned out that I could not eat anything there, we would have a lovely, pre booked 180 days out from our vacation date, completely worthless reservation. I called the dining line and a very sweet CM tried her best to help me solve my problem, but not only are these poor people not given any detailed information about what goes into the menu items, but they done even have access to the direct phone lines to the restaurants so I, or they, could speak with a chef or manager to get my questions answered. The poor lady even tried to do a google search on the phone to see if she could find any Ohana recipes online! A for effort on her part!

So back to my email I went, hopelessly volleying back and forth, trying to get my questions answered. The stone wall I kept hitting was I had to have a reservation already made in order to have a chef contact me. Now, I understand that the chefs and managers are very busy. However, in the Information Age that we live in, would it be that hard to have a recipe database on file so that the CM's fielding these phone calls have at least some general information to tell a guest? I understand that they don't want to be liable for telling me one thing, and then 8 months go by and they have a menu change, and then they are in hot water for "incorrect information" being given to a guest. All they would need to do though is to state that all disclosed information is subject to change and to state that it is the guests responsibility to confirm that no menu changes have been made.

So now I sit with a "dummy" Ohana reservation, waiting until 10-14 days prior to my reservation (which I can't use because I live in Houston, Texas) to hear from a chef, and subsequently having to cancel said reservation as soon as I can get the information I need. Meanwhile another person may have been able to book that reservation and enjoy it if Disney made its dietary information more available to its CMs. Also, if they are worried about revealing "secret" recipes, the CM doesn't need to tell me the whole recipe, just whether or not my allergen is present.

The sad fact is that the only way I could think of to get the information I need was to make a fake reservation. I have posted it on the reservation cancel board so hopefully some good will come of all of these shenanigans. (I had considered just making two reservations prior to our fall trip, one for Ohana, and one for a backup restaurant, however I would still have to wait to be contacted by a chef either way. At least this way there's no chance that too much time will go by and I'll get charged for a reservation that I can't use; and if I can't eat there I can more thoughtfully plan where else we might go.

I'll step off my soapbox now. Thanks everyone for listening to my rant. Perhaps the right person will see this and start to implement a change. If nothing else, I got it off my chest.

 

[ShellieMimi]

I'm sorry you had such a frustrating experience. You seem like a very intelligent, proactive & reasonable person. Please understand that this description does not apply to many, many people that Disney deals with every day. They have to play to the lowest common denominator. In this case, that means not divulging any information about recipes/ingredients - not because you will make off with the chicken recipe, but because there is somebody out there who would NOT verify a menu change before eating, or a CM who would read the ingredients in Bread A instead of Bread B, and the next thing you know, there is some expensive litigation on the table.

The usual policy is for you to meet with the chef when you arrive at the restaurant. The chef will then be able to tell you what you can/cannot eat & whether or not there are any alternatives available. I see why this might be difficult in your case, but in general, I think it's the best way to keep everybody safe. I don't think I've ever heard of a guest being told, "Sorry! Looks like it's gruel for you!" Hope you can enjoy your dinner, whether it's at 'Ohana or elsewhere.

 

[Missyrose]

Disney does this for their guests' health. What if they told you the recipe for the chicken had no pineapple, but then the recipe was tweaked in the weeks leading up to your reservation and you had no idea. The only way to know on the day you're eating there that you can eat what's being served is to talk to the chef at your meal. It's frustrating for uber-planners, but Disney isn't doing this to be mean.

 

[maxiesmom]

There is no way to know ahead of time that the menu you are looking at on line will be the same one served at the restaurant. By nature cooking is an art, and the chef may tweak things, or some ingredient may be unavailable or inferior so a substitution is made at the last minute.

Their response is the best advice--talk to the chef at the time. They will always make something for you that you can safely eat. Always.

 

[Allison]

I'm sorry this is a problem for you. It must be frustrating. But with all due respect, I have to disagree about making this kind of information available to CMs on the phone. Menus and ingredients are too fluid to allow them to give out allergy information like this. It is much safer to talk to a professional during the meal. I do have sympathy for all the folks who have to deal with issues like this but I don't believe untrained people on the phone should be handling this kind of information. I hope it works out for you.

 

[ConnecticutFlea]

I understand completely. I have a gluten allergy. I have gone to buffets at Disney and been very limited and what I could eat was completely tasteless, leading to a pricey disappointing experience.

Last October I was able to get reservations for 6 at Skipper Canteen for the next day. We weren't in MK, so I couldn't just pop in and speak to the chef. I called Disney Dinning and after an hour on hold I spoke to a CM. I wanted to know what my gluten free options were before I got there. (I was sure there would be a gluten free option, but what if it was something strange that I really didn't want! It's not like the food is cheap in Disney, so if they plan on giving me untoasted hard tasteless bread with some unseasoned meat I'll save money and eat elsewhere.) They couldn't tell me anything other than to mention the allergy when I got there. It worked out okay, but that isn't always the case at Disney. I appreciate all Disney does for special diets, but why can't Disney answer questions about available food a day in advance? When I'm back home in CT, I always call a restaurant or venue a few days before I plan to go. They are always able to tell me what they can or can't provide so I can plan accordingly. IMHO Disney is lagging behind restaurant standards in this regard.

 

[maxiesmom]

Why they can't tell you is that they are not at the restaurant. When you call a restaurant at home you are calling the restaurant. Not true at WDW. You are getting a general call center, not the restaurant itself.

 

[ConnecticutFlea]

Then they should give you the restaurant number or have something on line that they can refer to. If a restaurant changes its menu or the ingredients used for a dish, it would only take a moment to update the website. There is no excuse.

 

[Dis703]

The reason they don't make this public information is because it can change all the time. While specific ingredients might not change drastically they do change vendors often which changes a lot of the cross contamination risks and trying to keep an update list handy for use would be a monumental task.

However, we have been able to speak to the chefs before each of our trips to plan for safe meals for our 3 children who have very complex food allergies. I'm not sure if they will do so for easier to avoid allergens, but the majority of chefs do contact us when we submit the allergy request form and ask to speak to someone from each of the restaurants. That said, Ohana was one of the rare times that they did not respond to this request and it lead to a rather long and tedious back and forth to figure out what my son could eat. I'm not sure if that's the norm for them or was just a fluke that particular trip. And even with speaking to the chefs as little as 10 days in advance we've seen changes by the time we actually arrive for our ADR.

They will very likely have alternatives for you as pineapple is definitely prevalent in their offerings. But whether those offerings will be more generic or if they will be appealing to you is questionable. For myself, we tend to just avoid those places we are uncertain about or where I expect a more severe allergen is heavily used. I'd probably suggest in this case if you don't get specific answers to lower your expectations or make another ADR.

 

[Dis703]

Then they should give you the restaurant number or have something on line that they can refer to. If a restaurant changes its menu or the ingredients used for a dish, it would only take a moment to update the website. There is no excuse.

It actually would take more than a moment and would require someone on staff or working closely with the kitchen staff to know how to load information to the website. And changes occur frequently. Last minute changes from the vendor or inability to fulfill an order can lead to quick substitutions from another vendor or even fulfilling needs from another restaurant. From my experience both working in the restaurant business and dining at Disney frequently with food allergies and witnessing the back and forth changes of what was safe and what wasn't, it really would be a huge production to have this information up to date at all times. Add to that the times the website is down and information may not be able to be loaded in a timely manner or is viewed by a guest on Sunday thinking it will be the same for that Friday or even the following week or month without checking back for changes. This would also leave them potentially liable if a mistake is made and a guest had a reaction. Which is ultimately why they likely won't ever do this.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Then they should give you the restaurant number or have something on line that they can refer to.

The reason they don't have available direct numbers for restaurants is because people will share them online, and it will become an issue. When it becomes an issue, they will be routing the calls back to a call center, completely not doing what you hopes having a number would do. And people wouldn't just use these numbers for allergies. "Can I have a window seat? Can I add 3 people?" Never mind that these would not be purposes of using the number, they'd have to be answered and dealt with.

And they especially don't want to have to screen the regrettably large number of people who claim fake allergies. So many people on DIS tell others "say you're allergic to {thing you don't like}" and they'll accommodate!" Any time I see that I tell them not to do that, because it's disrespectful of real allergies, and disrespectful of the protocols required.

The other reason they have people directly talk to chefs is because for life-threatening allergies, it's not just "is the ingredient in food." It involves the entirety of the prep process. Just knowing there's not pineapple in something is not enough were this a truly life-threatening allergy. Full allergy protocol would have to be followed as well.

The "just have a database!" idea is nice and all, but between ad hoc updates, supplier updates, and lordhelpyou, Disney IT, it's not a real solution.

 

[maxiesmom]

There isn't a more simple solution than to have you talk to the chef at the time of your meal. That is the only way to know what you are being told will be 100% accurate for that meal at that time. I don't envy anyone with food allergies, know a few that have them, and I understand what a pain they are. Disney is erring on the side of safety and not on the side of what is easy.

 

[CandiceF]

I have to eat Gluten free and 'Ohana was very good with my intolerance. The Chef came to my table and told me exactly what I could and could not eat. He even brought me a separate plate with some of the items on the menu I could not have that he had made me GF versions. I think it was the bread and the chicken wings. Don't worry the Chef will try his best to accommodate you!

 

[TXAKDisneyFan]

There isn't a more simple solution than to have you talk to the chef at the time of your meal. That is the only way to know what you are being told will be 100% accurate for that meal at that time. I don't envy anyone with food allergies, know a few that have them, and I understand what a pain they are. Disney is erring on the side of safety and not on the side of what is easy.

Maybe someone on the DisBoards who will be dining at 'Ohana soon could ask for you? That way you'd at least know whether you should keep your reservation or try for something else. Obviously the menu may change and you should still speak to the chef if and when you get to the restaurant.

 

[Honeybee83]

I'm sorry you had such a frustrating experience. You seem like a very intelligent, proactive & reasonable person. Please understand that this description does not apply to many, many people that Disney deals with every day. They have to play to the lowest common denominator. In this case, that means not divulging any information about recipes/ingredients - not because you will make off with the chicken recipe, but because there is somebody out there who would NOT verify a menu change before eating, or a CM who would read the ingredients in Bread A instead of Bread B, and the next thing you know, there is some expensive litigation on the table.

The usual policy is for you to meet with the chef when you arrive at the restaurant. The chef will then be able to tell you what you can/cannot eat & whether or not there are any alternatives available. I see why this might be difficult in your case, but in general, I think it's the best way to keep everybody safe. I don't think I've ever heard of a guest being told, "Sorry! Looks like it's gruel for you!" Hope you can enjoy your dinner, whether it's at 'Ohana or elsewhere.

Lol. I love the gruel comment! I definitely understand your point, that a multimillion dollar corporation has to protect themselves from uninformed and sometimes nefarious intents to sue. I guess what frustrates me is I see the vast technological advancement in allowing an RFID chip in a magic band to detect what ride vehicle you are in and automatically load your ride photos to your MDE photo pass. I wonder that something couldn't be done similarly for dietary problems. Perhaps they could create a list of all potential allergens from a checklist in your MDE app, and then import ingredient lists from the recipes of their restaurants, and a guest could be notified to contact special diets when they are sent an email notification of a potential conflict. As long as ingredient lists are updated as soon as recipes are changed, it would be a very efficient way to field allergies while not having to affect the staff. Just a thought.

 

[jason10mm]

Perhaps they could create a list of all potential allergens from a checklist in your MDE app, and then import ingredient lists from the recipes of their restaurants, and a guest could be notified to contact special diets when they are sent an email notification of a potential conflict. As long as ingredient lists are updated as soon as recipes are changed, it would be a very efficient way to field allergies while not having to affect the staff. Just a thought.

That is a great idea........IF folks wouldn't sue. Our litigious society has made such a system absolutely nonviable. There is no way to ever keep a database like that up to date, food prep is FAR too complex. Consider this pineapple allergy. Very rare. But if they know, they can use an area of the kitchen that doesn't have bowls, knives, or pans that were just used with pineapples. Even if the food itself doesn't have pineapple, if it was prepped on a board next to pineapple, there could be cross-contamination. After all, this restaurant specializes in a cuisine that utilized pineapple extensively. So the only safe way to accommodate all the varied and unpredictable food allergies is to handle each one on a case by case basis.

 

[nco91590]

I hope this doesn't come across as rude. But I'm wondering why, if you have a pineapple allergy, you would pick a Hawaiian themed restaurant for dinner? Especially one with a set menu. Pineapple is a main ingredient in that cuisine. I think I would just assume that almost everything is going to have pineapple in it...all the glazes, sauces, marinades etc. I would just avoid the place all together.

It's expensive too! I would not want to pay for an entire menu's worth of substitutions. Plain chicken, plain rolls, noodles no sauce, plain brownie for dessert. You would probably get a better meal for your money elsewhere.

 

[ShirikiUtundu]

I have a pineapple, kiwi, and avocado allergy which is by no means life threatening or severe, but could really ruin a day if I were to directly consume these items.

Hi Honeybee,
Your set of allergens is typically indicative of someone who has a latex allergy as well. Have you been tested?
While I feel pretty confident that most food prep kitchens utilize nitrile or latex-free gloves for this reason, it might be worth a mention to the chef as well. Studies have shown that latex gloves can shed reaction-inducing particles into food.

 

[Jennasis]

Let me help you out...everything had pineapple in it when we at each there. There was a marinade used on all the meats, and it was a pervasive flavor throughout. One of the many reasons when wont be back.

 

[bumbershoot]

Starting by asking here would have been a good idea.

but because there is somebody out there who would NOT verify a menu change before eating, or a CM who would read the ingredients in Bread A instead of Bread B

Exactly.

I have a gluten allergy. I have gone to buffets at Disney and been very limited and what I could eat was completely tasteless, leading to a pricey disappointing experience.

Have you spoken with the chefs? I'm not sure I've ever read of a tasteless experience for gluten free once chefs were spoken with.

Then they should give you the restaurant number or have something on line that they can refer to. If a restaurant changes its menu or the ingredients used for a dish, it would only take a moment to update the website. There is no excuse.

Have you met Disney IT? They can't do that. They pay Seattle interns almost nothing to sit and do something with the website that resembles work. There's no one onsite adding things as they happen. Even if they decided to get a guy at each restaurant each shift each day to note what has changed, it would have to be sent on to someone who could eventually do the work, and that could take ages. It isn't going to happen. Disney websites are too dismal for it to be possible.

Perhaps they could create a list of all potential allergens from a checklist in your MDE app, and then import ingredient lists from the recipes of their restaurants, and a guest could be notified to contact special diets when they are sent an email notification of a potential conflict.

Again, Disney IT. Glitches galore.

Even with the human touch things go awry. We are vegetarian. Simple. Ds can't have corn syrup based ingredients. On our first Disney cruise we made note of those things for the kids club. He wanted to eat at lunch. He went to get a cheese sandwich. They stopped him. Called our room (not the wave phones which are portable, but our room where we were jot) and left a message to verify that he's vegetarian before he could have the cheese sandwich. What???? We didn't get the message until we all got back to the room later. Poor kid was so hungry.


You WANT to speak to the chef there that day. S/he will know what's in the food that day.