Severe gluten and egg allergy accommodations?

[Laura K]

Hello! My good friend is bringing her daughter to Disneyland for the first time and while I see the online menus show there are allergy friendly food items for gluten and egg, I was wondering if anyone here knows if there's typically cross contamination in the kitchen or do they generally do a good job of cooking those items separately, especially at counter service spots? I ask because her daughter has a severe gluten and egg allergy where based on prior restaurant experience, her daughter will immediately start vomiting quite a lot if anything was cooked on the same pan or grill that anything with gluten or egg was also just cooked on. My friend is used to bringing separate foods for her daughter to eat when they go out, so it's not a big deal if they need to do the same again at the park, but was wondering if anyone here knew anything about the cooking process for these. I see the Disney website has a general warning on the website about cross contamination though I wasn't sure if that was just a CYA type warning they'll always have to avoid a lawsuit. Thanks everyone!

 

[wowsmom]

It seems to depend on the location. Some have very small kitchens - I was never able to eat at Cove Bar due to all the lobster.

I have some common allergies (shellfish, fish) and some not so common ones (nori, basil, lettuce, and others) so I always ask to speak to the chef, since allergy menus don't cover all my allergies.

Since the reopening, it's been hit or miss. I tried eating at Galactic Grill back in the fall and was told they could not accommodate me as they didn't have a separate kitchen area.

In early May, I had no problems at Rancho del Zocalo - they had a separate area to prep my food, so there was less chance of cross contamination.

Also in May, I had no problems at Red Rose Taverne but had to explain to the CM at the register a few times that I was NOT gluten free and that I actually DID need to speak to the chef.

I recommend asking to speak to the chef - even when the CM discourages you or tries to just hand you an allergy menu.

Sometimes it can take a while for the chef to come out - maybe 5 minutes, maybe 15 or more. Then you have to wait for your food to be prepped, so it's always good to have snacks along for if the child is starving.

ETA - in the last 16 years of being local and visiting the parks regularly, I've never been "poisoned" - I think the food CMs do take allergies quite seriously. Your friend just needs to be ready to advocate for her child if she runs into a CM that doesn't understand food allergies.

 

[starry_solo]

Table service is more able to accommodate as they likely will have "real" kitchen facilities available.

 

[Laura K]

It seems to depend on the location. Some have very small kitchens - I was never able to eat at Cove Bar due to all the lobster.

I have some common allergies (shellfish, fish) and some not so common ones (nori, basil, lettuce, and others) so I always ask to speak to the chef, since allergy menus don't cover all my allergies.

Since the reopening, it's been hit or miss. I tried eating at Galactic Grill back in the fall and was told they could not accommodate me as they didn't have a separate kitchen area.

In early May, I had no problems at Rancho del Zocalo - they had a separate area to prep my food, so there was less chance of cross contamination.

Also in May, I had no problems at Red Rose Taverne but had to explain to the CM at the register a few times that I was NOT gluten free and that I actually DID need to speak to the chef.

I recommend asking to speak to the chef - even when the CM discourages you or tries to just hand you an allergy menu.

Sometimes it can take a while for the chef to come out - maybe 5 minutes, maybe 15 or more. Then you have to wait for your food to be prepped, so it's always good to have snacks along for if the child is starving.

ETA - in the last 16 years of being local and visiting the parks regularly, I've never been "poisoned" - I think the food CMs do take allergies quite seriously. Your friend just needs to be ready to advocate for her child if she runs into a CM that doesn't understand food allergies.

Thanks so much! This is all very helpful and detailed information