By the people, for the people…

AllergyEats is a comprehensive, user-friendly guide to allergy-friendly restaurants across the United States.  It is a peer-reviewed directory of restaurants – rated by people with food allergies, for people with food allergies.

Our database comprises every restaurant in the country – from large chains to small mom and pops, from gourmet to greasy spoons. We’ve laid the groundwork by providing you with menus – including kids’, gluten-free, and allergy-specific – where available, as well as any other relevant information from restaurants.

The rest is up to you. Use AllergyEats to help yourself and others by identifying restaurants that can or cannot accommodate your needs. Then rate the restaurant by answering three quick questions. It takes less than a minute!

Our ratings are driven by you the user; restaurants do not participate in these ratings. However, AllergyEats does strive to work with restaurants, allergy networks and the public to increase the amount of information we can share with you.

We’re thrilled to see an increasing number of restaurants responding to the growing concern about food allergies and intolerances. Increasing numbers of restaurants are training their staff about food allergies and publishing allergy information on menus. With more than 12 million of us (one out of 25 Americans) living with food allergies and over 2 million with Celiac Disease, we’d like to see this become standard practice. In the meantime we hope AllergyEats can serve as a valuable guide to allergy-friendly dining on the go.

Who am I and why am I doing this?

First and foremost, I’m a dad of kids who have food allergies. I understand the concerns of parents and know what it’s like to be constantly on guard.

Two of my five kids have food allergies. My 12-year-old, Tucker, has a tree nut allergy; Keegan, age 7, is allergic to tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, dairy, eggs, and fish. Luckily he has outgrown his allergy to wheat.

I’m also a former business analyst who’s always on the lookout for solutions to problems. So when I repeatedly find myself in the same predicament – like not being able to find an allergy-friendly restaurant on a family road trip or for a Friday night dinner with the family – I’m determined to find a fix. My goal is to alleviate a bit of the stress that often accompanies food allergies. It will mean a lot to me if I can help a child enjoy a special birthday dinner in a restaurant, rather than just another hot dog somewhere easy.

I have an economics degree from MIT and a background in finance. For 17 years I worked for Fidelity Investments, first as a stock analyst (including a stint covering the restaurant industry), and then as a mutual fund manager (often investing in small restaurants).

On June 30, 2008, I left Fidelity to pursue personal interests and independent ventures. The very next week I began planning AllergyEats, something I had been thinking about for a while and a cause close to my heart. I have since joined the board of the New England chapter of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA).

In my spare time I coach youth baseball and hockey, sit on the Board of Trustees at my children’s school, and occasionally teach middle schoolers about finance or sit in as a substitute elementary teacher. I also like to play saxophone, act in community theater, and play individual and team sports.