AllergyEats is ready to serve those coming to the Boston Marathon

Food Allergy-Friendly Dining, Just In Time for the Boston Marathon!

On Monday, April 19th, 25,000 athletes will attempt to run 26.2 grueling miles of Boston streets, cheered on by 500,000 spectators, as part of the 114th annual Boston Marathon. Participants and viewers come from all over the United States and the World. It is obviously a tremendous day for Boston tourism and for Boston restaurateurs.

This year, something new has been added. For the first time ever, visitors to the city who have food allergies or intolerances will have a quick and easy way to find restaurants where they can more comfortably dine by visiting AllergyEats (www.allergyeats.com).

Okay, maybe I’m stretching things just a little bit. But seriously, finding a restaurant that is allergy-friendly is tough for people traveling in new cities. Thus, the genesis of AllergyEats: to provide an online platform where people with food allergies and intolerances can help each other find allergy-friendly restaurants.

While AllergyEats is only 7 weeks old, it has gotten off to a great start and Boston is currently its showcase city. That is why I want to bring AllergyEats to the attention of people visiting for this weekend’s famed Boston Marathon. With over 125 restaurants already rated (and well over 150 ratings) in the greater Boston area, we think AllergyEats has a lot to offer visitors to Bean Town.

A few items of note:

— Roughly 50 restaurants have the top “allergy-friendliness” rating of ‘5’ (and 18 have the lowest rating of ‘1’).
— 24 restaurants with a ‘4’ or higher rating have been rated by more than 1 member.
— 19 restaurants with a ‘4’ or higher rating have a link to the restaurant menu from the AllergyEats site; hundreds of non-rated restaurants have the same.
— 11 restaurants with a ‘4’ or higher rating have a link to allergen info while 15 include links to a gluten-free menu or other gluten-free info; again, hundreds of non-rated restaurants have this information attached as well.
— 7 restaurants with a ‘4’ or higher rating are certified as gluten-friendly by the Gluten Intolerance Group of North America; dozens of non-rated restaurants have this designation as well.

All this after just 7 weeks. Thank you Boston AllergyEats users!!!

Some individual restaurant highlights:
— EVERY Legal Sea Foods restaurant rating, no matter the location, has earned 5 stars so far – there’s one not too far past the finish line across from the Park Plaza hotel (and a few others elsewhere around the city as well). All restaurant addresses show up on the results screen of an AllergyEats search, along with an option for MapQuest directions.
— Within Boston proper, Nebo has earned a 5-star rating from each of 3 reviewers as well as a reputation for being allergy-friendly and having great gluten-free pizzas. (Just be cautious of the time of day as there is a Boston Bruins playoff game that night at 7 p.m. not too far from the restaurant – maybe you should show up at 7:05?)
— If you’re venturing into the ‘burbs, Burton’s Grill in Hingham and Not Your Average Joe’s in Norwell, Arlington, Watertown, Burlington, and Beverly are both extremely well rated and are known for their commitment to those with food allergies and intolerances.
— There is also a smattering of Bertucci’s Brick Oven Restaurants in the area. Highly-rated, Bertucci’s has also earned certification as gluten-friendly from the Gluten Intolerance Group of North America.

So please encourage all of your food allergy friends and acquaintances coming to Boston this weekend to use AllergyEats (www.allergyeats.com) to seek a place to eat. And of course, just as important, please ask them to rate their experience afterwards, helping make AllergyEats an even stronger resource for everyone. Who knows how many recommendations food allergic diners will have by the time of the 115th Boston Marathon next year?!

(Let me hasten to remind everyone that AllergyEats covers the entire United States with over 600,000 restaurant listings, not just Boston. So, as always, I strongly encourage everyone with food allergies to participate by sharing their dining experiences, whether local or far from home, with the fast-growing AllergyEats community. Rating a restaurant takes less than a minute and only requires a user to answer 3 simple questions. Every individual rating increases the value of AllergyEats for all of us. To rate a restaurant now, please visit the main AllergyEats site.)

Thank you for being a friend of AllergyEats.