Travel

No one’s perfect – not even Disney World!

by on June 26th, 2012

 

 

I don’t know how many times I’ve refered to Disney World as the “gold standard” when it comes to food allergy dining, but I stand by that statement.  I have sung the praises of Chef Joel Schaefer, the pioneer of Disney World’s special dining request program, and I will continue to do so.  I have encouraged countless families with food allergies to consider Disney World as their first big vacation, and that will not change.

But… even Disney has some chinks in the armor!

Based on feedback that food-allergic families have shared on AllergyEats Disney World, as well as comments on message boards across the Internet and my family’s own personal experiences, there seems much to be concerned about at a few of the restaurants in the “countries” at Walt Disney World’s EPCOT.

Don’t get me wrong – some of the restaurants in the World Pavilion at EPCOT do a great job catering to our community!  I would especially note Teppan Edo (Japan), with a 4.9 AllergyEats allergy-friendliness rating, and Rose & Crown (Britain), with a 4.8.  Germany also generally gets high marks.

But there are those who significantly disappoint: Les Chefs de France (France) – 3.2, San Angel Inn (Mexico) – 2.3, and a smattering of other low marks, including Norway.  When looking at these ratings, recognize that I consider anything below a 3.5 NOT to be allergy friendly.  And a 2.3???  Horrendous.  Well below even Applebee’s!

So why does Disney World – with its stellar reputation for managing food-allergic diners – have these hidden “losers?”  First of all, many of the EPCOT country restaurants are independently-managed (i.e. Disney does not run these restaurants).  And while Disney still holds them to high standards, they just aren’t trained the same in terms of catering to special dietary needs.  Secondly, there are some communication barriers with the wait staff at many of these restaurants.  Much of the staff is native to the country represented by the restaurant, and many of the accents are thick.  To prove this point, my family had a very hard time communicating with the waiter at Tutto Italia (Italy)… and amongst our party were 2nd generation “off the boat” and many who grew up or spent significant time in immigrant Italian neighborhoods.  So don’t even get me started on Mexico!  But most of all, some of these restaurants just don’t “get” guest service (any may not even care to do so)!  Read some of the comments below from AllergyEats Disney World users and decide for yourself.

 

Here are some of the comments on AllergyEats Disney World about Les Chefs de France: (bold text added by me)

geeksrx (dairy allergy) comments: “By far my worst experience in all of Disney!  The staff, Chef and waiter were all RUDE. I had to ask multiple times to speak with the chef and after waiting for a very long time he finally came. He asked what allergy I had, I told him dairy and he said, “Then nothing will taste right!”  I was floored, then I was served 3 courses all with cheese! The server was mad when I had to send back.”

And mir444 (egg and peanut allergy) said this: “Worst experience we had at Disney World. Even though I had called ahead and was assured that my child could get some egg-free pasta, that was not the case. Waitress was rude, my child didn’t feel safe eating anything.”

Incidentally, mir444 also shared a comment that I experienced first-hand about Les Chefs de France.  The wait was unbearably long!  I don’t know if that had to do with the food-allergic meals or not, but it’s worth noting.  Also, of all the comments I’ve read elsewhere about dining with food allergies in EPCOT, “France” always seems to get the worst marks in terms of trying to communicate with the chef.

 

But as disconcerting as the comments about Les Chefs de France are, they don’t even begin to approach the negativity surrounding San Angel Inn (Mexico): (again, bold text added by me)

Tico3169 (peanut, tree nut, dairy, egg, and sesame allergies) wrote: “Waiter didn’t understand food allergies.  Didn’t know what “dairy” was.  Didn’t seem to take food allergies seriously.  Wouldn’t bring a chef over initially (until we insisted).  A very bad experience.”  I can share similar sentiments first-hand!

phanooky (peanut, dairy, and tree nut allergies) said: Besides the chef, “the rest of the staff was poorly educated on food allergies.”

selketine (peanut, tree nut, and shellfish allergies) put it more directly: “The server was a ditz – and since the chef doesn’t come out it was hard to know if she had the sense to communicate properly with the kitchen.”

Suzie (peanut, dairy, wheat, sesame, tree nut, egg, and shellfish allergies) had these interesting thoughts: “A bit of a language barrier was almost our undoing; I said our son was allergic to legumes as there are a lot of beans in Mexican cuisine, but our rice still came mixed with peas.  Also, this indoor restaurant is set to look like outdoors at twilight–i.e. it is very dark and hard to see; I find this stressful especially when hives can be your first sign that a problem is coming.”

And unfortunately, there’s this from jrmbelle (peanut, tree nut, shellfish, fish, and soy allergies): “They claimed that they made me an allergy-friendly meal, however, I ultimately had an allergic reaction and got very sick from the food so they clearly did not.”

 

A “not-so-honorable” mention must go here to Akershus Royal Banquet Hall (Norway), which is known for its princess dinners.  My family had an interesting personal incident here this past April.  Two mistakes turned out to be better than one!  When my middle son’s (peanut, tree nut, dairy, egg, and sesame allergies) dinner came out, the chef – who personally took the order – sent out mashed potatoes with butter.  Obviously not good for a dairy-allergic child.  When we informed the waitress, she then noted that the dinner my son ordered – again, personally with the chef’s blessing – was NOT safe for him!  Meatballs were a centerpiece of this meal and while the chef told us they were safe for my son, the waitress was the one who noted that they had egg in them.  So the chef actually made TWO errors… and we wouldn’t have known about one without the other being so obvious!  HUGE kudos to the waitress for being so well-versed on food allergies.  And as a side note, we were her last customers on her last day before she headed back to Norway the next morning!  Would your head have been in the game so well?

 

Other comments about EPCOT country dining: (for the last time, bold text added by me)

jillac1 (peanut, tree nut, shellfish, fish, egg, sesame, and soy alliergies) on Tangierine Cafe (Morocco): “Not up to usual Disney standards.  They did not have an ingredients list.  The manager did come over but had to come back to me several times when he discovered something we had ordered was unsafe.  I think my DS had just a plain hamburger.”

Evangeline (peanut, tree nut, egg allergies) on Tokyo Dining (Japan): “Manager not a chef came to our table to discuss allergies. She was chilly, brusque & dismissive. She seemed put out by request to have their sushi made on fresh mats etc (to avoid cross contam), would not take my sons’ food orders & said to give it to server.”

 

Now I know I’ve committed heresy by criticizing some of Disney’s restaurants on their ability and desire to accommodate food-allergic diners, but it’s important that everyone recognizes even dining at Disney World requires vigilence.  We need to be our own advocates EVERY time we dine out and take as much responsibility as possible for our own safety EVERY time.

I would also re-emphasize what I said at the beginning: Disney World IS still the “gold standard” for food allergy dining in my opinion, and most restaurants around the various parks have very strong AllergyEats allergy-friendliness ratings.  (Remember that you can check them at AllergyEats Disney World – www.allergyeats.com/disney.)  Further, I wouldn’t even discourage those like my family who like to dine at the various EPCOT countries from doing so.  But I would strongly suggest you heed the warnings presented here and be extra vigilant at certain restaurants!

 

So where do I start in asking for feedback?  How about I just say “fire away!”  I’m sure there are passionate opinions out there and experiences that many of you would like to share.  So please click Comments or Reply below and share your thoughts.

And lastly, please remember to rate all of your dining experiences (whether at Disney World or anywhere else in the country) at our core AllergyEats site (www.allergyeats.com) or at AllergyEats Disney World (www.allergyeats.com/disney).  We also have an iPhone and Android app for the main AllergyEats site.  Each new rating that you add makes AllergyEats a more valuable tool for our food allergy and intolerance community!

Comments

    Author:
    Treasa
    Written:


    Wow!!! My son is anaphylactic to eggs, treenuts,peanuts, shellfish and sesame….One of THE best meals he has eaten has been in France! Yes we called ahead. When we arrived the waiter brought the chef right out to us. He took the allergies very, very seriously. He discussed WITH MY 12 YEAR OLD SON what HE would want to eat from the menu, and then discussed with us what modifications and changes he would make so my son could eat safely. He apologized in advance for the extra time he would need to make something safe. Not a problem. He prepared a 3 course meal for my son that was safe and sooooooo delicious! The waiter and chef also came over several times to make sure we were ok. We are going back this summer and France is definitely on our list.

    Author:
    Janeen (Chupieandjsmama)
    Written:


    We ate at the restaurant in Japan also and they were FANTASTIC with dealing with food allergies. I was really nervous because this was a last minute decision for us and I did not call ahead but the manager did an excellent job of handling the food allergy order and even went out of her way to find a safe dessert option for my son (allergic to wheat, rye, barley, oat, egg, peanut and tree nut).

    One thing that I’d like to note is that when you contact special dietary needs at Disney, they will send you a list of restaurants that they recommend for the food allergic. We try to adhere to that list as much as possible. None of the restaurants that got low marks are on that list. I think it’s important to call ahead prior to visiting any sit down restaurant to work out safe options ahead of time, but I feel it would be especially important if you are dining at a restaurant that did not make the special dietary needs list. As we found out, even though Japan wasn’t on the list, they were able to accommodate us. But I would not expect that from ALL restaurants at Disney. Even though Disney is the “gold standard” I find it important to deal with their restaurants exactly the same way I would deal with any restaurant I would take my food allergic child to. And it states in the special dietary needs paperwork that “The restaurants will do their best to accommodate guest dietary requirements, but cannot guarantee they will be able to meet all requests”. I take nothing for granted.

    Author:
    Elizabeth
    Written:


    Our experience with Disney has generally been good for my son with peanut, tree nut and egg allergies. However, I would not recommend Germany if you have those particular allergies. The food is served buffet style. When we were there, a manager walked us through the line, but there were virtually no items without egg! Unlike at the crystal palace(also buffet), we were not asked if he would like something else prepared. I think he basically ate fruit for dinner-good thing he fell asleep halfway through! In a case where a restaurant’s menu contains so many allergens, I would rather they told me ahead of time so we could choose another option. We will not return there on our next trip especially because he is much more sensitive now about not being able to eat certain things. However, we will return to disney based on our overall experience.

    Author:
    Gina
    Written:


    The bottom line is that no place is 100% safe even our own homes. Mistakes can always be made. Cross-contamination can happen at any point. It is up to us to do our research (check out Allergy Eats), call ahead, and then talk to chef, manager, waitstaff, etc… But no matter what the rating is, if at any time I don’t feel that my daughter can safely eat at a restaurant, I leave. And of course, I always have her Epi-pen. Paul, thank you for your continual efforts to keep us informed!

    Author:
    Mrsdocrse
    Written:


    This a good reminder that even in the BEST of circumstances there is always going to be the individual or establishment that is either unwilling or unable to help keep food allergy suffers safe. I appreciate the information about Epcot. We are [lanning another trip to Disney this year and will keep that in mind.

    My previous experiences at Disney World and on a Disney cruise was fantastic. I applaud them on continuing their efforts to accommodate us. Nothing in life is a guarantee.

    Author:
    Susan
    Written:


    I had a great experience at San Angel Inn…I have Celiac & everyone was very accomadating.

    Author:
    Tara Wolfe
    Written:


    When I was planning our first trip to Disney, I received a lot of info from Special Diets and they even suggested “not to eat in The World at Epcot due to language barriers”. We did, however, eat our very first night at Teppan Edo. The only problem we had was that the mananger kept telling us he would “cook food on same grill, but we will whip it off first”. My husband kept explaining that it would not be safe, since our son is anaphylactic to dairy, eggs, peanuts, all treenuts including coconuts. After a 10 minute discussion, the manager agreed to cook the food in the back kitchen, but would steam instead of grill it. Everything worked out fine, with no reactions, but we have not been back.

    As for Mexico, we stopped by a quick service to just see if they could accomodate my son. The manager was very rude and said “there is nothing I can fix your son” and walked away. Guess we got our answer there. So now, we completely stay away from eating in The World, except for Le Cellier. But, we have had a few incidents with them too, but with the waitress staff not the chef (the waitress brought our son a side of butter for his roll that was dairy, and then placed his dairy free ice cream dessert on a plate that had milk chocolate writing on it).

    My main advice is….never let your guard down. No matter where we eat at in Disney, if we have that “feeling”, we ask. Case in point, last trip at Sanaa at the Animal Kingdom, my son’s meal arrived with green beans which we didn’t order. Before we would let him eat them, we asked to speak with the chef again, and she assured us that they were steamed with no seasonings. I just feel, it’s better to ask than to be going to the ER.

    Oh, and a wonderful waitress at The Grand Floridian Cafe brought this to my attention….when my son was eating his french fries, she saw us getting ready to use the ketchup. She told us to stop, since those bottles are refilled with others and then topped off and there could have been some type of cross contamination. So instead, she brought us out these cute little glass jars of individually sealed gourmet ketchups. My son loved eating from his own personal bottle. I would have never thought about that!

    Author:
    Janelle
    Written:


    While I agree that Disney was mostly careful about my daughter’s peanut and tree nut allergies, everywhere we went, we had to wait an extra long time for her meal to be cooked. This was especially consistent at all of the counter-service restaurants. We also noticed at our hotel (Pop Century) that different chefs had different policies on food-allergy safety. We made it through our vacation without incident, but I was still as concerned about my daughter’s food as I am anyplace else. I would agree you can never relax your guard!

    Author:
    Gaylin
    Written:


    Grain allergy and WDW is where I go for vacation. I had a terrific experience at San Angel Inn, my meal was grain free and really good. Not being able to eat rice, I skip by Japan and China entirely.
    I have had 2 good dinners at France, the first time with a snotty waitress and a good chef, the second time with a good waiter and another good chef.

    Most often I find I have to be very clear about grain allergies, people are used to making things gluten-free but I can’t have any grains. The chefs at The Wave are awesome at making safe food.

    There has been a few times when the people I am travelling with have been jealous of my specially prepared meals! Since I am often the one going without, it is great to feel special.

    There are so many different types of food allergies now that I don’t envy wait staff trying to figure out what me or anyone else is requesting – ask for a chef! You can even ask for a chef at the food courts at the value resorts and they will walk through the whole days menus.

    Author:
    Suzanne
    Written:


    I would not recommend eating at les chefs de France. My son went into anaphylaxis while eating there.

    Author:
    Restaurant supply gal
    Written:


    This is a great blog. First time here. I am a mom to a child who suffers from many food allergies. We are planning our first trip to Disney World in September. Thanks for the tips and for the insight!

    Author:
    Judy
    Written:


    Every Disney restaurant we went to made hand cut ( thicker) french fries that were baked or fried in separate oil. EXCEPT chefs de France! The chef assured personally assured us that the fries were safe ( thin shoestring fries ) my son had a reaction . They were rude , the language /accent barrier of our server may have contributed, however the chef himself had a NYC accent. They took money off of our bill, which meant. Itching because we had deluxe dining any no meal credits were given back. It was a horrible experience and I would say ease do not go there if you have a food allergy. Also, the “steaks” they served were actually hamburgers . The server did not understand we had deluxe ding and did not communicate that with the chef. The food was lousy. Every other Disney restaurant has been outstanding! As the other posts say always be diligent and ease heed the warnings from others. I wish I had seen the warnings online on chef de France we went as I would have changed my reservation ( I did do prior emails through special diets )

    Author:
    Judy
    Written:


    Excellent restaurants in Disney : coral reef , boma, jico, brown derby, crystal palace, chef Mickey, artist point, t Rex cafe, rainforest cafe, california grille, pepper market stick with resort restaurants when there are multiple allergies! We also found out on a recent trip that the popcorn in the parks is PN TN EG Dairy free ! And itsakadoosie Popsicles do not have dairy cross contamination . Disney no longer has Ener -g rolls the new supplier has eggs.

    Author:
    J Mowry
    Written:


    We had a terrible experience resulting in anaphylaxis on a Disney Cruise (MFA). Followed all Disney protocols in talking to the chef and ordering very basic items. Was likely cross contamination. We were HUGE Disney fans prior to this. Beware!

    Author:
    Cindy
    Written:


    My family had a horrid experience on the Disney Fantasy. My son was exposed to tree nuts multiple times and spent the entire cruise on Benadryl. Never again. The park was wonderful. We went to the Magic Kingdom and had no issues there or at our hotel.

    Author:
    Mike
    Written:


    We bought into DVC because Disney’s special diets program. My wife is Celiac and also doesn’t eat dairy. Of all the places we visit for vacation, WDW has always been the best, an almost worry free dining experience. As for Epcot, we pretty much steer clear of all the country restaurants because of their so-so performance wrt allergies. The only restaurant we had a good experience at was Le Cellier in Canada.

    Author:
    Christina
    Written:


    France has been the ONLY place I’ve had a negative experience. The wait staff was rude, the chef was rude, the meal offered was a crusty piece of baguette with some ham slices. That’s it. It was a miserable experience from the patronizing attitude of all the staff, to having to wait extra long for my special meal, and bread and meat only, and I was thoroughly disappointed and dissatisfied.

    Author:
    Jeff
    Written:


    I mean you go there basically giving them like a complicated homework assignment. Could you not do SOME work ahead of time to find out the restaurants that you’re going to and get the ingredients list or look at the menu. I mean it’s one thing to request no nuts. But no nuts, no dairy, no duck eggs, shellfish, salt etc etc etc. It’s a lot to ask and then you complain that they’re hurting your feelings.

    Author:
    Jennifer
    Written:


    I am thrilled regarding all allergy info at Disney World hotels and parks. I would like to comment on the Disney cruises and allergy friendliness. We have been on the Disney Dream twice with my allergy child (egg, peanut, tree nut, sesame) and the experience was fantastic in the main dining seating. We were beyond thrilled. The head server would even call our room to make sure our son had appropriate food for all meals and offered many varieties of food options. I was a little disappointed however that the walk-up pizza, hotdog/burger stations were not knowledgeable about the ingredients of the buns and they would have to refer to a chef. This would be an easy fix with a posted sign in the area for reference. We have also had the opportunity to sail on the Disney Wonder. They too were great about my son’s allergies and I am more than thrilled that we are able to navigate and have fun without the extra stress of food issues. The only problem I recognize is that the Disney Dream was so fantastic that the Disney Wonder paled a little in comparison.

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