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2018 Top 10 Most Allergy-Friendly Restaurant Chains

by on March 7th, 2018

2018 Top 10 Most Allergy-Friendly Restaurant ChainsAllergyEats Releases 2018 List of Top 10 Most Allergy-Friendly Restaurant Chains in America

New List Offers a Variety of Dining Options: Italian, Mexican, Steaks, Seafood & More

BOSTON, MA (March 7, 2018) – AllergyEats, the leading guide to allergy-friendly restaurants in the United States, has just released its 2018 list of the Top 10 Most Allergy-Friendly Restaurant Chains in America. The chains on this highly-anticipated annual list have earned top ratings on the AllergyEats app and website, per feedback from the food allergy community. These chains are rated solely on how well they have accommodated food-allergic diners over the past year.

“For the over 15 million Americans with food allergies, it’s incredibly important to know which restaurants are the best at creating allergy-friendly experiences so these individuals can more comfortably dine out,” said Paul Antico, Founder and CEO of AllergyEats. “The restaurant chains on our 2018 list have differentiated themselves with exceptional food allergy protocols, education, and training, according to peer reviews from AllergyEats users. Even better, this year’s list includes chains that offer diverse types of cuisine – from Italian and Mexican to steaks, seafood, and more.”

AllergyEats’ Top 10 Most Allergy-Friendly Restaurant Chains are grouped into two categories – large (50 or more restaurants) and small (under 50 restaurants). The list was created per crowdsourced feedback from the AllergyEats app and website through December 31, 2017. Ratings are based on a 1 through 5 scale, with 5 being the most allergy-friendly.

Most allergy-friendly large chains:

Most allergy-friendly small chains:

** Denotes restaurant chains that are new to the list this year.

“We are excited to announce that four restaurant chains are new to the list this year, earning top honors for their exceptional food allergy accommodations, as determined by AllergyEats users. These new additions to the 2018 Top 10 list – Bertucci’s Italian Restaurant, Longhorn Steakhouse, Weber Grill, and 110 Grill – have shown the same outstanding commitment towards accommodating food-allergic guests as those chains that consistently make this list, such as Maggiano’s Little Italy, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Burtons Grill, and Legal Sea Foods,” Antico added.

“On behalf of all of us at Bertucci’s, we are honored that AllergyEats users have recognized our brand and the efforts of our local teams to individualize guest special requests,” said Brian Wright, CEO, Bertucci’s. “We take pride in our scratch kitchens, fresh ingredients and passionate culinary staff and we are ever-grateful for a legion of amazing guests who’ve supported us since 1981.  Thank you, AllergyEats, for providing your service and giving voice to this distinctive guest recognition.”

The AllergyEats Top 10 Most Allergy-Friendly Restaurant Chains list – and the growing number of AllergyEats ratings of all restaurants around the country – helps the food allergy community make more informed decisions about which restaurants to visit and which to avoid, based on how well or poorly they’ve accommodated other diners’ food allergies.

AllergyEats is a crowdsourced restaurant guide for the food allergy community, available as a free app on both iTunes and Google Play, as well as on www.allergyeats.com. Restaurants are easily searchable by geographic location, so people can find allergy-friendly establishments anywhere in the country.

The Top 10 Allergy-Friendly Chains list was created by the food allergy community, for the food allergy community. Please share your own dining experiences at these restaurant chains (and any independent restaurants, too!) by rating them on our app or website. 

Find the newest top 10 list here.

Comments

    Author:
    Joe Morganti
    Written:


    Where does Red Robin and Rainforest Cafe stand in the ratings?

      Author:
      Paul Antico
      Written:


      Both were simply surpassed by others’ improvement over the past year. There has also been some confusion over the past year or so in the food allergy community about Red Robin’s practices, which we’ve helped explain in a prior blog post from a few months ago (https://www.allergyeats.com/the-food-allergy-facts-about-red-robins-french-fries-other-menu-items/). Don’t know if that affected their ratings, but we still consider both they and Rainforest strong options for the food allergy community.

    Author:
    Cat
    Written:


    Wow. Out of all those “chains,” I’ve only heard of one…

    Author:
    Kim Kays
    Written:


    I so appreciate this list and Allergy Eats but disappointed that the small chains are all in the Northeast, heavy in MA where AllergyEats is located. It would be nice if small chains in other parts of the country were investigated & recognized.

    Author:
    Kristy-lynn Bakke
    Written:


    Bertuccis, Chipotle, flatbread and Legal seafood are all our go tos. Love them. Always consistent for us.

    Author:
    DP
    Written:


    Will you guys eventually add garlic to your list?

    Author:
    Anna Bauer
    Written:


    We would love to see more information on west coast restaurants please!

    Author:
    Christine
    Written:


    Surprised to see Bertuci’s on here. Staff is not trained well on food allergies. My daughter had an allergic reaction to the meatballs and we were assured by two different people that it was dairy free prior to her eating it. Turns out there was Parmesan cheese. My daughter needed the epi pen and had to go to the ER. Manager was rude about it too when I called to talk to him about it.

    Author:
    Julie
    Written:


    We need an honorable mentions category with some of the old faithfuls like Outback, Red Robin, P.F. Chang’s, and some nationwide places. Sadly the locations on the 2018 list aren’t even options in California except for Chipotle and Maggiano’s which only has 3 SoCal locations in the whole state.

    Author:
    Karen Doelling
    Written:


    Why is Longhorn Steakhouse on this list . Peanuts all over. Scary place for anyone with peanut allergy

      Author:
      Paul Antico
      Written:


      I think this practice has pretty much ceased at most, if not all, Longhorns. That’s backed up by our data, where even taking just those raters with peanut allergies, Longhorn rates a very strong 4.20.

    Author:
    Anne Moore
    Written:


    1st and foremost…Burton’s Grill is the Best!! food excellent, service superior…and when I asked for GF, they also asked if I had any other allergies. A godsend… Then there is Legal Seafood…also right up with the best…I can get my crab roll or lobster roll…no problem & even at Logan Int’l Airport. I have eaten at Magliano’s and it’s good…best so far in N. Calif ( no Burton’s or Legal here). Look forward to seeing more on your list. Thank you.

    Author:
    Claudia clayton
    Written:


    Hi. Great idea. You need to think about adding the mammalian meat allergy or alphagal as it is also called to your list of allergies. While it is less well known it is increasing in volume. All mammal meats their byproducts and food additives made from them as well as dairy are off limits and they cause anaphylactic reaction down to gastro problems pain and major swelling. Very complex. Good blog.

    Author:
    Carol adams
    Written:


    I would like to add Denny’s to this list. They fixed menu items in separate cookware to ensure it was gf!

    Author:
    RotorDC
    Written:


    thank you so much!!!

    Author:
    Shannon Tual
    Written:


    I disagree with the Longhorns as well. I just called our local location and peanuts are still served at the bar. Checked with others on a No Nuts Facebook page and it’s still like that at MANY locations. That’s scary to have something on a list where the danger is so obviously presents

    Author:
    Emily
    Written:


    Please consider all top 8 allergens when making these lists. With a soy allergy the only thing one can eat at Bertucci’s is an undressed salad. This was highly disappointing to find out.

    Author:
    Staci
    Written:


    I am so excited to have found Allergy Eats! How is McDonalds and Burger King, Dairy Queen, Rita’s and Cheesecake factory?

    Author:
    Victoria Lemp
    Written:


    REALLY surprised to find Longhorn on your list. I just looked up their allergy ingredients list and they pretty much have a disclaimer on each section that nothing is safe that they they make as well as stating their is possibly cross contact that they cannot guarantee. They also said that this allergy list is for what contact or cross contact the food would impact at cooking, and that it didn’t include if there was any cross contact where it came from??? Why bother even having a “nice, looking, easy to read list” if you cannot even eat there. 🙁 I looked at everything listed on their list of what’s in what…and we couldn’t eat there at all.

    Author:
    HRL
    Written:


    I agree with those who commented about cross-use of food prep utensils. I’ve just been in the ER with a meat allergy reaction. If a cook preparing my chicken dish picks my food up with tongs he just used on a steak, it will be disastrous for me.

    Also, kindly help us find safe restaurants in the Southeast. Thank you.

    Author:
    Rita Jackson
    Written:


    I echo Claudia Clayton’s response regarding Alpha-Gal, an allergy to all mammalian meats, gelatins, by-products, food additives. Most people can still consume chicken, turkey, seafood – some can have dairy. This allergy is caused by a bite from a “Lone Star Tick” or most recently discovered can be caused by a “chigger” bite. This is not Lymes Disease. It’s a delayed response, not immediate like a Peanut Allergy. 4-6 hours after consuming a contaminated product you can experience stomach cramps, swelling, low-grade fever, histamine reaction (trouble breathing) and depending on the severity of your allergic response, an anaphylactic reaction. Everything from gelatin capsules in your supplements to having your chicken entree cooked on a grill where mammalian meat was cooked. A helpful website for looking up inert ingredients in your prescriptions or supplements is mydailymeds.com. A restaurant that not only accommodates but actively participates in your dining experience is GOLDEN. Wish we had more in the Atlanta area.

    Author:
    Kristy
    Written:


    We actually had a terrible experience at Legal Sea Foods in Boston – my poor son ended up in tears because all they could offer him was dry Salmon, which a picky 7 yr old won’t eat. We specifically went there because we heard they were great with allergies & really all he wanted was some french fries and they couldn’t do it for him (dairy, egg & peanut). They weren’t even nice about it in front of him 🙁

    Author:
    Craig and Stacee
    Written:


    My wife is allergic to nuts and avocados. Getting Chipotle to accommodate us by cleaning their food area is troubling at best. Usually their attitude is poor and they just don’t want to take the time to make her food in a safe environment. We have eaten at other restaurants that feature avocado with no reservations for her safety. They are not interested in our business and don’t have time for it. Is it asking too much to ask from Chipotle? Maybe so.

    Author:
    Bev
    Written:


    Chipotle will get everything from the back if you ask them. My sister has 6 out of 8 major allergens. And we eat there all the time. Sometimes you have to tell them to change their gloves but most of the time they immediately change gloves when allergy is mentioned.

    Author:
    Jennifer
    Written:


    I ate chicken at Outback Steakhouse tonight and I’m now sitting here with the worst stomach cramps. I’ve been scouring the internet for a plausible reason. Did they infuse my chicken with natural (beef) flavoring? Did they cook it on a grill with steak or in pork fat? I agree, we need more information on Alpha-Gal safe restaurants.

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