Massachusetts Restaurant Association endorses AllergyEats

Massachusetts Restaurant Association Endorses New Dining Website for People with Food Allergies

SOUTHBOROUGH, MA (March 2, 2010) – The Massachusetts Restaurant Association has endorsed AllergyEats (www.allergyeats.com), a new website designed to help people with food allergies and intolerances find restaurants where than can dine comfortably.

The Massachusetts Restaurant Association has 1,800 members representing over 7,000 units. It serves as a spokesman for the hospitality industry and represents its members at both the regulatory and legislative levels of government.

AllergyEats lists over 600,000 restaurants in the United States and combines the best of Internet technology with peer-to-peer information to help people know in advance how well a restaurant responds to people with food allergies and other food intolerances, such as Celiac Disease.

“We are always open to opportunities for ways our members can increase their business,” said Peter Christie, president and CEO of the association. “People with food allergies and intolerances are a large and growing part of our members’ customer base. AllergyEats is unique in its peer-to-peer rating system and the comprehensiveness of its listings.”

AllergyEats is the brainchild of Massachusetts resident Paul Antico, who has two sons with food allergies. The website, www.allergyeats.com, was 18 months in the making.

“There is nothing like this on the web, so there was no template,” Antico said. “We had to create everything from scratch and we had to do a ton of research to make sure we are capturing the information most valuable to people with food allergies and intolerances.”

AllergyEats is searchable by geographic location, provides maps and driving directions, lists phone numbers and includes menus, industry certifications and other information of interest to food allergy sufferers when available.

Users are encouraged to help the rest of the food allergy community by answering three simple questions (takes less than a minute) about their dining experience. The answers are compiled into an objective “allergy-friendliness rating” that gives users instantaneous at-a-glance information about the “allergy friendliness” of specific restaurants.

“While the website is aimed primarily at diners, it is a useful tool for restaurateurs,” Christie said. “The ratings are an objective compilation of diners’ actual experiences, and the comments section provides insight and context.”

“Being endorsed by the Massachusetts Restaurant Association is a big deal to us,” Antico said. “Those of us with food allergies, or who have loved ones with food allergies, applaud the association’s recognition of our attempts to further the dialogue between diners and restaurateurs on this important issue.”