For Your Restaurant Allergy Explanations
Do you wrestle with the desire to eat out but fear having an allergic reaction? The Allergy Force food allergy app makes it easier to explain your food allergies to restaurants with its free, flexible 'Restaurant Allergy Explanation Card' (aka Digital Chef Card) that translates up to 24 different food allergies into 21 languages. Learn more...
When you have food allergies, advance planning and clear communication are key to safe restaurant outings. Our app's Restaurant Allergy Explanation Card makes this easy. Send as many of these explanations as you’d like, to as many people as you’d like, in as many languages as you’d like, all for FREE.
When planning a restaurant outing it’s important to call in advance and speak to the owner, a manager and/or the chef. During this call, explain your allergies as well as ask questions about the ingredients and preparation methods. After the call, use this food allergy translation feature to send your allergy details to the restaurant in 21 languages.
This feature makes explaining your food allergies to restaurants — over and over — so easy!
How the Allergy Force Restaurant Allergy Explanation Card Works
1. Set up your Allergy Profile as soon as you register and download the Allergy Force food allergy app. You can manage up to 24 food allergies from your Allergy Profile.
Tap 'My Allergies' on the Home page. Then choose your allergens on the 'Select Allergies' page by tapping the squares labeled with your allergens. 12 options total.
You can go to the 'Add More Allergies' page if you are allergic to some less common foods not covered by the pre-populated options. 12 additional allergens total.
This profile informs many of the app's features — like the 'Restaurant Allergy Explanation Card.' You can change up this profile as often as you like to meet your needs.
2. After you set up your Allergy Profile, tap the ‘+’ icon at the bottom of the Home Page to find the restaurant feature, and then tap the ‘Restaurant’ icon. You will land on the Restaurant Allergy Explanation Card.
3. Next, choose how you want to share your allergy information with the restaurant (email, print or text) and provide the recipient’s contact info as needed.
This is the message that will be translated and sent. Note its detailed explanation of cross contact.
"I have life threatening food allergies to the food(s) listed below. Please make certain that those food(s) are NOT in the meal I order. Please do not allow the meal you prepare for me to come in contact with any surface, equipment, utensil or reused cooking materials (such as water or oil) that was in contact with the food(s) listed below. Thank You!"
4. Scroll down the page and select the language needed for the restaurant.
5. Tap ‘Next’ to land on the translation page that displays:
The detailed restaurant explanation translated into the language you chose, plus
A translation of each allergen in your Allergy Profile.
Tap ‘Send’ and your information is on its way.
6 . Expert User Tips:
You can print out your explanation before you go so you have hard copy at your fingertip to share.
If preparing for a multi-country trip you can print out multiple versions of the explanation in different languages.
If you like, you can email the explanation to yourself to forward to restaurants or to physically show to restaurant staff when you arrive.
The text of the explanation and the 12 common allergens (or groups of allergens like Tree Nuts or Shellfish) that are offered by Allergy Force on the 'Select Allergies' page are hand translated by native speakers.
Any allergens you added using the 'Add More Allergies' feature (up to 12) — that are not on the list of options provided by Allergy Force — are translated into the offered languages by translation software.
You can switch up your Allergy Profile, depending on the restaurant, to simplify things for the kitchen:
For example, you can temporarily remove OAS trigger foods from your Allergy Profile to shorten your list of allergens and simplify your food order.
For example, you can temporarily add additional allergens to your Allergy Profile for people you dine with who may have different food allergies than yours.
You want your restaurant outing to be memorable— memorable because it was fun; not because you ended up with an allergy emergency. This feature helps you keep the fun in the fun.
"Having the choice to dine-out or dine-in {safely} is food freedom. Allergy Force's app frees you to have that choice"
—Gayle Rigione, Allergy Force CEO and Co-founder
Get the App
The app offers Free Forever and Premium access. You can try out Premium during a 14-day, no commitment free trial. We hope the app becomes your new BFF for navigating food allergic living.
…empowering you to live your best life with food allergies.
The purpose of the App User Guide series of posts is to educate the food allergy community about the Allergy Force food allergy app — what it can do, how it works, how to get the most out of it. We're committed to helping you live freely with food allergies — with less fear, less anxiety, more confidence — through technology and education. Our app is peace of mind in your pocket.