Maggiano's Little Italy {a success story}

 

Last month, we took the family on a mini vacation to our favorite beach in Florida. It was perfect. As always. It's a place we can go and just totally relax and enjoy ourselves. There's something about the ocean that makes you forget everything stressful in your life. It's just pure enjoyment. That's not what this post is about, though. It was on our way home that this story takes place.

We planned to leave early enough so that we would arrive in Jacksonville right at lunch time. We had heard about Maggiano's from family members that had been there and we were really wanting to try it out. As a family that operates on the food allergy mindset, we had never taken our family out to an italian restaurant before because of the egg ingredient present in nearly all pastas. It's never a risk we've been willing to take because there are only a couple different pastas available in stores that my daughter can eat and pretty much every italian restaurant we've looked up online has no egg-free version. But we researched ahead of time {as always} and saw on Maggiano's website that they try to accomodate food allergies, etc. So, we made the decision to go. {There were plenty of other places nearby to eat in case we got there and it proved not to be allergy friendly. We always have a backup plan.} Upon arriving, it was a little busy outside the restaurant, so Hubs let me out of the car to go get a table. When I was greeted by the hostess, I asked her about the food allergies, specifically my daughter's allergies to milk, eggs and peanuts and she said they happily accommodate food allergies and that the chef would come to our table to speak with us about it. Sure enough, a few minutes later, the chef came out {which my daughter thought was awesome} and asked us about the allergies and then gave us our food options. He told us she could eat any of the straight pastas like spaghetti, etc. and then which sauces were appropriate for her allergy needs. When they brought out Callie's big bowl of spaghetti {her very first time eating it at a restaurant!!}, she was thrilled! Spaghetti is her favorite meal at home, but it was even better in a restaurant.

I had to take her picture because this was a moment to remember! Excuse the crazy hair and tired face. We had been traveling all morning.

I, of course, had Benadryl in my purse just in case, but it was completely fine for her and caused no reaction whatsoever. It was a real treat for her to eat pasta that day. I was so happy for her and thankful that she got to have this first-time experience. Wish we had a Maggiano's close to us!

I'm adding this to my list of allergy-friendly restaurants at my page entitled {Allergy-friendly Restaurants}. Go check out the others listed. If you know of some I have not listed, please comment and let me know!

Thanks for stopping by!
Amy

Allergy-Friendly Restaurants

We all know that eating out with food allergies is not exactly a care-free event, and in some cases it is impossible. However, in my quest to help my girl live a more 'normal' life, I have found that more often than not restaurants will have either an allergy menu or at least provide a list of ingredients to help you make wise and safe choices. I prefer an ingredient list over an allergy menu because I want to see for myself what ingredients are in certain items. For tips on eating out with food allergies, read this post. Below is a list of restaurants that we eat at or have come across with an allergy-friendly menu. Keep in mind that this list is a work in progress and will be added to as necessary.  You can find this list in the sidebar on the right under 'Pages' and 'Allergy-Friendly Restaurants'.

Check out these restaurants for their allergy menus and/or ingredient lists:

• Fatz Cafe - located in SC, NC, TN, GA and VA. This is one of the restaurants I've had the best experience with. We took the allergy menu with us to the restaurant and showed the waitress what we wanted to order for our daughter. She took it to the manager who came out to our table to find out himself exactly what her allergies were and assured us that her food would be cooked on a separate surface from all the other foods being cooked. They get an A+ in my book!
• Chili's - Click their link to find their allergy menu information. Great resource! We've never had a bad experience there, so we continue to go back.
• Red Robin - I haven't tried this restaurant in the allergy realm of things, but their website does list a menu for the wheat/gluten allergy or you can email them to find out about other specific allergy lists in their menu. Check it out!
• Chuck E. Cheese - Click on this link to find info about allergens in their foods. If you don't find what you're looking for, they invite you to email them and they will get back with you.
• Taco Bell - Click this link for a list of all the menu items and what allergens, if any, they contain. Great resource!
• McDonald's - Click this link for a list of all menu items and their ingredients. If you have a milk allergy - CHECK OUT THE FRENCH FRY INGREDIENTS! In the U.S., the fries contain milk. In Canada, they do not contain milk.
• On The Border - Click the link for the allergy menus for this restaurant. If you'll notice near the top of each menu, it gives a date that you can expect the menus to be accurate until. So, be sure your allergy menu is up-to-date when you order off of it. If the date has expired, I would definitely have the waiter double check the ingredients.
• Rita's Italian Ice - Yes! They have an allergy menu! Check them out!
• Salsarita's - Allergy Menu now available!! One of my favorite places to eat! **Just be sure the preparer of your food puts new gloves on before touching your food. Cross-contamination is also very dangerous for some of us!
• P.F. Chang's China Bistro - They have only a vegetarian or gluten-free menu in addition to their normal menu, but they do not list ingredients.
• Longhorn Steakhouse - Offers a gluten-free menu.
• O'Charley's - Offers a list of common allergens and lists all the foods on their menu that contain those allergens! Great resource!
• Chick-fil-a - They have a list of their products naming the allergen/s in each food on their menu. Click the link to read their allergy statemtent. *Be advised that they do use peanut oil, but it has been noted that peanut oil does not necessarily cause an allergic reaction in individuals with a peanut allergy.* I haven't personally put this to the test because my daughter can't eat anything there due to other allergies.
• Johnny Rockets - Click the name to find a list of all the ingredients in each menu item along with each common allergen listed in bold at the end of each item. Very helpful!!
• The Lady & Sons Restaurant - Savannah, GA - This is an allergy statement from this restaurant. Everything is fried in peanut oil. There is not a list of menu items and the allergies they may contain, so eat at your own risk. Their statement is to talk to your server about any allergies you may have.
• Outback Steakhouse - This is a link to their statement on allergens. Specifically peanuts, dairy and gluten.
• SteaknShake - This is a link to their allergy statement and ingredient list for each item on the menu. Great resource!