The SpecialMoms Parenting Magazine 1st Issue | Page 42

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Feature Article

Sure You Can Have That!

Allergy-Free Dining
at Disney World
by: Gina Vercesi
As any parent of a child with food allergies can

Not good enough. Definitely not good enough

tell you, dining out can be fraught with anxieties—

for her son who, if he even touches dairy, breaks

Will there be anything she can eat? How can I

out into red, itchy hives.

trust that the knife didn’t come into contact with
dairy before slicing his sandwich? I know they
said there are no nuts in this, but how can I be
sure without seeing an ingredient list?
Dining while traveling is especially challenging
since the majority of eating that happens on

This conversation would have been entirely
different in Disney World where the server, upon
learning about her child’s allergy, would have
said, “The chef will come out to your table to talk
with you in just a moment.”
Kind of unheard of, right? Not at Disney World.

vacation is at restaurants. Fortunately, there is one
family-friendly destination that without fail safely,

The same holds true at the many Quick Service

and professionally, makes accommodations for

restaurants on Disney property, where there is a

food allergies of all kinds—the Walt Disney World

book beneath the counter that lists the ingredients

Resort.

for every item on the menu and will be produced
for you to look through upon request.

What’s in that Chicken?
I don’t have children with food allergies, but I
have plenty of friends and family members who
do.

I have seen firsthand the difficulties they

face in restaurants and the frequent off-hand
manner in which the staff treats their inquiries into
ingredients or special requests.
“Do you know if the chicken was cooked in any
butter?” my friend asked a server when we were
out for dinner with the kids recently.
“Uh, I’m not sure. Probably not,” was the reply.
42  The SpecialMoms magazine ~ Winter 2014

At Disney World, the question about whether
or not the chicken was sautéed in butter will be
answered to your satisfaction, with courtesy and
professionalism.

Mom, Can we Get a Snack?
Disney is taking their support one step further
with the introduction of a new food kiosk featuring
allergy-free snack items. In Animal Kingdom Park,
The Gardens offers vegan, gluten-free, organic
snacks, attending to the 8 most common food