Dietary Requirements
As a waiter, every single night you will come across a guest that has some form of special dietary requirement. Some of these requirements may seem a little far fetched, however it is imperitive that we listen to the guests’ needs and do our very best to accommodate them in order to avoid any unwanted health incidents.
We would like to name a few that we have come across on a regular basis, and specify the needs associated with each. Of course there will be other requirements that I do not cover and would love to hear comments from other waiters out there in regards to these but lets get the ball rolling and open the discussion..
1. Vegetarian - probably the most common. In fact it is so common these days that most restaurants will have a vegetarian menu or at the very least some vegetarian options on the menu. In general, vegetarians do not eat any animal meat. This includes red meat, white meat and seafood. Animal by-products such as eggs and milk are okay for most, although some vegetarians do not eat eggs. Of course there are always the people who like to tweak their version of a dietary requirement and you will often have guests saying they are vegetarian but they can eat fish or chicken. This is not a vegetarian, this is a person who doesn’t like red meat.
2. Vegan - an extreme vegetarian! Vegans do not eat anything that is derived from an animal. This includes eggs, dairy or any other animal product. The tough part about catering for a vegan is that many ingredients used in a restaurant menu may have obscure animal by-products in them. An example is gelatine, made from boiled animal ligaments and used as a setting agent in many desserts such as panna cotta. Animal fats may also be used in cooking. The use of stock in cooking is something else that may catch you out as a waiter when looking after a vegans requirements. These tricky ingredients are something the chef should know and vegan guests generally have no problem with you running off and checking with the chef, just as long as you get their order right!
3. Coeliac (gluten free) - people with coeliac disease cannot eat any gluten. Gluten is a protein found in wheat and other grains and when eaten by a person who has coeliac disease, it can cause diarrhea and other more complicated medical problems, so it is a very important dietary requirement to get right when ordered. Some people have a self imposed gluten free diet and do not suffer from coeliac disease but it is safer to assume anyone who asks for gluten free is a coeliac sufferer - this way no mistakes can be made. A coeliac should avoid foods such as wheat flour, pasta, semolina, noodles, barley, some yoghurts, pastries, wafers, some seasoning powders, some mustards, as well as some soy sauce, tamari, mayonnaise, most beer and malted drinks such as whisky. For more information see The Coeliac Society.
4. Peanut or Nut Allergy - an allergy to peanuts or nuts can cause death in extreme situations, so needless to say, it is an extremely important dietary requirement to get right. Having said this, a guest with an extreme allergy would most likely tailor their own dish from your menu rather than ordering off it, as the risks are too great. Some common allergic reactions to peanuts or nuts include vomiting, diarrhea, asthma, swelling of the face and in extreme cases a person may go into anaphylactic shock and require immediate medical attention. A waiter should be aware of the menu items that may use peanut oil, as well as foods such as chocolate, nougat, ice creams, marzipan, crackers and certain baked goods - to name a few. Always check with your chef on this one - and if you see any doubt in your chefs eyes about a particular dish, I would play it safe and remove it as an option to the allergic guest. For more information see Peanut Allergy.com.
5. Shellfish - one of the most common allergies and can be specific to one certain type of shellfish or a more broad coverage of the shellfish group - so be sure to ask the guest. A reaction to shellfish can range from mild symptoms such as hives to severe symptoms that can cause death so it is very important for a waiter to inform the chef of any guest with a shellfish allergy. The big problem when serving a guest with this allergy is cross contamination in the preparation of the food - ie. deep fryers used to fry both shellfish and regular meats or cutting surfaces used to prepare shellfish and other products - ideally if the chef is aware of the allergy he will accommodate these changes. Also be aware of the use of seafood stock.
6. Lactose Intolerant - a person with a lactose intolerance has trouble digesting the sugar found in milk and milk products. This is an easier requirement to deal with and nine times out of ten a customer won’t even mention it when ordering. However, a waiter should still know that a lactose intolerant person cannot have buttermilk or regular milk, and a lot of processed foods use milk or milk products in their production - so be aware of ingredients such as milk, lactose, whey, curds, dry milk solids or dry milk powder. Soy milk is a good substitute.
You will come across more and hopefully other waiters out there can contribute some that they have come across and how to deal with them.
To be able to accommodate guests with various dietary requirements is part of the industry. We need to be aware of the options available to them and above all, as waiters, we need to accept it as another skill required to do our jobs properly. In the heat of service it may be difficult to run to the chef every time you have a question, so prior planning is the way to go - have a spare menu behind the bar listing the dishes and the dietary requirements they are suitable for.
