What restaurants are required to do
Florida restaurants follow the FDA Food Code, which requires the person in charge to know the major food allergens: milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soy and sesame. Staff are expected to be trained in food safety, including allergen awareness, through approved programs. But there's no rule that every menu lists every allergen, so asking is on you.
Before you go
- Call during a slow hour (mid-afternoon) and ask whether they can handle your allergy, not just whether a dish "has" it.
- Seafood spots and fryers are the big cross-contact risks in a beach town: shared fryer oil can carry shellfish or fish proteins into fries and hushpuppies.
- Asian restaurants often use peanuts, sesame, soy and shellfish across many dishes and shared woks.
At the table
Tell your server clearly and ask them to tell the kitchen. A chef card listing your allergens helps. Ask how the dish is cooked, not just what's in it. And always carry your epinephrine.
Reading records with allergies in mind
Findings about raw and ready-to-eat food stored together, or utensils not being cleaned between uses, point to a kitchen where cross-contact is more likely.