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Am I guaranteed to have a safe dining experience at a highly-rated restaurant hosted on Allergy Voyage?
Allergy Voyage is ultimately a concierge service, utilized as a guide, not a guarantee. You are not guaranteed to have a safe dining experience at any restaurant hosted on Allergy Voyage. Ratings displayed by Allergy Voyage are NOT created by food allergy or dining experts. As is always the case when dining out, cross-contact is never 100% avoidable – even the best restaurants and dining facilities can make mistakes. ALWAYS bring your personal allergy medication and speak with restaurant staff when dining out.
How can I contact someone at Allergy Voyage, or receive an answer to my question not listed in FAQ’s?
Always feel free to utilize our Contact Form with any questions, which is viewable on our home page.
How can a restaurant be allergy-aware if they have an allergen present in their kitchen?
There is never a 100% guarantee that cross-contact is avoidable in a kitchen. Being “allergen-aware” simply means that the restaurant has shown dedication to accommodating people with food allergies and takes precautions when serving those with dietary needs. Allergy medication should always be brought to restaurant locations by users with allergies, and any allergies should be conveyed to the staff.
What are your “Life Preserver Ratings”, and how do they explain a restaurant’s “allergy awareness”?
Our “Life Preserver Ratings” are outlined on our Allergen Statement and rating disclaimer page, each indicating the level of communication between Allergy Voyage and the restaurant location and the steps completed by the restaurant to ensure allergy awareness.
What if I disagree with a rating?
It is always possible that a mistake has been made. If this is the case, please reach out to us via our contact form.
Why are there no ratings in my area?
Allergy Voyage is currently very small with large ambitions. If we are not currently in your area, please reach out to us via our contact form and ask us how we could serve you in the future. We are currently based out of Tempe Arizona, and plan on expanding throughout the U.S. and eventually internationally.
How are ratings determined?
Ratings are currently determined through the Allergy Voyage staff on the basis of the rating system outlined on our Allergen Statement and rating disclaimer page.
What influence do restaurants have on their rating?
Restaurants have zero external influence on their rating. Once a restaurant has partnered with us, they receive a higher rating because they have agreed to be allergy-aware and complete specific tasks that benefit those with food allergies. Restaurants can improve their rating only through dedication and results.
What does a restaurant being “partnered with Allergy Voyage” mean?
A partnership with Allergy Voyage means that a restaurant is paying to be on our service. As a result of this payment, the restaurant receives access to an account that allows them to update their menus as they see fit to allow more consistent and updated menus, while also granting access to review statistics as to how many allergy voyage users are viewing their hosted menus. In the initial stages of a partnership, restaurants are encouraged to complete the FARECheck certification program and participate in a featured dining interview. Ultimately, a partnership entails further research into a given restaurant’s allergen practices and conveys to the user that the restaurant is focused on being “allergy-aware” through updated allergen menus, in-depth allergen information displayed through Allergy Voyage, and extra dedication via FARECheck certification and “featured dining” interviews.
What is “further research” into a restaurant’s allergen practices?
In the process of establishing a partnership with a restaurant, a representative of Allergy Voyage will have further contact with a member of staff at a given restaurant. This conversation will focus on systems and procedures a given restaurant already has in place for dealing with a consumer with food allergies and providing resources to assist restaurants that do not already have said system in place. Resources include signage and posters, the FARECheck certification training module, and adaptability or available substitutions for ingredients. During this conversation, ingredients and allergen labels will also be cross-checked by an Allergy Voyage representative.
Restaurants are specifically measured on whether they have previously trained employees to accommodate people with food allergies, whether they have signage relating to allergy accommodations, their practices for changing kitchen equipment on request of an allergic individual (gloves and utensils) and utilizing a clean space for preparing food for an allergic individual, presence of cross-contact in communal preparation and cooking spaces (and how to minimize risk in these spaces), and cross-contact in the storage of food.
What is a FARECheck Certification?
FARE (Food Allergy Research and Education Organization) provides FARECheck, which is an “enhanced training and review program in food handling and safety practices to help keep food-allergic individuals safe and included when dining out”. This program is made available to restaurants through Allergy Voyage at a discounted cost than would otherwise be available to restaurants. You can learn more about the FARECheck certification here.
Who is Allergy Voyage for?
Allergy Voyage is for anyone who wants to have access to streamlined allergen information in restaurant menus. FARE (Food Allergy Research and Education Organization) expresses that there are currently 85 million Americans with food allergies, an estimated 33 million of which have life-threatening reactions. Allergy Voyage exists to assist allergic individuals while dining out, helping them learn about potentially allergy-safe locations both locally and abroad. We function as a concierge service, hoping to one day operate internationally, providing allergen information to the 250 million individuals globally with dietary restrictions.
While we currently allow filters for the top nine allergens as declared by the FDA, we will soon allow users to upgrade their account, filtering not only further allergens but specific diets as well. If a user does not have allergies, but is following a vegan diet, we will provide the ability for them to have streamlined vegan-filtered menus as well.
What happens if a restaurant stops updating allergen information?
In the rare event that a restaurant partners with Allergy Voyage and then becomes non-responsive after a certain period of time, Allergy Voyage will reduce the rating of the restaurant to a non-partnered status. If at any moment you believe that a restaurant does not deserve its rating, please reach out to us via our contact form.