When a guest has an allergic reaction in your restaurant, what happens in the first ten minutes determines both their outcome and your legal exposure. Here is the protocol every operator needs.
By Dylan McDonnell, Founder & CEO, Foodini | May 2026 | 8 min read
A guest begins showing symptoms of an allergic reaction. They're having difficulty breathing, experiencing rapid swelling, or are confused or distressed. Your response in the first minute determines whether this is a manageable medical incident or a tragedy.
What to do: Call 911 immediately. Don't wait. Don't assess. Call emergency services. Every allergic reaction can escalate faster than you expect, and paramedics need time to arrive and assess.
While waiting for paramedics: If the guest has an EpiPen, use it. The guest or their companion should have it, but if they tell you where it is, retrieve it immediately. Don't hesitate—the risk of using an EpiPen unnecessarily is much smaller than the risk of not using it when needed.
Keep the guest sitting or lying down. If they're having breathing difficulty, position them upright. Monitor their breathing and consciousness. Be ready to perform CPR if needed (every restaurant manager should be trained in CPR—if you aren't, this is the moment to fix that).
The paramedics have arrived and are taking over care. Your job now is documentation and communication. Do NOT admit fault or responsibility. Do NOT say "We should have..." or "I didn't know..." Every word you speak to the guest, their family, or paramedics may become evidence.
Write down: What the guest ordered. What they said about allergies. What your staff told them. What was served. When the reaction started. Who was present. Get witness contact information from other staff and guests. Take photos of the dish that was served.
Contact your insurance company and your lawyer immediately. Do not speak with the guest or family members directly about the incident. Let your attorney handle all communication. Do not speculate on social media or with staff about what went wrong—every comment can be used against you.
Conduct an internal investigation: Review the order, prep, and service process. Identify exactly where the allergen contact occurred. Determine if your protocols were followed or if there was a failure. If a protocol failed, fix it. If staff didn't follow protocol, retrain them. If there was no protocol that would have prevented this, create one.