Last updated on June 10th, 2015 at 08:04 am
AllergyEats, a guide to allergy-friendly restaurants in the United States, has released its 2015 list of Most Allergy-Friendly Restaurant Chains nationwide. The chains on this list hold the highest ratings on AllergyEats’ website and smartphone app, per feedback from the food allergy community.
AllergyEats restaurant ratings are based solely on how well restaurants have accommodated food-allergic diners—not on other factors such as ambiance, service or food quality.
Paul Antico, founder and CEO of AllergyEats, said the chains listed below “have demonstrated a superior willingness and ability to accommodate guests with food allergies, and we congratulate them for earning a place on this esteemed, well-respected list.
“While no restaurant chain receives universally great reviews from every diner, AllergyEats incorporates all positive and negative ratings to determine which restaurants are deemed most allergy-friendly by the food allergy community as a whole,” Antico said. “The establishments on our list have proven themselves to have best-in-class food allergy procedures and protocols, training and knowledge, receiving high overall ratings and positive feedback from food-allergic diners that have comfortably eaten at their restaurants.
“Not only is being allergy-friendly good for a restaurant’s guests, it’s also a very smart business decision. When restaurants accommodate food-allergic guests, they experience increased customers, sales, loyalty and profits. In fact, restaurants that cater to the food allergy community can increase their profits significantly—by as much as 25 percent or more,” Antico continued. “We encourage other restaurants to study and replicate these establishments’ successful food allergy protocols, as we expect the trend toward greater allergy-friendliness in the restaurant industry to continue to grow.”
The Most Allergy-Friendly Restaurant Chains are grouped into two categories: Large (50 or more restaurants) and Small (under 50 restaurants). Results were based on diner feedback from the AllergyEats website and app through Dec. 31, 2014.
Most allergy-friendly large chains:
Chipotle Mexican Grill (4.41 rating)
P.F. Chang’s China Bistro (4.39 rating)
Red Robin Gourmet Burgers (4.39 rating)
Outback Steakhouse (4.32 rating)
Mellow Mushroom (4.29 rating)
Most allergy-friendly small chains:
Maggiano’s Little Italy (4.74 rating)
Burtons Grill (4.69 rating)
Legal Sea Foods (4.64 rating)
Joe’s American Bar & Grill (4.63 rating)
Not Your Average Joe’s (4.63 rating)
AllergyEats (www.AllergyEats.com) is a free, peer-based website and app where people find and rate restaurants based solely on their ability to accommodate food allergies. AllergyEats lists more than 750,000 restaurants nationwide, which people can rate, and it also offers web links, menus and more. Restaurants are easily searchable by geographic location, so people can find allergy-friendly restaurants around town and around the country.
