Food is political.
People have very strong ideas about food. How it should be grown/raised, how it is processed, how it should be prepared, what should and shouldn’t be eaten, how it should be eaten and so on.
Food can divide people.
This is especially true as it relates to dietary restrictions.
The public
They read one article and it forms the basis of their whole worldview on this subject.
But, there is an antidote.
An unexpected, positive impact we found at Dine Aware is by replacing an employee’s misinformation with correct facts they begin to see the guest with dietary restrictions in a new light.
They start to fully appreciate how complicated it is to eat out with dietary restrictions. The landmines a guest navigates, the potential (sometimes deadly) consequences, the level of anxiety consumer’s feel putting their health and trust in the hands of a stranger.
Properly trained employees begin to experience what it feels like to be on the receiving end of immense gratitude from guests as a result of their aware service.
Over time negative opinions change and staff see people with dietary restrictions as a person, not a food allergy.
The most encouraging effect that we have observed is, staff do not leave their awareness at the door when they leave work for the day. They start to notice people in their own personal networks that have dietary restrictions and use what they have learned at work with their own communities.
Food allergy training is a case for tolerance and I think we can all agree tolerance is more of what the world needs right now.
When one changed mind becomes 100 or 10,000 or 1,000,000 you have a movement.
Remember, food can also unite
Dine Aware™ automates food allergy awareness training for all front and back of house staff to create one consistent standard regardless of the size of your team. We have a one-time, one-group pricing option or a subscription so you can train groups starting at just $80/month. Learn more.