Talking Allergies

just thought i'd add something about the supplier swiss chalet's supplier is called "Cara"

they also supply food to Harvey's, Milestones, Montana's, Kelsey's and the Second Cup coffee (which explains possible cross-conamination because of the varied menus) they do have a website www.cara.com/ i'm sure that they will have more answers for you as to what the plant practices are hope this helps you all out!

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allergies - penicillin, benadryl, dust mites, enviornmental & chemical
conditions - dermatographism, eczema, well contorolled asthma
dietary - lactose intollerant, vegatarian

They also do airline catering.

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15 year old - asthmatic, allergic to cats, dogs, horses, waiting to be "officially" diagnosed for anaphylaxis
12 year old - asthmatic, allergic to tree pollen and mold, OAS
Husband - Allergic to amoxycillin
Self - Allergic to housework only

Hey Nicole -- I like your allergy "to housework". How about "allergy to cooking & grocery shopping"?!? I could go for that. Maybe should work on developing some itchy rash or something ... maybe some coughing and fainting ... don't anyone take this personally now ... we all know how serious allergies are. But wouldn't it be great to actually be allergic to something you didn't like in the first place?? Happy holidays everyone (HA! Holidays are one of the more stressful times for people with food allergies, right?)

Selina

Hi Selina, glad you liked my attempt at humour. Yes, definitely allergic to cooking and grocery shopping (I yawn all the way through), that goes without saying.

Yes, I am not trivializing the seriousness of allergies at all, it's just for fun.

There was this one poster ( forget who) whose child said they were allergic to this one food they didn't like (like Brussels sprouts or something). Nice try!!!

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15 year old - asthmatic, allergic to cats, dogs, horses, waiting to be "officially" diagnosed for anaphylaxis
12 year old - asthmatic, allergic to tree pollen and mold, OAS
Husband - Allergic to amoxycillin
Self - Allergic to housework only

not sure if it is the case at your Swiss Chalet but ours now preps salads and desserts in the same area of the restaurant. So I've watched the staff cut pecan pie and then dish up a salad(!!!)

Suggestion: does someone have time to write up a letter that can be from the members of the Allergicliving forum? e.g. It could list out some of the allergen concerns, serving practices and mention how important a restaurant like Swiss Chalet is to parents with allergic kids. And then it could request that they change some of these practices.

I think if we said it was from Karen Eck and Gwen Smith on behalf of more than 800 registered members of Allergicliving.com, that might give the request more weight. I'd stick to the major stuff to have the most chance of effectiveness.

If others think that's a good idea, is there a volunteer?


thanks, Gwen

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Allergic to soy, peanut, shellfish, penicillin

Hi all,

I'm really allergic to shellfish so I was very surprised to see that someone posted that the Chalet sauce has shellfish in it, especially since I've been eating it all my life. I checked the website and the Chalet sauce is safe from allergens (the common ones) except for sulphites. The gravy, however, (as in mashed potatoes and gravy, not the free sauce you get) has listings for almost everything including eggs and shellfish.

I think this is an important distinction to make in this thread - when it comes to shellfish chalet sauce okay gravy not okay.

Hi All,
Another allergen of concern at Swiss Chalet is natural latex rubber. My allergist warned me after another patient had a severe reaction. I haven't eaten there for close to 5 years until my sister found one near her that doesn't use latex. I was hoping that they came with the times and changed over at all their restaurants. Upon checking, all but one within an one hour drive use latex gloves. I guess I need to visit my sister more to eat there!
I have emailed Cara food about this. I can eat at their other restaurants within their chains like Kelsey, Montana's and stand alone Harveys as they don't use latex.
Tammy

My son is allergic to tree nuts, and we've had great experiences at many different Swiss Chalets all over Ontario.
They've substituted kids' meal dessert ice cream with little packages of Skittles, too.

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Lois

Mother of Samson, 3, hazelnut allergy

I was in Mississauga the past few days to visit my folks and I almost cried the night we arrived and I was able to order Swiss Chalet... Same 1-800 number as at home, same ordering process, no nasty surprises.... I love Swiss Chalet!!! (Even if my youngest son, for whom we order it, has decided that he doesn't like the chicken anymore!)

K.

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Karen, proud Mom of
- DS1 (12 yrs): allergic to cashews, pistachios, Brazil nuts, potatoes, some legumes, some fish, pumpkin seeds; OAS
- DS2 (1o yrs): ana. to dairy, eggs, peanuts; asthma

Just a word of caution to those with peanut allergy -- Swiss Chalet's on-line Allergy Guide http://www.swisschalet.com/allergy.php is erroneously missing a check mark under "Peanuts and peanut products" where it reads "Caesar Salad" and "Side Caesar Salad" (Caesar dressing is correctly marked). I sent them an email and received this response: (I actually got excited and thought that they might have changed suppliers!!)



and when asked if they were going to be changing dressing and plum sauce suppliers:

We have always had Swiss Chalet with no problems. My dd is almost ten and allergic to peanuts since one. I have never encountered anything but courteous service and great help re: allergies. Sorry to hear about the other situations but perhaps it depends on which restaurant you go to.

Swiss Chalet used to be the one restaurant where I'd be able to eat something. With the wheat allergy (and then, years later, celiac), the bun went out the window. Then the baked potato followed (potato allergy). I feel like I'm reacting very mildly to the chicken---based on past experience, that probably means I *am* reacting. I wonder if there is anything corn-based on the chicken or in the spices or something. They couldn't tell me when I called. Or perhaps it is the latex gloves used in preparation--I'm allergic to latex now. I don't think i'm that sensitive to latex, but it is hard to tell.

Everyone else in my family can eat at Swiss Chalet, however. They do seem fairly allergy-aware. One server suggested that a family member ask for a baked potato which has *not* been cut by the knife. This particular server thought there could be x-contamination issues otherwise.

The last tiime I went to Swiss Chalet with a friend, I brought a small cooler with me (I was commuting, and had to carry a lot of food with me). My friend ordered lunch, and I ate my own food from home. I had asked before if this would be okay, but the hostess decided to put us where we weren't too visible. That didn't sit right with me. Other times, though, they've been gracious about the cooler issue.

I'm one of those who depends on the "Chalet" as one of two takeout places I can use. (The other's a safe pizza place.)

I forego the sauce - soy in it, and some of the salad dressings. I use my own dressing on the garden salad.

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Allergic to soy, peanut, shellfish, penicillin

Just wanted to give a heads-up that Swiss Chalet has updated their allergen listing. There are a number of new items that now have an "X" under tree nut allergies that weren't there previously. Also interesting is that their Caesar salad / dressing and plum sauce, are no longer listed as an issue for peanut allergies. I've fired them off an email seeking some clarification on the changes and will post once I get a reply.

(to link to another thread about Swiss Chalet:
http://www.allergicliving.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=589 )