Editor’s Note: Copies of the Allergy Menu from Skipper’s Canteen have been added to this post as of January 14, 2016.
For some time, Disney has been a leader in the hospitality industry when it comes to serving guests with food allergies and sensitivities. Today, we’re learning that they’re offering options that will hopefully continue to make Disney visits more enjoyable and worry-free for guests who live with allergies.
Allergy-friendly kiosk menu
After previously piloting Allergy-Friendly Menus at a number of venues, Disney has announced they will roll out Allergy-Friendly Menus to around 120 restaurants. The menus will be available at both counter service and table service locations throughout Walt Disney World and Disneyland parks and resorts. The move will include venues at Disney water parks and Downtown Disney restaurants as well.
ABC Commissary Took Part Offered a Gluten Free Menu During the Pilot Program
The goal is to provide a convenient way for guests to manage their food allergies while dining at Disney restaurants, and to provide more food options that are readily available.
The allergy-friendly menus will focus on the most common allergens: gluten/wheat, milk, peanut, tree nut, and fish. The menus will list allergen content for each menu items — and will include appetizers, entrees, side items, desserts, and kids’ meals.
Grilled Wild Boar Tenderloin at Jiko — Delicious and Part of the Allergy-Friendly Lineup
The menus began appearing at signature restaurants on April 14, and rollout will continue to other table service and counter service locations through September.
Want to see a sample? Check out the Allergy-Friendly menu for one of our favorite dining spots, Jiko. Beneath each item, you’ll see which allergies the dish is specifically created for. Just click each photo to see a larger view.
Jiko Allergy-Friendly Menu — Appetizers — Click to Enlarge
Jiko Allergy-Friendly Menu — Flatbreads and Soups & Salads — Click to Enlarge
Jiko Allergy-Friendly Menu — Entrees — Click to Enlarge
Jiko Allergy-Friendly Menu — Desserts — Click to Enlarge
And we also have an example of the menus from Skipper’s Canteen in Magic Kingdom.
Skippers Canteen Allergy Menu — Appetizers — Click to Enlarge
Skippers Canteen Allergy Menu — Entrees — Click to Enlarge
Disney will continue to offer guests the opportunity to speak to the chef or another trained cast member about menu options. Guests are also still encouraged to mention dietary restrictions when they make Advance Dining Reservations and/or when they arrive for a meal.
Now let’s hear from all of you! What do you think of the Allergy-Friendly menu rollout at more Disney restaurants? Leave a comment and join the conversation!
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I don’t have any allergies, but I would try that North African Soup. It sounds sooooo good
Best thing to ever happen! Big dies why freak, worked there as a CP five years ago, and now I have a gluten allergy. I am having a five year reunion with my roommates in December, happy early Christmas to me. 🙂
This is awesome for families who worry about going to Disney with kids who have food allergies!
This is wonderful! I had already been able to get a separate gluten-free menu at Jiko, but it will be nice to have it at other restaurants, too. Disney has always been super good about dealing with allergies, but there times when you don’t want to have to go through a lengthy discussion with a chef to find out what you can/can’t eat.
I amexcited for this! It will help take a bit of stress off of wondering how safe my food decisions really are
This is awesome news. I wish they would also extend the allergy kiosk they have at Animal Kingdom to other parks as well but this is a good first step.
It is great that they are doing this it will help by husband a lot on our up coming trip. We usually have to pick our dining options here at home based on the place’s gluten free choices and that usually means a hamburger with no bun if they don’t offer dedicated choices. I just wish they would also consider stopping the use of latex prep gloves when making any of the food or touching items or guests. Currently I was told you can’t list that as an allergy option and is making me scared of the “what if” for me personally.
We have been to WDW (many times) and sailed on Disney Cruise line and their culinary staff has been GREAT! Our special needs son has several dietary allergies (casein, peanuts, soy, gluten). Disney is the one place I have always felt safe with his allergies. The chef’s have always gone the distance and then some to meet his needs. The culinary staff on cruise line even had his goat milk ready when we boarded. I brought his ice cream with us and they made him milk shakes every day. They even remembered to bring it on to Cast Away Cay and made them there for him too! They made a special flour free chocolate cake for him as well. While at WDW we usually always eat at Ohana at the Polynesian. They have always had the standard brunch plate, and make special things for him at the evening buffet! It is why even now after more than 20 years we still return to WDW. I try to follow up and write e-mails to thanks them after every trip. Every chance I get to comment on a forum like this I do as well. It is just my way of saying Thanks to Disney and all their staff for the great memories over the years. THANKS TO DISNEY AND ALL THEIR STAFF!!! WE WILL BE BACK AGAIN!
As someone with a nut allergy, I’m always excited to see initiatives to make allergy friendly choices stand out. The only thing that strikes me odd is the way the menus list out what allergies the food is safe for, which the opposite of normal labeling, which lists who needs to beware. I hope that doesn’t cause confusion.
This makes me SO HAPPY!!! My little girl was diagnosed with Celiac in the Fall and although so many people have told me that Disney is the place to go for people with food allergies, I’m happy that there will be listed options at so many places to make planning even easier! HOORAY!!! Also, I agree with Dana’s comment above-one less time explaining the situation to another person makes for one happy mamma!
As someone who has to avoid the word Peanut on labels due to my daughter’s allergy, it will be weird look for the word to see what she can eat. Glad they are doing it, it is just labled in the opposite way of every other food label, so it seems weird at first glance. Hopefully the method they are using is clear to all.
My youngest son has Celiac Disease. We love going to Disney just because of all of the gluten free options.
I’m very excited about the Gluten Free menu for my wheat allergy.
Disney does an awsome job with allergies…i have been going for years …i have multiple allergies and have NEVER had a issue. i never hesitate in going to Disney. i have eaten at lots of different restraunt too…love love love all that they do for people like me!! thank you
Our 2 kids have nut allergies and we have had nothing but good experiences with Disney’s handling of food allergies. We have been to the parks many times, and on Disney cruises as well. So I think it is a wonderful step for an industry leader to take this step. However, I was afraid they would lump gluten intolerance/celiac in with nut allergies and make a menu item which meets both criteria, and that is what it looks like at the quick service places. GF breads simply do not taste the same as regular, and with a child who is already severely restricted on what they eat, asking them to eat something like a GF hamburger bun so they can also get the benefit of it being nut free is going to be a tough sell. We will continue to speak to the chef and ask for the regular burger to be prepared with out nut cross-contamination.
This is great to see. But what about those who are not only allergic to milk but are lactose intolerant and cannot have any dairy products at all? I suppose they just have to ask to speak with the chef as usual which I won’t complain about. 🙂
I have had severe allergic reactions to peanuts and tree nuts. So glad that Disney helps out those who have allergies this is the only vacation that I have ever been on that I feel safe eating. Thanks Disney and Chefs
Visited lots of times since I figured out my gluten allergy and never had an issue, you just have to ask and be proactive. This will be nice but I like talking to the chefs…Disney does it right!
Now if they could only stop using latex gloves that would be fabulous.
Love Disney! Love this! But…I don’t like how the one menu says “for our guests with gluten allergies”. From my understanding, gluten is not a top allergen. It’s the protein in wheat, barley, etc that people have true “allergies” to. Even if it’s celiac, it’s technically still not an “allergy”. There are “sensitivities” to gluten….but maybe they should say simply “Gluten Free menu”.
Thank you! I have two very allergic children and mealtime is always a struggle when away from home. I would love for them to try new things and feel a little more normal. Wow being able to possibly order off a dessert menu would make them and me so happy! Thanks Disney!
So happy! My daughter was diagnosed with Celiac disease a year ago. So it’s hard sometimes to take her to eat at places. So excited for Gluten free options!!!
I Love that Disney is accomodating kids/adults with food allergies. I am so looking forward to traveling next year with my family including my son with multiple food allergies! Thanks Disney!
I can’t wait to try this out. My kids are dairy free, so hoping that this makes things easy.
Are the menus accessible by cell phone while waiting in line? Is there an app for that?
It’s a step in the right direction, and great news if you only have one or two food allergies, but the method is confusing. It is a lot easier for me as an allergy mom to read labels that show what allergens are present rather than what is missing. I would rather know what’s in my meal than what’s not in it. My son has multiple food allergies, including one outside the top 8, so something made for people with peanut and tree nut allergies (which he has) may still be unsafe for him. Perhaps they could print the top allergens in bold as is done on most food labels.
Very happy with these updated menu’s. Disney was great on our trip last year when dealing with my toddlers food allergies but it sometimes took 35 mins. just to get our order in because the chef come outs to speak with you on options. This made me feel safe in our choices, but made for a very time consuming process, and antsy kids. I wish they would have included soy free options on the menu as well. Why would they choose fish free before soy free??? You can pretty much guess that a hamburger is not going to have fish in it, but soy is the sneakiest of all allergies and is in found in items you would never think of. Disney, please add soy to your list!
My daughter has many allergies fish, shell fish, tree nuts, fruits and more. We always talk with the chef and wait staff before eating anything. One time at the Whispering canyon cafe my daughter wanted a bottomless shake. After speaking with the staff she was told that the chocolate shake was safe. The waitress brought it out and my daughter stuck her straw in the glass. She was just about to drink and we heard the loudest scream from the back followed by many heavy footsteps. The chef and two other staff came running from the back screaming “don’t drink it! there may be peanuts in the sprinkles!” They nearly dove on the table to grab the shake. She had not drank any yet and would have been fine anyway since she is not allergic to peanuts just tree nuts. They were all very concerned and the chef sat down at our table visibly shaken. I told him it was OK, she is fine and explained she would have been fine even if she did drink it. He felt so bad that he missed the print on the label. they brought out a new shake sprinkle free with a nut free chocolate mickey on top for her.
Disney is the best with food allergies and the new menus are going to be a great help. I will still talk to the staff because I know they will double check labels just to be sure.
Awesome that Disney is being so considerate to people with gluten allergies!
I think the labeling is odd. I prefer to know what is in the meal rather than what is not. My daughter has a coconut allergy in addition to tree nuts and peanuts. Anyway, Disney is the best place for us to eat. The chefs and all the staff are truly wonderful. Thank you!
I’m a frequent guest at WDW, as a DVC member and FL resident. I was very excited to read this article, because I have multiple food allergies, and many beyond the big 8. I will still likely have to have the chef come out to talk to me, but glad this will help a lot of other people. Just based on reading the Jiko menus, it would be REALLY nice if the restaurants would try to develop a few more multiple-allergy-free dishes. It’s possible, since we do it every day at home.. Examples on this menu are not all-encompassing. One has no soy, but has gluten and nuts. One has no gluten and nuts, but still has soy. Several are fish or shellfish dishes- those don’t really help a lot of us, because fish/shellfish is such a common allergy if avoiding other things. The one allergy-friendly chicken dish isn’t GF. Etcetera… It’s not that I’m ungrateful for their effort, (their ability to adapt is WHY I visit so frequently,) but I am getting tired of ordering Mickey waffles at breakfast, a GF burger for lunch, and an expensive Filet for dinner. Some of the signature restaurants have been very accommodating, so that sometimes I can order chicken or duck, or even pasta. I worry now that if there is an allergy menu, will WDW begin to limit their accommodations to what’s pre-planned, and if someone needs more than this “variety” of allergy-friendly dishes, they will not be able to be helped anymore? Up until now, for ten years since the allergies really developed, I’ve made it through many Disney visits as a Celiac and allergic to wheat, plus soy, peanuts, tree nuts, (unbaked) eggs, fish, shellfish, other legumes, pork, AND many other fruits and vegetables.
It’s great but it needs to be all available online or in an app so when you are running around the park and want to grab something quick you know where exactly your 5 year old can and will eat in advance without having to go in 10 places and read menus on signs. (To Stephanie, please learn more about lactose intolerance and milk allergies as it will help you navigate your or your loved one’s diet. Lactose-is the sugar in milk. Milk is comprised mostly of sugar and protein. Typically lactose-free is the least restrictive diet because you lack an enzyme to break down the sugars in milk and many people can take a pill to counteract it before eating something with lactose. It may not just say it is lactose free when it is milk or dairy free because it is safe for those who have issues whether it be an allergy or intolerance to the sugar or protein in the milk. It can be a very confusing world -good luck!)