Got Food Allergies? Check out these allergy-friendly restaurants

By Betty Murray

Food allergies can make eating out difficult. How do you know exactly what is in the meal you order at a restaurant, and can you be sure it hasn’t been contaminated with something you or your child is allergic to, such as peanuts or eggs?

If you have food allergies, you need to know about AllergyEats, a guide to allergy-friendly restaurants across the country. It contains a peer-reviewed directory of restaurants that have been rated by people with food allergies or for people with food allergies. The website is a comprehensive list of more than 650,000 restaurants nationwide, including large chains and small, mom and pop restaurants. It even includes menus!

Each year, AllergyEats releases a list of the most allergy friendly restaurant chains nationwide. Each chain restaurant was grouped into one of three categories, large (over 300 stores), medium (50-200 stores) and small (under 50 stores) Here is the 2014 list of the 15 most allergy friendly restaurants in the U.S. according to AllergyEats:

Large (over 200 units):

• Red Robin Gourmet Burgers (4.45 rating)
• P.F. Chang’s China Bistro (4.43 rating)
• Chipotle Mexican Grill (4.41 rating)
• Outback Steakhouse (4.35 rating)
• Romano’s Macaroni Grill (4.20 rating)

Medium (50-200 units):

• Bonefish Grill (4.43 rating)
• Ninety Nine Restaurants (4.28 rating)
• Mellow Mushroom (4.26 rating)
• Uno Chicago Grill (4.24 rating)
• Bertucci’s Brick Oven Restaurant (4.17 rating)

Small (under 50 units):

• Burtons Grill (4.90 rating)
• Maggiano’s Little Italy (4.73 rating)
• Papa Razzi (4.68 rating)
• Legal Sea Foods (4.67 rating)
• Not Your Average Joe’s (4.66 rating)

Betty Murray, CN, HHC, RYT is a Certified Nutritionist & Holistic Health Counselor, founder of the Dallas-based integrative medical center, Wellness and founder of the Metabolic Blueprint wellness program. Betty’s nutrition counseling practice specializes in metabolic and digestive disorders and weight loss resistance. A master of the biochemistry of the body, Betty teaches her clients how to utilize nutritional interventions to improve their health. Betty is a member of the Institute of Functional Medicine and the National Association of Nutrition Professionals.