The Strict Rules Olive Garden Follows When Handling Food Allergies

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The Strict Rules Olive Garden Follows When Handling Food Allergies By Haley McNamara Nov. 23, 2025 2:00 pm EST

33 million Americans – one in ten adults and one in thirteen kids – have a food allergy. So what happens when that one person dines at Olive Garden — where almost all of the "Big 9" (milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy, wheat, and sesame) food allergens can be found under one roof? It's actually a more thorough process than just skipping the croutons on the house salad or holding the cheese on the spaghetti and meat sauce. The moment the kitchen learns a guest has a food allergy, the entire back of house shifts gears.

Once a server is notified by the guest that they have an allergy, the server not only adds this information