A 76-second restaurant allergy handoff covering owned booking disclosure, named responsibility, current ingredient checks, written kitchen and service receipt, and the final guest conversation.
What the film covers
- A booking note records the disclosure; it does not complete the safety work
- Follow one disclosure through five controlled handoffs
- 1. Capture the guest’s own words and acknowledge receipt
- 2. Give the disclosure a named owner and deputy
- 3. Recheck the facts before service, not weeks earlier
- 4. Pass it to kitchen and service in writing—and close the receipt loop
- 5. Reopen the conversation at the table
- Use a service checklist that can reveal an open loop
Questions the film answers
- Is an allergy note on a restaurant booking enough?
No. It records an important disclosure, but it does not complete the restaurant’s allergen work. Within England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the cited FSA guidance sets the mandatory allergen-information and management duties; the written routing, trained conversation and meal-identification steps in this guide follow its best-practice approach. Treat the note as the first handoff, not as proof that a dish is suitable.
- What should an allergy-booking acknowledgement say?
Confirm that the restaurant received and recorded the information, explain that a trained team member will discuss current ingredients and preparation before the guest orders, and ask the guest to mention it again on arrival. Avoid promising that a dish is safe or that the request is fully accommodated before the restaurant has checked.
- Should the kitchen receive the booking note in writing?
FSA best-practice guidance says that when the receiver is not the preparer, or the order is made digitally, the information should be passed directly to the person preparing the food in writing, with confirmation that it was received and understood. The server also needs the information required to identify and serve the correct meal.
- Why ask the guest again if they disclosed the allergy online?
Because advance details can be incomplete and ingredients or service conditions can change. The conversation checks the food to avoid, written allergen information, cross-contact risk and whether the guest has enough current information to make an informed choice.
- Does TableSpark decide whether a dish is safe for a guest?
The restaurant makes allergen-safety decisions using its current ingredients, recipes, preparation controls, trained staff and conversation with the guest. TableSpark gives the restaurant the owned booking and enquiry record, Inbox, guest-list visibility and connected workflow needed to keep the disclosure in view and hand it to the right people.
- Which TableSpark plan supports direct restaurant bookings?
Growth supports on-site reservations, live availability, tables and floor plans at £39 per month excluding VAT, with 0% TableSpark commission on bookings. Starter begins at £19 per month excluding VAT and includes enquiry forms routed to the Inbox. Stripe’s standard card-processing fees apply when an online payment is taken.