ORLANDO — The Disney Springs restaurant where a NYU Langone College doctor ate before he went into anaphylactic shock and died is now asking customers about food allergies when taking orders, a manager says. he told the Post.
The employee, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said staff at the tourist attraction were trained to take food allergies “very seriously” even before Kanokpor Tan-Xuan’s death.
Tan Xuan’s husband, Jeffrey Piccolo, claims in the lawsuit that she repeatedly warned servers at the Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant that she had a severe nut and dairy allergy. However, employees claimed that they were able to produce allergen-free food during the Oct. 5 visit. .
The pub is owned and operated by Irish partners John Cooke and Paul Nolan.
The lawsuit names Disney and the owner.
A manager at the busy restaurant told the Post on Tuesday that all staff have been instructed to work with customers to find substitutes for foods containing allergens and to check with the kitchen if they are unsure.
“I don’t know if it’s because of the incident, but now when we take an order, we first ask if the person at the table has any allergies. We have done so,” they added.
Staff say customers’ allergies are recorded in the restaurant’s systems, and orders for tables that might pose a problem are flagged.
“We treat the table as one entity, so if someone says they have a tree nut allergy, we’ll let you know if anyone at the table has ordered something with tree nuts,” they added. .
Some menu items can be changed, but not others, the manager explained, noting that most fried batters are made with dairy unless the customer specifically requests them to be vegan. did.
Tan Xuan ate onion rings, scallops, and broccoli and corn fritters, according to the complaint.
It’s not clear if she ordered the fried vegan option.
“I don’t know which one she ordered, but I should have given her the vegan one and she would be fine. The other one has milk in it,” the manager said .
The employee acknowledged that in a restaurant with such a fast-paced kitchen, safety measures need to be taken to avoid cross-contamination.
In online forums, many Disney fans praise the resort for its inclusiveness and accommodations for a variety of dietary restrictions and allergies.
However, Disney warns on its website that it does not have a separate allergy-free kitchen and cannot guarantee that menu items are completely free of allergens.
Online commenters noted that Raglan Road’s food allergy considerations appear to be “about the same” as what they would expect from a Disney-owned bistro.
“We dined at Raglan Road and one of the members of our party [a] Shellfish allergy. Everything went well (I also have a dairy allergy and a gluten allergy),” replied another.
WDW News Today’s social media posts about Tan Xuan’s death also drew shocked reactions from many Disney-goers who had great experiences at the resort’s dining options.
“I have dined at several restaurants at Disney Springs with friends who have severe allergies. When we mention it to the server, the chef comes out and talks to them while taking notes. Sorry. But something like this happened. It’s heartbreaking.” someone wrote.
While most forum posters praised Disney’s response to allergies, some told horror stories of people receiving food they were told contained no allergens, only to later realize the error. Some people shared it.
One DisBoards poster said his nine-year-old son was also given nuts at Raglan Road despite warning restaurant staff he was allergic.
“My 9-year-old son got a dessert and ate a little, but decided he didn’t like it and stopped eating it. After a while, he noticed that there was something like almonds inside. But sure enough, it was a silver almond!” The poster added that the manager was “completely oblivious” to the incident.
It is unclear which part of Tan Xuan’s meal was contaminated. According to court documents, a coroner’s examination revealed that she died as a result of anaphylaxis due to “elevated levels of dairy and tree nuts in her body,” her complaint states.
According to court documents, Disney claims that it advertises and makes clear to the public that food allergies and/or accommodations for people with food allergies are a “top priority” at its parks and resorts.
The lawsuit alleges that Disney “educates, trains, and or failed to provide guidance.”
Tan Xuan’s husband is seeking more than $50,000 in damages under Florida’s wrongful death law, in addition to emotional pain and suffering, loss of income and funeral expenses.
Neither Disney nor Raglan Road has responded to the lawsuit or the Post’s requests for comment.
