The law requires the information to exist and to be given when the customer asks, before the purchase is completed (Royal Decree 126/2015, Article 6.5.a). This is a good-practice protocol for doing it without mistakes.
- Listen and write down which allergen it is. «Lactose-free» and «milk allergy» are not the same: ask.
- Check the sheet, not your memory. Never say «I don't think it has any».
- If the sheet is not clear, say so and ask the kitchen before confirming anything.
- Mark the order with the allergen, so that the kitchen cannot miss it.
- Tell the person cooking and the person plating out loud.
- Carry the dish yourself and separately, not on a tray with other dishes, and confirm to the customer that it is theirs.
What not to do
- Remove the allergen from a dish that is already made (picking the walnuts out of a salad): traces remain. Make it again.
- Promise «zero risk» if the kitchen works with that allergen. Explain what you do to avoid cross-contact.
In practiceA customer says she has coeliac disease and orders the hake. The sheet says it is
floured. You explain this, check with the kitchen whether it can be grilled with clean utensils, mark the order «COELIAC -
GLUTEN-FREE» and bring it out yourself.
Source: Real Decreto 126/2015, food information for non-prepacked foods (consolidated text, in Spanish), Article 6.5.a · Regulation (EU) 2021/382 amending Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 (allergens and food safety culture)