Allergy Chef Card

How Disney handles food allergies

It starts with you. Tell the Cast Member taking your order about the allergy every time; at a table-service restaurant, that's your server. When it's more than a preference, the kitchen follows Disney's allergy process, which brings in a Special Diets-Trained Cast Member (Disney's Special Dietary Requests page walks through it).

Our approach is to always ask to speak to the chef too, above all for several allergies or a risk of a severe reaction. In our experience the chefs have been knowledgeable and accommodating, but every meal is its own conversation.

• Menus: every table-service restaurant and some quick-service spots have a menu with allergen information, and buffets have a guide. Ask for it when you sit down.
• Tree nuts changed on October 6, 2026: the FDA no longer counts coconut, chestnut, shea, kola and a few other nuts as major tree nut allergens, so Disney's allergy-friendly choices can now include them. If you avoid any of them, say so by name (the card's Other box takes them).
• The marker: a meal made through the allergy process comes with a marker, such as a pick, a tray or a sticker on a to-go box. If you don't see one, ask. Check the dish with the Cast Member when it arrives either way.
• No reservation box: the dining reservation has no place for allergies, so tell your server when you sit down.
• Four or more allergy requests, pureed meals or a medically restrictive diet: Disney asks you to email its Special Diets team after you book dining, and not sooner than 14 days before you arrive.
• Carts, kiosks and mobile order: many carts and kiosks have no allergy-friendly menu, and Disney points to table service as better set up for special diets. With mobile order, Disney encourages anyone with more than one allergy to order from the allergy-friendly menu at the location, and you speak to a Cast Member when you pick up.

What to ask at the table

• Is there an allergy-friendly menu here?
• Can I speak with the chef or a Special Diets-Trained Cast Member?
• For celiac disease: is there a separate prep space, clean cookware and utensils, a cleaned grill, a dedicated fryer or changed oil for gluten-free food?
• When the food comes: "Is this the one made without peanuts?" And ask for your card back with the meal.

Frequently asked questions

Do you need an allergy card at Disney World?

No. Disney doesn't ask for one: you tell your server and the kitchen follows its allergy process. A chef card helps your words reach the kitchen as you wrote them, lists everything you avoid in one place, and asks that it come back with your meal, so the right plate reaches the right person. Allergy groups such as FARE suggest carrying one. It starts the conversation; it doesn't replace it.

Should I put food allergies on my Disney dining reservation?

There's no place for it. The Walt Disney World dining reservation has no allergy box, so tell your server when you sit down, and ask for the chef or a Special Diets-Trained Cast Member. Older articles that say to note allergies on the reservation are out of date. If anyone in your party has four or more allergy requests or a medically restrictive diet, Disney asks you to email its Special Diets team after you book, no sooner than 14 days before you arrive.

What is a Special Diets-Trained Cast Member?

It's Disney's name for the Cast Member trained to handle allergy and special diet requests. When you tell your server about an allergy that's more than a preference, the kitchen uses Disney's allergy process, which involves one of them. At quick service, you can ask for one at the counter, and if a mobile order menu doesn't show allergy-friendly choices, ask for one at the restaurant.

Can Disney World accommodate celiac disease?

Disney takes gluten-free requests: its allergy-friendly menus cover wheat and gluten as well as the other major allergens. Disney also says it can't guarantee any item is completely free of allergens, so ask about shared fryers, grills and toasters at every meal, and check your order when it arrives. The card above has a celiac line that names wheat, barley and rye.