Hi Brooke,
Welcome to planDisney!
As a mom of girls who also have food allergies, I hear your question loud and clear. My family has really come to appreciate how seriously cast members have taken the girls' allergies. Since one of our girls has four severe allergies, we almost always dine at Walt Disney World® Resort dining locations. Since these dining locations have menus posted online, we check the menus prior to our visits. Many of these menus list allergy-friendly options. Topolino's Terrace - Flavors of the Riviera, for example, incudes allergy-friendly options. Take a look at the
breakfast menu. My general recommendation is to dine at
table-service restaurants when possible and to check in with cast members at
quick-service restaurants prior to doing
mobile food & beverage ordering.
Since all allergies may not be listed on a menu, we also always make
advanced dining reservations and note the allergy on the reservation. Then, when we are in the parks and resorts doing
Mobile Dine Check-in, I note the allergies again. When we arrive to the restaurant and are seated by cast members, we then have a conversation with the cast member who serves us. They have always noted the allergies and asked if we need to speak with a chef. Typically, one of our girls does need to speak with a chef, particularly if she cannot find a menu item she can eat. The chefs have always been incredibly helpful.
Brooke, since we love character dining experiences, I will also suggest to speak to the chef at those locations as well, especially since some of them, like
Chef Mickey's, are buffet style. The chef has always shown our girls what they can or cannot eat from the buffet. One last tip - also review the information on
Special Dietary Requests prior to arrival. Managing children with severe food allergies has always kept us on edge when we travel. I have to say, we feel most supported when traveling to Disney and, for that, we are eternally grateful to all of the amazing cast members who have made it so!
Magic and memories,
Donyell