Disney Springs restaurant where doctor dined before allergy death now asks about food allergies up front

US News

By Steve Helling and Isabel Keane

ORLANDO – The Disney Springs restaurant where a New York University Langone doctor ate before going into anaphylactic shock and dying now asks diners about food allergies when taking orders, a manager told The Post.

Staff at the resort were trained to take food allergies “very seriously” even before Kanokporn Tangsuan’s death, according to the employee, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Tangsuan’s husband, Jeffrey Piccolo, alleged in a lawsuit that she alerted servers at the Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant several times about her severe allergies to nuts and dairy, and the workers insisted they could prepare food free of allergens during your October 5 visit. .

The pub is owned and operated by Irish partners John Cooke and Paul Nolan.

Both Disney and the owners were named in the lawsuit.

The manager of the bustling restaurant told The Post on Tuesday that all staff are asked to work with customers to find alternatives to foods with allergens and to check with the kitchen if they are unsure.

“I don’t know if it’s because of the incident, but now the first thing we ask when taking the order is if anyone at the table has any allergies. “We have been doing this since late last year, at least before Thanksgiving,” they added.

A diner’s allergy is logged in the restaurant’s system and anything ordered at their table that could cause a problem is flagged, according to the employee.

“We treat the table as a single entity. “So if a person says they are allergic to nuts, we will let them know if someone at the table is ordering something with nuts,” they added.

While some menu items can be modified, others cannot, the manager explained, noting that the batter for most of their fried foods is made with dairy unless the customer specifically asks for it to be vegan.

Tangsuan ate onion rings, scallops and a broccoli and corn fritter, according to the lawsuit.

It’s unclear if he ordered the vegan option on the fried food.

“I don’t know which ones he ordered, but they should have given him the vegan ones and he would be fine. The others have milk,” said the manager.

The employee admitted that with such a fast-paced kitchen, the restaurant still needs to find some safeguards to avoid cross-contamination.

Disney fans on online forums generally praise the resort for its inclusive nature and its accommodations for various dietary restrictions and allergies.

However, on their website, Disney warns that they do not have separate allergen-free kitchens and cannot guarantee that a menu item is completely allergen-free.

Online commenters noted that Raglan Road’s attention to food allergies seemed “almost identical” to what they would expect from Disney-owned bistros.

“We had dinner on Raglan Rd and one member of our party had a shellfish allergy. Everything went well (we also have dairy and gluten allergies),” another person responded.

A post about Tangsuan’s death on WDW News Today’s social media also generated a surprised response from many Disney revelers who have had great experiences at the resort’s restaurants.

“I have eaten at several different Disney Springs restaurants with friends who have severe allergies. When I mentioned it to the waiters, the chef would come out and talk to them, taking notes. I am very sorry that this happened. Distressing,” one person wrote.

While most forum participants praised Disney for its allergy-friendly accommodations, some shared horror stories of their experiences receiving food they were told was allergen-free, only to realize the mistake later.

One DisBoards user said his 9-year-old son was also given nuts on Raglan Road despite warning restaurant staff about his allergy.

“My 9-year-old son got his dessert and ate some, but decided he didn’t like it and stopped eating it. After a while, I noticed what looked like an almond, and sure enough, they are silver almonds! he wrote the sign, adding that the manager was “completely arrogant” about the incident.

It is unclear what portion of Tangsuan’s food was contaminated. According to court documents, the medical examiner’s investigation revealed that she died as a result of anaphylaxis due to “elevated levels of dairy and nuts in her system,” according to the lawsuit.

Court documents alleged that Disney advertises and makes clear to the public that food allergies and/or accommodation of people with food allergies are a “top priority” at its parks and resorts.

The lawsuit claimed that Disney “failed to educate, train and/or instruct its employees” to “ensure that foods indicated as allergen-free or requested as allergen-free were in fact allergen-free.”

Tangsuan’s husband is seeking more than $50,000 in damages under Florida’s wrongful death law, as well as mental pain and suffering, loss of income and funeral expenses.

Neither Disney nor Raglan Road have responded to the lawsuit or The Post’s requests for comment.