What's the difference between allergies and food intolerance?

"I'm allergic to shellfish and nuts," a customer may tell one of your servers, "but I'm also lactose intolerant."

What's the difference between allergy and intolerance? An allergic reaction to food involves the immune system. Food intolerance, on the other hand, occurs when people have trouble digesting a particular food, such as milk. Some people are allergic to cows milk, for example. Others are lactose intolerant, which means they lack enough of the enzyme lactase to break down milk sugars.

Other people may simply have an intense aversion to certain foods. The taste or mouth-feel of something can literally make them feel sick.

These distinctions are important to doctors. But restaurant operators cant and shouldn't try to distinguish between food allergies and food intolerance. What matters is that some guests cant or don't want to eat certain foods. All such requests should be taken seriously by everyone on staff, from the front of the house to the kitchen.