Hand It to the Kitchen

Allergy Chef Card

A chef card goes past the server and onto the kitchen pass. Build one that names your allergens, asks for clean pans and fresh oil, and says what you can eat — in English or the kitchen’s own language.

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Free to create · $8.99 unlocks every language, every template and unlimited re-downloads

Why the Card Should Reach the Cook, Not Just the Server

Most allergy mistakes happen in the handoff. You tell the server, the server types a note into the order, and by the time it reaches the line it has shrunk to “no nuts” — or dropped off somewhere between the ticket printer and the pan. A chef card fixes the handoff. It’s a written note the server carries back and leaves on the pass, so the person cooking reads your words instead of someone’s summary of them.

Allergy organizations such as FARE have recommended chef cards for years, and the reason hasn’t changed. A cook reading “peanut allergy — clean pan, fresh oil, nothing from the shared fryer” knows what to do in seconds. A cook hearing “table six has an allergy, be careful” doesn’t.

Our Kitchen Steps layout is built for that moment: your allergens at the top, then four numbered steps for the cook — separate pans, separate boards, no shared fryer oil, check before it goes out. If you’re traveling, the same card prints in the kitchen’s language with yours underneath.

What a Good Chef Card Says

The allergen, by name

Not “nut-free” but peanuts and tree nuts, the way a cook reads an ingredient list. The card names exactly what you react to and nothing you don’t.

How careful to be

Either traces matter or they don’t. The card says whether shared pans, boards and fryer oil are OK, so the kitchen isn’t left guessing how strict to be.

Where it hides

Sauces, marinades, dressings, stocks and garnishes are where allergens get through. The card asks the kitchen to check those too, not just the main ingredient.

What you can eat

The Safe to Eat layout adds a few simple dishes the kitchen can make for you, so the answer isn’t just “sorry, there’s nothing on the menu.”

How to Make a Chef Card

1

Pick your allergens

Choose from 32 common allergens or type in your own. Peanuts, tree nuts and shellfish are pre-selected here — swap them for yours.

2

Pick the kitchen’s language

English for restaurants at home, or one of 13 other languages when you travel. Choose two languages and the card shows both.

3

Pick a kitchen layout

Kitchen Steps gives the cook four numbered steps. Safe to Eat lists what you can eat. Both are under “Hand it to the kitchen” in the builder.

4

Print a few, keep one on your phone

The preview is free. $8.99 once gets you the print-ready PDF and a phone PNG in every language and layout.

Handing It Over

  • Give the card to the server before you order and ask them to take it to the kitchen. Most will — it saves them repeating your allergy from memory.
  • Print two or three copies. Kitchens often keep the card on the pass for the whole meal, and it doesn’t always come back.
  • Say it out loud as well. The card backs up the conversation; it doesn’t replace it.
  • If the answer is vague — “it should be fine” — ask whether the dish can be made in a clean pan with fresh oil. A clear no is more useful than a hopeful yes.
  • At counters and food trucks there’s no one to carry a card back, so show the PNG on your phone instead.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a chef card?
A chef card is a short written note you give restaurant staff to pass to the kitchen. It lists your food allergies and how your food needs to be made — separate pans, clean surfaces, no shared fryer oil — so the cook gets the details instead of a shortened version from the server.
Is a chef card the same as an allergy translation card?
Same idea, different kitchen. A chef card is usually in the local language at home; a translation card carries the same message into another language abroad. Ours does both: English for home, or any of 14 languages when you travel, with your own language underneath.
What should a chef card include?
Your allergens by name, how serious a reaction is, whether traces and shared equipment are a problem, where allergens tend to hide (sauces, oils, marinades, garnishes), and a line asking the kitchen to tell you if the dish can’t be made safely.
Is the chef card free?
Building and previewing it is free, with no account. The print-ready PDF and phone PNG are $8.99 once, covering every language and layout, with unlimited re-downloads.

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Build a bilingual allergy card, preview it free, then download a print-ready PDF and a phone-ready PNG. Print at home on card stock or hand the PDF to any print shop.

Now on iOS

AllergyCard — Available on the App Store

The AllergyCard iOS app lets you show your allergy card offline, speak your restrictions aloud in the local language, and access an emergency screen — all without Wi-Fi. Free to download, available in 174 countries.

Download on the App Store

Create your allergy card now

Free to create and preview. Printable PNG/PDF is $8.99 one-time.

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