Tips on Dealing with Guests With Dietary Restrictions

By Catering Staff | October 2, 2016

Party planning is already challenging as it is because of the wide range of issues that can crop up. When the issues of food and drinks come up, you will find that the menu is indeed the most troublesome of them all. This is not only because the menu involves plenty of decisions, including the kinds of food and drinks to be served, the number of people to feed, and the cost per person, but also because you have to consider your guests’ dietary restrictions.

While you can just let the guests with dietary restrictions navigate their way, so to speak, through the food and drinks, you will be praised for being a thoughtful host. You may even be accorded the same respect by your guests in case you find yourself invited to their parties.

Ask Your Guests Before Planning the Menu

Even before you have hired the caterer, you may want to ask the invited guests about their dietary restrictions. You can, for example, include the question on your invitations usually in the RSVP part or, in case of a wedding, you may request your guests to contact you on the wedding website about this matter. You will then have a basis for discussions with the caterer, such as Rubio’s, about the need for adding a few items to meet these dietary restrictions.

Keep in mind that the dietary restrictions being discussed here are not of the weight loss type. Instead, these include food allergies to gluten, dairy, peanuts, soy, wheat and shellfish, to name a few, as well as vegan and vegetarian. With so many dietary restrictions possible, you are well-advised to give your guests a list of the dietary restrictions that you can accommodate, such as gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian.

Discuss the Menu Options with the Caterer

With the information gathered from the guests, you can get down to the nitty-gritty of the matter with your caterer. You may be able to ask the caterer to tweak the ingredients of its signature dishes to meet the dietary restrictions for a few of your guests and/or to add a few dishes and desserts aside from the standard menu. Either way, you have to be prepared to pay extra since these steps require more effort on the caterer’s part.

During the event itself, you may ask the caterer to place placards on the dishes and desserts suitable for people with dietary restrictions. You may even ask the servers to assist your guests in terms of telling them about the basic ingredients in the dishes so that they can make appropriate decisions about their consumption of the food.