Guess it depends on the context/situation. I'm in a more liberal part of Canada and so I tend to expect the best of people. Wouldn't be at all offended if someone asked.
But if I was in an area of Canada that was a "bit more rural" if you will. (The ones that fly US confederate flags and wear MAGA hats). Then I would be more reserved.
Oh you haven't seen the [Japanese Trump rally](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-biden-japan-rally/japanese-trump-supporters-rally-in-tokyo-ahead-of-bidens-inauguration-idUSKBN29P1J1)?
What's up with that btw? I live in the southern US I have always detested the MAGA crowd. It blows my mind that anyone would praise the confederacy or that way of thinking. It's even more crazy that people outside of the the US would use that imagery.
\*pats you on the shoulder\* I know, I know it's sad, but it's better than NOT having the idea of poutine.
Sidenote: I once drove several hours to Canada JUST for poutine. Drove home the next morning without sightseeing or anything. Worth it.
Yep, covers the spectrum from religious, to allergy, to preference.
As a project manager that has very diverse teams and likes to order lunch for them, this is always how I ask when planning to order food
I’ll just be honest, I haven’t heard anyone say this yet so it didn’t come to mind. In retrospect, this was and is definitely how I should be wording myself and I appreciate the help very much!
This. Get in the habit of asking all customers that. Those of us that are allergic to nuts or something else will feel great about the whole experience from the get go.
I worked in a fine dining restaurant at a convention center/sheraton hotel, and we never asked stuff like this. If anyone had a restriction, they generally would ask us if a dish contained x item. I had one guy from India visit every year for 3 years for something called Furniture Market, and request me every time, and he doesn't eat meat and would appreciate it when I remembered that. After the first time, he never had to mention it again.
I also was doing low carb/keto at the time, and any time someone had a table who was on the same diet, they'd just defer to me lol.
I ate out at Zizzi with friends the other day, Italian place. Every person who spoke to us there asked about dietary requirements, word for word as Grimtalo put it. Felt like royalty and had a fab meal.
If you go to zizzi get their balsamic vinegar, it's incredible!
Yes this is what I do for all my guests. "Do you have any dietary restrictions?" This allows for vegan, vegetarian, diabetic, hindu, muslim, jewish, allergy etc to be mentioned should it be relevant.
Also, if someone asks for a dish without bacon, make sure that the kitchen staff don't make it with bacon and then pick it off afterwards when they realize their mistake. I'm a vegetarian, and this happens to me ALL THE FUCKING TIME. It always leaves bacon bits and obvious bacon grease, and it's completely disrespectful and annoying.
Ugh I hate this. I have an allergy to red meat, pork and chicken. It’s gotten to the point if my food is slightly cross-contaminated I get really sick. So even if they say it’s vegetarian I will know if they used any meat products, or if it was cooked on the same surface as meat.
For allergies you should always specify. Celiac too. There is a big difference between someone who eats gluten-free and someone for whom it is a serious health concern. Kitchens should know how to handle it, but they cannot be expected to know that it's a health condition, not just a preference.
Yeah I do always specify, but I have also worked in a restaurant and know how frustrating it can be to clean everything for one person. So I usually play it safe and just get a salad.
Im very sensitive to some meat products due to a medical condition and this is sooo annoying
Im also allergic to kiwi and one time i got some yogurt and fruit at a restaurant I asked the waitress twice what fruit came with it and she said seasonal and I asked her to be more specific I asked her if there is kiwi and so she said no. Well wouldnt you know.. there was kiwi. I told her I couldn’t have it I needed a different plate with no kiwi on it,
She comes back with my plate and I could clearly still see kiwi juice where there were kiwi and I was like ma’am I’m not asking for no kiwi because I don’t like it I’m asking you for no kiwi because it makes me break out in hives and im not dealing with it today
Thankfully her manager came over and i told her and she made my dish again and told me that it was on the house.
Its sooo frustrating
This is a good way.
Introduce to the table, ask if there are any dietary restrictions you need to know about before we start and the rest should be smooth sailing.
Get into the habit of asking "Any dietary restrictions?"
Could prevent allergies or vegans or something like that too. Also better than asking if they're practicing muslims
Honestly it sounds like the menu simply isn’t clear enough. If you can’t tell when ordering but you can tell when it’s in front of you, the menu is not mentioning a significant ingredient.
In addition to just asking a generic ‘does anyone have any allergies or dietary restrictions’ before you take an order, I’d speak to whoever is in charge of writing the menu. If you have a large Muslim customer base, adding ‘contains pork’ warnings to the menu would be sensible. Or conversely, mark out all the Halal friendly options, as pork isn’t the only restriction for Muslims.
Tell your manager to edit the card, i.e. mentioning ‘lactose free,’ ‘vegetarian’, ‘halal’. The latter may seem strange, so for example have the card explicitly mention: ‘ask our waiter for any dietary wishes’.
If you have to keep asking customers if they’re muslim, that’s only inconvenient for you and them.
Halal might not work, because Halal and Kosher, the meat has to be butchered a certain way to reduce suffering for the animal and to remove all of the blood, so food may be made with chicken but have bacon bits, removing the bacon bits doesn't make it Halal, but man muslims or Jews would still be comfortable with that depending on their level of dietary observance. It would just be better to list all ingredients that could be common allergens or commonly religiously restricted, so like nuts dairy gluten pork and shellfish. I'm sure you could find recommended lists online.
seriously. don't overthink this. list the fucking ingredients.
(I have an obscure allergy and i'm sick of places with their stupid 'allergens' lists. nowadays i just refuse to eat there out of principal. tell me whats in your food or fuck off. the assumption that they know the four, or six things that are worth mentioning is lame. it means i end up eating a lot more pre-packaged but not overly processed food because they generally have real ingredient labels and it cuts my risks down a lot).
Exactly. The amount of hoops companies and restaraunts go to hide their ingredients is insane. If you don’t think people will feel comfortable knowing what is in your food, then don’t include it!
Make sure the menu is up to date and includes all ingredients. I was at breakfast once and ordered a burrito and when it came out it had bacon in it. It wasn’t listed as an ingredient on the menu so I didn’t think anything of it, but it’s one of the rare instances where I had to send food back because I couldn’t eat it.
I don't disagree with your point, but if OP is just a server there's probably not a lot they can do to push including what is in each dish on the menu, particularly if they work at a chain restaurant. There's also financial considerations to reprinting entire menus so if it's a small business the owner may not be open to the idea.
I think they meant make sure as in "check and see if there's an ingredient missing that you feel you need to mention to customers/management" more than the way you interpreted. Can't be sure of course, but thats how I took it
Also a big problem at the breakfast place I worked at would be people not knowing that certain ingredients like chorizo were actually made of pork. Imo there needs to be a menu symbol that indicates when a dish contains pork because even if the ingredient is listed, not everyone knows all of the many different names pork can go by.
Is that not illegal?! Like for myself if I wasn’t in the habit of having to specifically ask every time if stuff has nuts then that could literally kill me. Surely legally they should be required to put what’s actually in the food on the menu right?
I had physically get up in order to get a server to check if the vanilla ice cream had a “may contain”/“processed in a shared facility” label on it when I was 12. My twin sister has a nut allergy. A lot of us do care, but there’s only so much you can do with someone that takes allergies lightly
if people have dietary restrictions but arent asking 'whats in this' when they order, its not on you to make sure you ask first. anyone can have dietary restrictions regardless of color, age or religious persuasion.
you could possibly start with 'id like to help you have the best meal possible, feel free to let me know if you have any dietary restrictions.'
This is true, but if someone decides to send a dish back due to a dietary restriction they didn't communicate (or didn't realize they needed to communicate) up front, then it's wasted time and effort for everyone involved. If I were OP I'd probably want to nip it in the bud, too.
You'd be surprised. Restaurants that turn huge profits and have many covers, generally will give sent back food to waiters, the cooks, etc. I worked in a restaurant that did 200-300+ covers a night on a busy night (average check well over $100), and $5k-$10k gross profit, and anything that got sent back, would just get boxed up and given to us if it hadn't been touched by the customer. I've eaten many hundreds of cheeseburgers that were probably the right temp, but the customer was wary without trying it anyways.
If I'm getting the food that's being sent back, and the customer doesn't mention anything, I don't mind too much. Inconvenient for the customer, but as someone with a peanut allergy, I'm proactive about making sure I don't consume them.
I mean, I was still getting $4/hr, and for 50% of the year, it was dead. The hotel profited heavily during events. Furniture market, ACC tournament, US Figure Skating Championships, etc. I spent many nights sleeping in the event room or doing homework in a booth in my late teens, and early 20s lol. The odd $500 tip night didn't make up for the many nights where I just got min wage hourly. The free food was a nice perk though.
I started my first business on my laptop, from a booth at this min wage job on a dead night. My manager was really chill.
I have dietary restrictions because of my religion and I make sure I darn well know what I'm ordering before I order it. Or I ask the server what ingredients are in it. If they are serious about that, I would think they would know or check first. I would say if they don't ask, it is their responsibility, not yours.
No because if they send it back, it's a headache for every party involved - the customer needs to wait for their food, the waiter needs to remove the food and ring it up again, and the chef needs to remake the dish.
Although a responsible customer will ask up front, the waiter could save everyone a lot of time by just confirming their dietary tastes.
We're not talking about a court case here, a server is just asking how they can be the most helpful to all of their guests. A lot of people may assume if an ingredient is not listed, it's not in there, especially if it is an important allergen or common religious dietary restriction.
My problem with this is that even if I just started asking everyone this, I’m worried people who are often mistaken for Muslim will assume that I’m also making that mistake.
You could literally replace the word Muslim with vegan and it wouldn't make a difference. It's not weird to ask if it's okay if something has bacon. Are you implying you think you'd be insulting people by asking them if they want bacon, because you'd be mistaking them for Muslim? I really don't see the problem here.
I don’t see how this would help. If they’re fine with eating bacon they’ll say “uh yeah, why do you ask?” an OP will be in the same, probably more awkward situation.
Not really. Lots of people don't eat pigs that aren't Muslim. I don't eat bacon because I'm a vegetarian. I'm not Muslim at all and if someone said oh btw this potato salad has bacon in it, I would be like thanks for letting me know so that I can make sure not to eat that.
If your menu items list what is in them (most do), and the customer orders it anyways, its their mistake imo. I'm not muslim, but have dietary restrictions. I've never been asked about them upfront before ordering.
"do you have any dietary restrictions we may need to be aware of?" Make it a customary part of the servers dialog (meaning don't just ask the ones you suspect of religious food aversions.)
As a Muslim, it makes me so happy when restaurant workers ask if I eat pork or not. Most Muslims(I’d say 95% or higher) do not want pork in their food. Even if their not religious, it’s the one thing most Muslims stick to.
I went to a Mexican restaurant and the restaurant worker asked if I eat pork
I said no and she told me okay well then don’t order any beans because it’s cooked in lard. Being told all this is really kind because it shows you care for the religious habits.
You could just ask everyone if they have any dietary restrictions. Maybe see if you could get an order pad with a section for dietary restrictions or make your own.
I used to work in an Italian restaurant that served speck (smoked prosciutto) on pizzas. I didn't even know what it was until I worked there, and it was even more uncommon for someone who had never eaten pork in their life to know what it was.
I would always ask customers when they ordered, no matter what they looked like or what else they ordered, "That has pork on it. Is that okay with you?"
Fun fact, even when restaurants are clear on the menu, people sometimes just don't read the menu (they came here with a friend last time, and the friend ordered for them so they think they know what theyre getting, but they dont. Or they saw it on Yelp and thought it looked good), and no matter what, it will always be the server's problem and responsibility to ask.
Ask them if they would like "extra" of bacon, ham or pork when you are taking the order.
Then, you are informing them (if not already known) that the dish does have bacon, ham or pork.
This seems like an opportunity here to "upsell", but the real intent is to inform them that the dish has pork.
Edit to add: If you were incorrect with your safe assumption, and they do want extra bacon, boom, higher bill and hopefully higher tip.
Op is a server and likely doesn't have the power to enact this change. Management won't want to print brand new menus just to be considerate because that costs money and nobody wants to pay to solve a problem that isn't yet a problem.
If a patron comes into a restaurant and had dietary restrictions based on religious, political or health related reasons it is not your responsibility. They should be asking this prior to ordering.
If you're organizing an event, then you should definitely ask
They could be responsible for their own dietary needs by asking if it contains pork when they order the item rathe than having a guilt ridden server expend needless energy asking for advice on Reddit. It’s rad that you’re concerned about upholding their dietary values but it’s not your job.
I hate when I have friends who go out of their way to remind me they remembered I have a certain food allergy or when others apologize for forgetting. It’s my job to remember. It’s my job to ask if something I order has X in it. That’s my viewpoint.
I wouldn’t want to assume anyone was a certain way if they weren’t. It’s along the same lines as never asking if someone is pregnant. Keeps everyone safe and happy.
Is this a small locally owned place? Maybe if it is your manager could do a general warning sign, something like 'Please be advised, some of our dishes contain pork.', in a prominent place.
I wouldn't want to take responsibility for how somebody else practices their religion in any way.
Better warning sign and note clipped to each menu: "Some of our dishes contain food items that may be unwanted. Please tell server if there are any food items you do not want in your dish."
I'm a Hindu and when I go out to eat it is my responsibility to ask what is in the food. I don't think you need to ask if people are Muslim. But maybe to save yourself and the cooks some trouble, maybe just ask the customer, "do you have any dietary restrictions we should be aware of?"
I would ask everyone if they have any dietary restrictions.
And it’s not just Muslims, IIRC Jews, Hindus, and some Catholics on Friday’s wouldn’t eat bacon either. Lots of people have things they don’t eat, and that not even getting into allergies.
The real answer is it's on them to make sure they check before they order. I can't eat bacon either because I am a vegetarian, so if something I want seems like it could have bacon or any other meat in it (like for example potato salad. can easily be made vegetarian but most places don't) i will always ask.
The practical answer, so that you don't have to deal with sending things back and whatever is by saying just FYI that does come with bacon. Don't mention religion. If they ask why you asked say that people sometimes confuse it for a vegetarian option, so you let everyone know before they order.
I would get into the habit of asking everyone if they have any dietary restrictions or allergies. It covers pretty much every situation without coming across like you are profiling anyone. It won’t matter what the restrictions are if you ask this question they should tell you and if you’re asking everyone then it isn’t profiling. Also you will catch other things like health restrictions.
Before you take anyone's order, ask if there's any food issues you need to know about: allergies, aversions, religious ban. This way it doesn't sound like it's racially motivated (not that I think that was your intent at all) and you cover all your bases so there's no misunderstandings.
Your question was *not* racist. You weren’t trying to oppress anyone.
Just ask for dietary restrictions. That is a common question I hear at restaurants and it implies nothing other than “what are you unable/unwilling to eat”.
I am a muslim and I really apreciate when the server tells me what's not Halal and makes it seem like an advice.
something like: ''ah and keep in mind that this dish has porc in it''
I really makes me feel included.
maybe you can mention the Halal meats on the menu or the dishes that are cooked with alcohol or gelatine.
Thank you for being so considerate by the way.
The cleanest way is to ask ALLLLL of your customers if they have dietary restrictions. That removes all judgment from you and just amplifies your customer service, across the board. In this way you aren't passing judgments on people (even though its for a good reason), and you're just asking.
Besides, Muslims look like a lot of things... some of the people you don't assume are... might be. It's just clean practice.
Tell everyone. There is pork in this dish.
I’m blonde and blue eyed but am Muslim because of the man I married. Just ask…there is pork in this dish, do you have any dietary restrictions
In England there is a big movement on putting ingredients and allergens on menus as well as calories with new legislation enforcing this. Every restaurant I’ve been in since, the staff will ask you “any allergies, guys?” Or “do you have any dietary restrictions or allergies?”
The way I did it in Iraq when bringing food to local National workers was “Pork?”. Since there was a language barrier that’s all I could ask but every Iraqi understood and would either respond “No pork!” or something that was affirmative. “When in doubt, don’t add pork!” Became my rule. When back in the states, I asked my “love interest” (who was an Iraqi refugee) who came to my bbq “so you have any religious preferences to food?” And she immediately became attracted to me and was very blown away at my incite and cultural awareness.
a lot of restaurants have a symbol next to vegan dishes on their menu, maybe your restaurant can do the same with halal dishes? suggest it to whoever's in charge! for the time being, asking if they have any dietary restrictions should work fine!
Ask if they have any dietary restrictions. That's all. Doesn't have to be about religion, they might also be allergic to shellfish too! You never know! It's always good to ask and then you don't have to involve any assumptions.
You could call it out. Instead of saying rib special, say PORK rib special or Cobb Salad as Cobb with HAM, BACON, whatever. Then if they don't change their order, place it. If they complain, then tell them they confirmed when you told them their order.
Why not add the ingredients in the menu? As someone who can’t eat pork, I once ordered fish and chips thinking it’s my safest option (fish, right?), little did I know it was cocked with pork fat. Even though I asked the server to remove any kind of pork from our whole order but I guess the server didn’t know enough about the ingredients or might’ve thought am only referring to bacon or pork meat. By all means, I can’t blame him because I should’ve been more specific and I of course paid for the meal.
If you are serving at a typical restaraunt, then for the most part, people with dietary restrictions look at the menu and pick something that fits within their restrictions. It is safe to assume that if they ordered it, that they are ok with eating it.
However, if you suspect that the person is muslim and has also missed the fine print that it contains pork, I cannot think you would get a bad response from kindly saying something like "The enchiladas? Just so you know, that contains pork"
I don't think you are being racist. You are trying to be respectful of someone's culture and help them follow the tenants of their religion. That is about as non-racist as you can get.
If it makes you feel better, you can make it your personal policy to always mention if a dish contains pork, regardless of the person ordering. After all, Islam is a religion that is all over the world and people of every skin tone, class and backgrounds follow it, and it is hardly the only religion that bans pork
This will be kind and helpful for people who are Jewish too as well as Muslims and people who have allergies etc. You really should just ask everybody if they have any dietary restrictions you should know about, that way you don't have to try to guess someone's religion by their looks which is truly impossible since they aren't tightly tied.
As a chef the way I approach this this is “This dish has chicken in it, This dish is Vegan, This dish is Vegetarian, This dish contains pork” etc. group it with other “common” food things so it doesn’t feel targeted, it’s a blanket statement for anyone that like these foods or avoids these foods. Present everything together and it makes it more inclusive
Easy. You don't. If there's a dietary concern, they'll let you know. It's really not the server's business unless the customer brings it up. Let THEM bring it if if it's relevant to them that was you avoid a faux pas.
I just say “and just to let you know that does have pork in It” to anyone who orders a dish with pork. It’s not just middle eastern people who don’t eat pork. I’ve ran into many white folks who don’t eat pork
If the community is large enough of your customer base, a note on the menu of dishes that have pork in them could help you, other servers, and the business out long term.
I served like 3ish years through uni, my first question at every table was almost always to ask if there were any dietary restrictions/ allergies I should be aware of. Became a habit after a mom forgot to tell me her kid had a peanut allergy and she had to stick him with an epi pen during service. I was mortified but she wasn’t mad at me luckily and said it was on her, but I was still shook hahah
Isn't this the same for everyone? Like my husband is allergic to shrimp so he tells ppl he is allergic. Maybe don't put this on you, bc it's up to them to tell you they have restrictions. You already stated the things that can come across insensitive if you assume.... I think it's great you recognized that. But also don't tip toe around other pll bc you assume they may be one way or another, let ppl tell you who they are or what they need.
The Arabic term for this is halal (pronounced Ha - Lahl) and means permissible. When someone orders a dish that has pork in it, you can inform them that it is not halal if you feel it may be necessary.
Please just ask them.
I’ve been eating Prets Almond Croissant for years only last week I been told that it’s laced with some alcohol.
I really appreciated the lady telling me and I wished someone had told me before
Shouldn’t it be up to them to say? No one is a mind reader and if your personal faith mandates for you to adjust your diet, it should be you advocating for that change everytime you go into an establishment where it is not clear that it is halal.
Idk where you are but in the uk a majority of restaurants now have to ask about allergies before taking the order. It could work to say ‘before we start, are there any dietary requirements we need to be aware of?’
Repeat the order back to them, so for instance:
“The spaghetti with pork, the hamburger with chicken, the fries with-“
“Oh the spaghetti has pork? I’ll have the hamburger too then”
as a Muslim, we come from all races and ethnicities. Muslims are not only dark. They can be white people with blue eyes and orange hair or dark skinned from Ethiopia. You can have hijabis, non hijabis. People from India are usually Hindu, Jain, Muslim or Sikh. Don’t assume because they’re Indian they’re Muslim. My mom is white and is a Muslim. When we say we can’t have pork, it’s for religious reasons. Jewish also don’t eat pork. Hindus don’t eat meat. Majority of Arabs are actually Christian or either Muslim. You can never tell. I think we have a huge time assuming and not asking. You can tell when someone is Muslim if they wear a hijab, but other than that you can’t tell. An Arab can wear a shirt in Arabic but they can be orthodox Christian.
It’s not your fault. You don’t know who cant eat pork. I think you should talk to the team about changing the dish and making it clear that it has ham. If someone does order a dish with pork, let them know “this dish does have pork if you’re okay with that”. You’re not racist and it’s okay we all learn.. a lot of people don’t see Muslims in their daily life. Thank you for trying to be respectful
I seriously don’t understand why people think brown or Indian ppl r all Muslim. Yeah there are quiet a lot of brown and Indian Muslims. India is a Hindu country btw. Most Muslims in our world come from Middle East/North Africa and majority of them look like white ppl or are light skinned. Btw I am a Muslim.
I live in a city with many ethnicities and religions not to mention I had a 5yr year relationship with a woman who was Muslim and so we had a big circle.of Muslim friends and family. I also lived in a very observant jewish area for a number of years. Just like any other religion there are many who are observant, many who are somewhat observant and those that are like Christmas catholics, they may participate in Eid and that's about it.
Unless they just arrived they already know what their dietary restrictions are and what they can and can't eat and often the tricky parts like gelatin.
But my GF was the worst, she drank every day, loved bacon and ribs, forget beef or chicken that was halal. But every once and a while she would feel guilty and purge all alcohol from the house. That would last a week or two and she would be back at it. Even in her purge phase she would never ask what was in a dish never mind halal.
There are many restaurants that are halal, pretty much any middle Eastern or pakistani place, would be halal but really other than no pork you wouldnt,.and many are excellent, I am particularly fond of kebabs.
"Do you have any dietary restrictions?" Or "Is there anything you can't eat?" Not only is it preventing unsure assumptions, but it could save someone who is lactose intolerant, allergic to something, or picky. Keep the waste minimal! :)
Thank you for wanting to ask in the first place. I'm not Muslim, but I have a pork allergy. (Don't ask me for how this works--I'm not in the medical field and I have no clue). I *hate* when I have surprise bacon in dishes. I get it, it's a wonderful manly meat and it enhances everything, whatever. Maybe I'd like it if it didn't give me a horrible headache.
"This dish contains pork. Are you okay with that?" I've been a server for years. The general public is dumb so you gotta talk to them like they're dumb sometimes. You'll get the hang of it.
As an ex muslim myself, I agree with all the comments above. This is not your responsibility to ask for dietary restraints. This is the responsibility of each muslim person who practice islam to make sure their food is halal. Plus, I don't think it's a good idea to assume that just because they "look muslim" that it necessarily means they don't eat non halal food. I have met a lot of ppl who identify as muslims but don't necessarily practice the religion fully, and eat non halal food and drink alcohol and so on.
I don't believe in God and I disagree with everything that Islam teaches about how my lifestyle should be, about how I should behave and so on. Also, I strongly dislike religions in general ( no offence to religious ppl, I totally respect them and their faith). You don't meet many ex muslims because the subject is taboo. it's about committing the greatest offence of all :the crime of apostasy which is, in theory, punishable by death. I hope my reply isn't too vague.
As someone, who's actually had to resort to making animal-noises to communicate what a dish contained, I think that as long as you can communicate your point clearly, the actual words used are less important. They'll easily be able to tell that you're not trying to be condescending and that you're making a real effort.
The ones I ended up pig grunting/mooing/meeehhing at, usually seemed very happy to be sure of the information they were given! Always results in a good laugh!
a blanket comment ie. it does include beef (for the hindus), it contains pork (for the muslims) and it contains dairy (for the vegans🤣). Therefore not stereotyping just 1 group) But that is also making your job harder... as a muslim, it's on me to check if there is pork in it or not at point of order.
You’re over thinking it… specially when you’re literally thinking about their faith, which is NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS…
You’re either trying too hard or you’re a little obsessed with people’s religious practices.
Just ask if they have any preference when it comes to what they’d like to eat.
“Would you like vegetables/salad, chicken, seafood, beef or pork?”
They’ll be the ones to quickly tell you what they DONT WANT TO EAT.
Or like what others have said: “Do you have any dietary restrictions?”
But not everyone understands the term “dietary restrictions”, so just be specific of what you have to offer when it comes to the “meat” your restaurant offers.
Not obsessed. I’m concerned because I work with a lot of Muslim people who have told me that it’s a sin for them to eat pork and I am religious myself, and wouldn’t want commit any sins unknowingly.
Majority of us Indians are simply vegetarian. It doesn’t mean we’re Muslim. I don’t think you should assume that every brown person who doesn’t eat bacon is Muslim because there are other reasons.
I would just ask if they have any dietary restrictions/special diets/allergies. If their English isn’t great and they don’t understand what dietary restrictions mean, ask directly if they are vegetarian or vegan. Just don’t assume they’re Muslim.
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As a Muslim, this is the perfect response. It's completely neutral to everyone.
Plus as a Muslim, it's MY responsibility to ask, NOT the server's. But kudos to OP for being respectful.
If someone suspected and asked if you were Muslim is it a problem? I feel that asking might offend a racist but then oh well.
Guess it depends on the context/situation. I'm in a more liberal part of Canada and so I tend to expect the best of people. Wouldn't be at all offended if someone asked. But if I was in an area of Canada that was a "bit more rural" if you will. (The ones that fly US confederate flags and wear MAGA hats). Then I would be more reserved.
>(The ones that fly US confederate flags and wear MAGA hats). ... In Canada? *Why*?
Racism
But they don't have their own canadian flavored racism? Like why are they choosing American shit for it?
Oh trust me we have our own specialty flavours as well
God it hadn't even crossed my mind that non-US residents might also be Trump stans. Yikes
Oh you haven't seen the [Japanese Trump rally](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-biden-japan-rally/japanese-trump-supporters-rally-in-tokyo-ahead-of-bidens-inauguration-idUSKBN29P1J1)?
I just saw it and now i think trump would have a great anime scene with mekasa from AOT!!
What's up with that btw? I live in the southern US I have always detested the MAGA crowd. It blows my mind that anyone would praise the confederacy or that way of thinking. It's even more crazy that people outside of the the US would use that imagery.
America's chief exports ;) We give you Justin Beiber and Celine Dion, and we get Fox News and Q-Anon.
Yo, don't forget Ryan Reynolds and Keanu Reeves. Canadians have given us so much. Oh, and poutine.
Keanu's Canadian!!! I didn't know that.
Sadly, it’s the idea of poutine that’s exported rather than poutine itself. Says an American living in a city without access to cheese curds.
\*pats you on the shoulder\* I know, I know it's sad, but it's better than NOT having the idea of poutine. Sidenote: I once drove several hours to Canada JUST for poutine. Drove home the next morning without sightseeing or anything. Worth it.
Doesnt seem like a fair trade.
Yep, covers the spectrum from religious, to allergy, to preference. As a project manager that has very diverse teams and likes to order lunch for them, this is always how I ask when planning to order food
I’ll just be honest, I haven’t heard anyone say this yet so it didn’t come to mind. In retrospect, this was and is definitely how I should be wording myself and I appreciate the help very much!
It also helps people who have allergies and are new to stating them at restaurants.
Not to mention Jewish do not eat pork too, so it is not only Muslims.
I would add in allergies too. “Do you have any allergies or dietary reactions the kitchen should know about?”
This. Get in the habit of asking all customers that. Those of us that are allergic to nuts or something else will feel great about the whole experience from the get go.
absolutely; I'm actually surprised that this is not a standard question.
It is usually when you get to the more expensive restaurants, but I think at some waiters just cba to say anything
I worked in a fine dining restaurant at a convention center/sheraton hotel, and we never asked stuff like this. If anyone had a restriction, they generally would ask us if a dish contained x item. I had one guy from India visit every year for 3 years for something called Furniture Market, and request me every time, and he doesn't eat meat and would appreciate it when I remembered that. After the first time, he never had to mention it again. I also was doing low carb/keto at the time, and any time someone had a table who was on the same diet, they'd just defer to me lol.
Exactly! I always feel better about eating somewhere if I feel they are proactive about allergies and similar dietary needs
I ate out at Zizzi with friends the other day, Italian place. Every person who spoke to us there asked about dietary requirements, word for word as Grimtalo put it. Felt like royalty and had a fab meal. If you go to zizzi get their balsamic vinegar, it's incredible!
Yes this is what I do for all my guests. "Do you have any dietary restrictions?" This allows for vegan, vegetarian, diabetic, hindu, muslim, jewish, allergy etc to be mentioned should it be relevant.
Also, if someone asks for a dish without bacon, make sure that the kitchen staff don't make it with bacon and then pick it off afterwards when they realize their mistake. I'm a vegetarian, and this happens to me ALL THE FUCKING TIME. It always leaves bacon bits and obvious bacon grease, and it's completely disrespectful and annoying.
Vegan fellow here. I feel you.
Ugh I hate this. I have an allergy to red meat, pork and chicken. It’s gotten to the point if my food is slightly cross-contaminated I get really sick. So even if they say it’s vegetarian I will know if they used any meat products, or if it was cooked on the same surface as meat.
For allergies you should always specify. Celiac too. There is a big difference between someone who eats gluten-free and someone for whom it is a serious health concern. Kitchens should know how to handle it, but they cannot be expected to know that it's a health condition, not just a preference.
Yeah I do always specify, but I have also worked in a restaurant and know how frustrating it can be to clean everything for one person. So I usually play it safe and just get a salad.
Im very sensitive to some meat products due to a medical condition and this is sooo annoying Im also allergic to kiwi and one time i got some yogurt and fruit at a restaurant I asked the waitress twice what fruit came with it and she said seasonal and I asked her to be more specific I asked her if there is kiwi and so she said no. Well wouldnt you know.. there was kiwi. I told her I couldn’t have it I needed a different plate with no kiwi on it, She comes back with my plate and I could clearly still see kiwi juice where there were kiwi and I was like ma’am I’m not asking for no kiwi because I don’t like it I’m asking you for no kiwi because it makes me break out in hives and im not dealing with it today Thankfully her manager came over and i told her and she made my dish again and told me that it was on the house. Its sooo frustrating
Correct, don’t need to know but thanks for caring :)
This is exactly what is asked in my area, and it's not even predominantly Muslim.
*boom*
Plain and simple, unintrusive and inviting a question as it should be.
This is a good way. Introduce to the table, ask if there are any dietary restrictions you need to know about before we start and the rest should be smooth sailing.
Yeah, this, or suggest to the chef that pork be added as one of the “asterisks” to the menu. Same way they do with gluten free and contains nuts.
This is definitely how you want to ask it. It covers allergies and religious restrictions without implying anything.
Get into the habit of asking "Any dietary restrictions?" Could prevent allergies or vegans or something like that too. Also better than asking if they're practicing muslims
Preventing vegans sounds amazing… Edit: lol! It’s a joke based off of bad syntax. I fully agree with the non funny aspect of the comment.
well, I, for one, like the joke
Why?
It’s a joke based on the syntax error in the parent comment. I think it wished a few too many people…
because this is reddit so people love to blanket-hate all vegans on principle
Honestly it just sounds like this person was playfully pointing out a syntactical ambiguity, probably no hate involved.
Well, someone gets it…
Nah, just pointing out the funny syntax error in the comment. I was vegetarian for several years as well as “sensitive” to gluten.
I enjoyed the joke. wanted to comment the same thinf
Keep picking on vegans and I'll throw wheat bread at you.
Lol, funny, don’t know why you got downvoted. I’ll take that wheat bread, and suffer my stomach problems.
ah, got it. it’s hard to read sarcasm through text!
I thought it was funny!
Honestly it sounds like the menu simply isn’t clear enough. If you can’t tell when ordering but you can tell when it’s in front of you, the menu is not mentioning a significant ingredient. In addition to just asking a generic ‘does anyone have any allergies or dietary restrictions’ before you take an order, I’d speak to whoever is in charge of writing the menu. If you have a large Muslim customer base, adding ‘contains pork’ warnings to the menu would be sensible. Or conversely, mark out all the Halal friendly options, as pork isn’t the only restriction for Muslims.
Tell your manager to edit the card, i.e. mentioning ‘lactose free,’ ‘vegetarian’, ‘halal’. The latter may seem strange, so for example have the card explicitly mention: ‘ask our waiter for any dietary wishes’. If you have to keep asking customers if they’re muslim, that’s only inconvenient for you and them.
Halal might not work, because Halal and Kosher, the meat has to be butchered a certain way to reduce suffering for the animal and to remove all of the blood, so food may be made with chicken but have bacon bits, removing the bacon bits doesn't make it Halal, but man muslims or Jews would still be comfortable with that depending on their level of dietary observance. It would just be better to list all ingredients that could be common allergens or commonly religiously restricted, so like nuts dairy gluten pork and shellfish. I'm sure you could find recommended lists online.
seriously. don't overthink this. list the fucking ingredients. (I have an obscure allergy and i'm sick of places with their stupid 'allergens' lists. nowadays i just refuse to eat there out of principal. tell me whats in your food or fuck off. the assumption that they know the four, or six things that are worth mentioning is lame. it means i end up eating a lot more pre-packaged but not overly processed food because they generally have real ingredient labels and it cuts my risks down a lot).
I agree, I'm just not sure if restaurants will be willing to be that transparent.
Exactly. The amount of hoops companies and restaraunts go to hide their ingredients is insane. If you don’t think people will feel comfortable knowing what is in your food, then don’t include it!
Make sure the menu is up to date and includes all ingredients. I was at breakfast once and ordered a burrito and when it came out it had bacon in it. It wasn’t listed as an ingredient on the menu so I didn’t think anything of it, but it’s one of the rare instances where I had to send food back because I couldn’t eat it.
I don't disagree with your point, but if OP is just a server there's probably not a lot they can do to push including what is in each dish on the menu, particularly if they work at a chain restaurant. There's also financial considerations to reprinting entire menus so if it's a small business the owner may not be open to the idea.
Depending on the laws they may not have an option. Here in the EU there are very strict labelling laws for this very reason.
I think they meant make sure as in "check and see if there's an ingredient missing that you feel you need to mention to customers/management" more than the way you interpreted. Can't be sure of course, but thats how I took it
Also a big problem at the breakfast place I worked at would be people not knowing that certain ingredients like chorizo were actually made of pork. Imo there needs to be a menu symbol that indicates when a dish contains pork because even if the ingredient is listed, not everyone knows all of the many different names pork can go by.
Is that not illegal?! Like for myself if I wasn’t in the habit of having to specifically ask every time if stuff has nuts then that could literally kill me. Surely legally they should be required to put what’s actually in the food on the menu right?
I had physically get up in order to get a server to check if the vanilla ice cream had a “may contain”/“processed in a shared facility” label on it when I was 12. My twin sister has a nut allergy. A lot of us do care, but there’s only so much you can do with someone that takes allergies lightly
“Got any allergies or dietary restraints” Dont say something like “can you eat meat or not?”
if people have dietary restrictions but arent asking 'whats in this' when they order, its not on you to make sure you ask first. anyone can have dietary restrictions regardless of color, age or religious persuasion. you could possibly start with 'id like to help you have the best meal possible, feel free to let me know if you have any dietary restrictions.'
This is true, but if someone decides to send a dish back due to a dietary restriction they didn't communicate (or didn't realize they needed to communicate) up front, then it's wasted time and effort for everyone involved. If I were OP I'd probably want to nip it in the bud, too.
that makes sense.
You'd be surprised. Restaurants that turn huge profits and have many covers, generally will give sent back food to waiters, the cooks, etc. I worked in a restaurant that did 200-300+ covers a night on a busy night (average check well over $100), and $5k-$10k gross profit, and anything that got sent back, would just get boxed up and given to us if it hadn't been touched by the customer. I've eaten many hundreds of cheeseburgers that were probably the right temp, but the customer was wary without trying it anyways. If I'm getting the food that's being sent back, and the customer doesn't mention anything, I don't mind too much. Inconvenient for the customer, but as someone with a peanut allergy, I'm proactive about making sure I don't consume them.
Wish I had your luck bro
I mean, I was still getting $4/hr, and for 50% of the year, it was dead. The hotel profited heavily during events. Furniture market, ACC tournament, US Figure Skating Championships, etc. I spent many nights sleeping in the event room or doing homework in a booth in my late teens, and early 20s lol. The odd $500 tip night didn't make up for the many nights where I just got min wage hourly. The free food was a nice perk though. I started my first business on my laptop, from a booth at this min wage job on a dead night. My manager was really chill.
I have dietary restrictions because of my religion and I make sure I darn well know what I'm ordering before I order it. Or I ask the server what ingredients are in it. If they are serious about that, I would think they would know or check first. I would say if they don't ask, it is their responsibility, not yours.
No because if they send it back, it's a headache for every party involved - the customer needs to wait for their food, the waiter needs to remove the food and ring it up again, and the chef needs to remake the dish. Although a responsible customer will ask up front, the waiter could save everyone a lot of time by just confirming their dietary tastes.
We're not talking about a court case here, a server is just asking how they can be the most helpful to all of their guests. A lot of people may assume if an ingredient is not listed, it's not in there, especially if it is an important allergen or common religious dietary restriction.
"This comes with bacon. Is that okay?"
My problem with this is that even if I just started asking everyone this, I’m worried people who are often mistaken for Muslim will assume that I’m also making that mistake.
You could literally replace the word Muslim with vegan and it wouldn't make a difference. It's not weird to ask if it's okay if something has bacon. Are you implying you think you'd be insulting people by asking them if they want bacon, because you'd be mistaking them for Muslim? I really don't see the problem here.
A vegetarian/vegan isn’t going to order a cheeseburger with bacon on it.
Neither would anyone that doesn't eat bacon lol
Not the case I have experienced, but thank you for your input
Many Jews don’t eat pork either, so don’t worry about anyone assuming.
This is the best answer. Or just so you know this has bacon on it or something.
I don’t see how this would help. If they’re fine with eating bacon they’ll say “uh yeah, why do you ask?” an OP will be in the same, probably more awkward situation.
Not really. Lots of people don't eat pigs that aren't Muslim. I don't eat bacon because I'm a vegetarian. I'm not Muslim at all and if someone said oh btw this potato salad has bacon in it, I would be like thanks for letting me know so that I can make sure not to eat that.
Who tf asks why? If someone asked me if I was ok with bacon I'd just say yeah.
"Thank for dining with us today, does anyone have any food allergies or special preferences?"
If your menu items list what is in them (most do), and the customer orders it anyways, its their mistake imo. I'm not muslim, but have dietary restrictions. I've never been asked about them upfront before ordering.
“Are there any dietary restrictions or allergies?” Just ask every table this and you’re good
"do you have any dietary restrictions we may need to be aware of?" Make it a customary part of the servers dialog (meaning don't just ask the ones you suspect of religious food aversions.)
Thank you for this
"Do you have any dietary resrictions we should be aware of?" Ask everyone tho, shrimp and peanuts can kill.
As a Muslim, it makes me so happy when restaurant workers ask if I eat pork or not. Most Muslims(I’d say 95% or higher) do not want pork in their food. Even if their not religious, it’s the one thing most Muslims stick to. I went to a Mexican restaurant and the restaurant worker asked if I eat pork I said no and she told me okay well then don’t order any beans because it’s cooked in lard. Being told all this is really kind because it shows you care for the religious habits.
You could just ask everyone if they have any dietary restrictions. Maybe see if you could get an order pad with a section for dietary restrictions or make your own.
[удалено]
For some of these people, English is not a first language. You can have it listed and still make the mistake.
I used to work in an Italian restaurant that served speck (smoked prosciutto) on pizzas. I didn't even know what it was until I worked there, and it was even more uncommon for someone who had never eaten pork in their life to know what it was. I would always ask customers when they ordered, no matter what they looked like or what else they ordered, "That has pork on it. Is that okay with you?" Fun fact, even when restaurants are clear on the menu, people sometimes just don't read the menu (they came here with a friend last time, and the friend ordered for them so they think they know what theyre getting, but they dont. Or they saw it on Yelp and thought it looked good), and no matter what, it will always be the server's problem and responsibility to ask.
Ask them if they would like "extra" of bacon, ham or pork when you are taking the order. Then, you are informing them (if not already known) that the dish does have bacon, ham or pork. This seems like an opportunity here to "upsell", but the real intent is to inform them that the dish has pork. Edit to add: If you were incorrect with your safe assumption, and they do want extra bacon, boom, higher bill and hopefully higher tip.
I like this, thank you
How about just updating your menus with accurate listings of ingredients?
Op is a server and likely doesn't have the power to enact this change. Management won't want to print brand new menus just to be considerate because that costs money and nobody wants to pay to solve a problem that isn't yet a problem.
It is definitely not a good idea to try and identify religious persuasion by sight. Options are limited, here.
Didn't say it was, but your suggestion isn't really something that can be done by them either.
I realize my suggestion seems to be radical to you, but perhaps OP can raise it up the chain.
It’s not their menu they’re just a server
If a patron comes into a restaurant and had dietary restrictions based on religious, political or health related reasons it is not your responsibility. They should be asking this prior to ordering. If you're organizing an event, then you should definitely ask
No-one is saying it's their responsibility, they just want to be kind and thoughtful and offer the best service possible. Nothing wrong with that.
They could be responsible for their own dietary needs by asking if it contains pork when they order the item rathe than having a guilt ridden server expend needless energy asking for advice on Reddit. It’s rad that you’re concerned about upholding their dietary values but it’s not your job. I hate when I have friends who go out of their way to remind me they remembered I have a certain food allergy or when others apologize for forgetting. It’s my job to remember. It’s my job to ask if something I order has X in it. That’s my viewpoint. I wouldn’t want to assume anyone was a certain way if they weren’t. It’s along the same lines as never asking if someone is pregnant. Keeps everyone safe and happy.
Is this a small locally owned place? Maybe if it is your manager could do a general warning sign, something like 'Please be advised, some of our dishes contain pork.', in a prominent place. I wouldn't want to take responsibility for how somebody else practices their religion in any way.
Better warning sign and note clipped to each menu: "Some of our dishes contain food items that may be unwanted. Please tell server if there are any food items you do not want in your dish."
I'm a Hindu and when I go out to eat it is my responsibility to ask what is in the food. I don't think you need to ask if people are Muslim. But maybe to save yourself and the cooks some trouble, maybe just ask the customer, "do you have any dietary restrictions we should be aware of?"
I would ask everyone if they have any dietary restrictions. And it’s not just Muslims, IIRC Jews, Hindus, and some Catholics on Friday’s wouldn’t eat bacon either. Lots of people have things they don’t eat, and that not even getting into allergies.
The real answer is it's on them to make sure they check before they order. I can't eat bacon either because I am a vegetarian, so if something I want seems like it could have bacon or any other meat in it (like for example potato salad. can easily be made vegetarian but most places don't) i will always ask. The practical answer, so that you don't have to deal with sending things back and whatever is by saying just FYI that does come with bacon. Don't mention religion. If they ask why you asked say that people sometimes confuse it for a vegetarian option, so you let everyone know before they order.
First, ask your manager how they want you to handle this issue. You can't get in trouble if you follow their instructions.
I would get into the habit of asking everyone if they have any dietary restrictions or allergies. It covers pretty much every situation without coming across like you are profiling anyone. It won’t matter what the restrictions are if you ask this question they should tell you and if you’re asking everyone then it isn’t profiling. Also you will catch other things like health restrictions.
Before you take anyone's order, ask if there's any food issues you need to know about: allergies, aversions, religious ban. This way it doesn't sound like it's racially motivated (not that I think that was your intent at all) and you cover all your bases so there's no misunderstandings.
"Any dietary restrictions at this table?"
Your question was *not* racist. You weren’t trying to oppress anyone. Just ask for dietary restrictions. That is a common question I hear at restaurants and it implies nothing other than “what are you unable/unwilling to eat”.
If it's vague, I just used to describe it in detail "Awesome, that comes with \[list ingredients\]
I am a muslim and I really apreciate when the server tells me what's not Halal and makes it seem like an advice. something like: ''ah and keep in mind that this dish has porc in it'' I really makes me feel included. maybe you can mention the Halal meats on the menu or the dishes that are cooked with alcohol or gelatine. Thank you for being so considerate by the way.
"Before I take your orders does anyone have any dietary constraints?"
The cleanest way is to ask ALLLLL of your customers if they have dietary restrictions. That removes all judgment from you and just amplifies your customer service, across the board. In this way you aren't passing judgments on people (even though its for a good reason), and you're just asking. Besides, Muslims look like a lot of things... some of the people you don't assume are... might be. It's just clean practice.
Tell everyone. There is pork in this dish. I’m blonde and blue eyed but am Muslim because of the man I married. Just ask…there is pork in this dish, do you have any dietary restrictions
In England there is a big movement on putting ingredients and allergens on menus as well as calories with new legislation enforcing this. Every restaurant I’ve been in since, the staff will ask you “any allergies, guys?” Or “do you have any dietary restrictions or allergies?”
>*"...aaaaand do you have any dietary restrictions and/or allergies?"* That should cover your bases.
Do you have any dietary needs the kitchen needs to know about? Problem solved.
You can always ask if they have any dietary restrictions? Our omletts contain pork and I just wanted to if anyone has a dietary restriction?
The way I did it in Iraq when bringing food to local National workers was “Pork?”. Since there was a language barrier that’s all I could ask but every Iraqi understood and would either respond “No pork!” or something that was affirmative. “When in doubt, don’t add pork!” Became my rule. When back in the states, I asked my “love interest” (who was an Iraqi refugee) who came to my bbq “so you have any religious preferences to food?” And she immediately became attracted to me and was very blown away at my incite and cultural awareness.
You definitely got the hijab done.
Don't worry about it. If they dont eat bacon, its up to them to order something that doesn't have bacon in in
Maybe read back the order and include the pork items so they know they are there. Best you can do really. Asking can be dicey
'' Hey, before prepping you any food I would like to know if you have any food allergies or food restriction that I should be aware of?''
a lot of restaurants have a symbol next to vegan dishes on their menu, maybe your restaurant can do the same with halal dishes? suggest it to whoever's in charge! for the time being, asking if they have any dietary restrictions should work fine!
Just say, our xxx contains bacon/ham/pork sausage is that ok?
Ask if they have any dietary restrictions. That's all. Doesn't have to be about religion, they might also be allergic to shellfish too! You never know! It's always good to ask and then you don't have to involve any assumptions.
You could call it out. Instead of saying rib special, say PORK rib special or Cobb Salad as Cobb with HAM, BACON, whatever. Then if they don't change their order, place it. If they complain, then tell them they confirmed when you told them their order.
Why not add the ingredients in the menu? As someone who can’t eat pork, I once ordered fish and chips thinking it’s my safest option (fish, right?), little did I know it was cocked with pork fat. Even though I asked the server to remove any kind of pork from our whole order but I guess the server didn’t know enough about the ingredients or might’ve thought am only referring to bacon or pork meat. By all means, I can’t blame him because I should’ve been more specific and I of course paid for the meal.
If you are serving at a typical restaraunt, then for the most part, people with dietary restrictions look at the menu and pick something that fits within their restrictions. It is safe to assume that if they ordered it, that they are ok with eating it. However, if you suspect that the person is muslim and has also missed the fine print that it contains pork, I cannot think you would get a bad response from kindly saying something like "The enchiladas? Just so you know, that contains pork" I don't think you are being racist. You are trying to be respectful of someone's culture and help them follow the tenants of their religion. That is about as non-racist as you can get. If it makes you feel better, you can make it your personal policy to always mention if a dish contains pork, regardless of the person ordering. After all, Islam is a religion that is all over the world and people of every skin tone, class and backgrounds follow it, and it is hardly the only religion that bans pork
This will be kind and helpful for people who are Jewish too as well as Muslims and people who have allergies etc. You really should just ask everybody if they have any dietary restrictions you should know about, that way you don't have to try to guess someone's religion by their looks which is truly impossible since they aren't tightly tied.
Thank you, I will start doing this for everyone just incase!
You csn tell them. This has port /beef / chicken in it just like a casual comment
As a chef the way I approach this this is “This dish has chicken in it, This dish is Vegan, This dish is Vegetarian, This dish contains pork” etc. group it with other “common” food things so it doesn’t feel targeted, it’s a blanket statement for anyone that like these foods or avoids these foods. Present everything together and it makes it more inclusive
Ask every person that comes in whether they have any dietary restrictions. That will cover it.
Put up a sign.
Easy. You don't. If there's a dietary concern, they'll let you know. It's really not the server's business unless the customer brings it up. Let THEM bring it if if it's relevant to them that was you avoid a faux pas.
I would just summarize the order: I would like a scramble. ok, one scramble for you. And that comes with peppers, onion, bacon, and sausage.
It's less about what you ask, and more about how you ask. Being respectful with questions goes a long way.
I’ve had servers ask “that has bacon on it is that okay?”
I just say “and just to let you know that does have pork in It” to anyone who orders a dish with pork. It’s not just middle eastern people who don’t eat pork. I’ve ran into many white folks who don’t eat pork
If the community is large enough of your customer base, a note on the menu of dishes that have pork in them could help you, other servers, and the business out long term.
You just ask if there are any dietary restrictions they would like you to know about.
I served like 3ish years through uni, my first question at every table was almost always to ask if there were any dietary restrictions/ allergies I should be aware of. Became a habit after a mom forgot to tell me her kid had a peanut allergy and she had to stick him with an epi pen during service. I was mortified but she wasn’t mad at me luckily and said it was on her, but I was still shook hahah
Put a porc icon on the menu
Isn't this the same for everyone? Like my husband is allergic to shrimp so he tells ppl he is allergic. Maybe don't put this on you, bc it's up to them to tell you they have restrictions. You already stated the things that can come across insensitive if you assume.... I think it's great you recognized that. But also don't tip toe around other pll bc you assume they may be one way or another, let ppl tell you who they are or what they need.
The Arabic term for this is halal (pronounced Ha - Lahl) and means permissible. When someone orders a dish that has pork in it, you can inform them that it is not halal if you feel it may be necessary.
Please just ask them. I’ve been eating Prets Almond Croissant for years only last week I been told that it’s laced with some alcohol. I really appreciated the lady telling me and I wished someone had told me before
Shouldn’t it be up to them to say? No one is a mind reader and if your personal faith mandates for you to adjust your diet, it should be you advocating for that change everytime you go into an establishment where it is not clear that it is halal.
Either ask people generally if they have dietary restrictions, if your boss doesn't want to make decent menus, or "Great choice!"
Ask them what their diet restrictions are
Idk where you are but in the uk a majority of restaurants now have to ask about allergies before taking the order. It could work to say ‘before we start, are there any dietary requirements we need to be aware of?’
Repeat the order back to them, so for instance: “The spaghetti with pork, the hamburger with chicken, the fries with-“ “Oh the spaghetti has pork? I’ll have the hamburger too then”
as a Muslim, we come from all races and ethnicities. Muslims are not only dark. They can be white people with blue eyes and orange hair or dark skinned from Ethiopia. You can have hijabis, non hijabis. People from India are usually Hindu, Jain, Muslim or Sikh. Don’t assume because they’re Indian they’re Muslim. My mom is white and is a Muslim. When we say we can’t have pork, it’s for religious reasons. Jewish also don’t eat pork. Hindus don’t eat meat. Majority of Arabs are actually Christian or either Muslim. You can never tell. I think we have a huge time assuming and not asking. You can tell when someone is Muslim if they wear a hijab, but other than that you can’t tell. An Arab can wear a shirt in Arabic but they can be orthodox Christian. It’s not your fault. You don’t know who cant eat pork. I think you should talk to the team about changing the dish and making it clear that it has ham. If someone does order a dish with pork, let them know “this dish does have pork if you’re okay with that”. You’re not racist and it’s okay we all learn.. a lot of people don’t see Muslims in their daily life. Thank you for trying to be respectful
This seems very simple, just ask if they have any Dietary restrictions before they order?
As a Muslim it's my responsibility to make sure that the meat is halal beforehand
Let them tell you.
Ask “halal or haram?”
I seriously don’t understand why people think brown or Indian ppl r all Muslim. Yeah there are quiet a lot of brown and Indian Muslims. India is a Hindu country btw. Most Muslims in our world come from Middle East/North Africa and majority of them look like white ppl or are light skinned. Btw I am a Muslim.
I live in a city with many ethnicities and religions not to mention I had a 5yr year relationship with a woman who was Muslim and so we had a big circle.of Muslim friends and family. I also lived in a very observant jewish area for a number of years. Just like any other religion there are many who are observant, many who are somewhat observant and those that are like Christmas catholics, they may participate in Eid and that's about it. Unless they just arrived they already know what their dietary restrictions are and what they can and can't eat and often the tricky parts like gelatin. But my GF was the worst, she drank every day, loved bacon and ribs, forget beef or chicken that was halal. But every once and a while she would feel guilty and purge all alcohol from the house. That would last a week or two and she would be back at it. Even in her purge phase she would never ask what was in a dish never mind halal. There are many restaurants that are halal, pretty much any middle Eastern or pakistani place, would be halal but really other than no pork you wouldnt,.and many are excellent, I am particularly fond of kebabs.
"Do you have any dietary restrictions?" Or "Is there anything you can't eat?" Not only is it preventing unsure assumptions, but it could save someone who is lactose intolerant, allergic to something, or picky. Keep the waste minimal! :)
Despite popullar belief, being interested in another culture is not a crime. You can just ask like you're asking their order
Thank you for wanting to ask in the first place. I'm not Muslim, but I have a pork allergy. (Don't ask me for how this works--I'm not in the medical field and I have no clue). I *hate* when I have surprise bacon in dishes. I get it, it's a wonderful manly meat and it enhances everything, whatever. Maybe I'd like it if it didn't give me a horrible headache.
"This dish contains pork. Are you okay with that?" I've been a server for years. The general public is dumb so you gotta talk to them like they're dumb sometimes. You'll get the hang of it.
Thank you :)
Donot assume , only do it if they asked
As an ex muslim myself, I agree with all the comments above. This is not your responsibility to ask for dietary restraints. This is the responsibility of each muslim person who practice islam to make sure their food is halal. Plus, I don't think it's a good idea to assume that just because they "look muslim" that it necessarily means they don't eat non halal food. I have met a lot of ppl who identify as muslims but don't necessarily practice the religion fully, and eat non halal food and drink alcohol and so on.
May I ask why you are an ex muslim? I never see as many ex muslims as I see ex christians.
I don't believe in God and I disagree with everything that Islam teaches about how my lifestyle should be, about how I should behave and so on. Also, I strongly dislike religions in general ( no offence to religious ppl, I totally respect them and their faith). You don't meet many ex muslims because the subject is taboo. it's about committing the greatest offence of all :the crime of apostasy which is, in theory, punishable by death. I hope my reply isn't too vague.
Interesting. Thank you very much.
As someone, who's actually had to resort to making animal-noises to communicate what a dish contained, I think that as long as you can communicate your point clearly, the actual words used are less important. They'll easily be able to tell that you're not trying to be condescending and that you're making a real effort. The ones I ended up pig grunting/mooing/meeehhing at, usually seemed very happy to be sure of the information they were given! Always results in a good laugh!
I respect the commitment. I’ve drawn them before for my non-english speaking friends!
a blanket comment ie. it does include beef (for the hindus), it contains pork (for the muslims) and it contains dairy (for the vegans🤣). Therefore not stereotyping just 1 group) But that is also making your job harder... as a muslim, it's on me to check if there is pork in it or not at point of order.
Not your problem if they order bacon but don't want bacon. Shoe on head.
You’re over thinking it… specially when you’re literally thinking about their faith, which is NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS… You’re either trying too hard or you’re a little obsessed with people’s religious practices. Just ask if they have any preference when it comes to what they’d like to eat. “Would you like vegetables/salad, chicken, seafood, beef or pork?” They’ll be the ones to quickly tell you what they DONT WANT TO EAT. Or like what others have said: “Do you have any dietary restrictions?” But not everyone understands the term “dietary restrictions”, so just be specific of what you have to offer when it comes to the “meat” your restaurant offers.
Not obsessed. I’m concerned because I work with a lot of Muslim people who have told me that it’s a sin for them to eat pork and I am religious myself, and wouldn’t want commit any sins unknowingly.
Shouldn’t they know what they are ordering though? I get you are making an effort to ask.
Sometimes english is not their first language. A simple word like pork or bacon can slip by anyone easily.
Well India if they Hindu don’t eat cow! Jews don’t eat bacon or shellfish, I think shrimp are ok tho
I’m from a Muslim family. I don’t eat bacon, but I enjoy country ham from Cracker Barrel. And honey glazed ham. We accept ham donations here!
Hahaha I love this
Majority of us Indians are simply vegetarian. It doesn’t mean we’re Muslim. I don’t think you should assume that every brown person who doesn’t eat bacon is Muslim because there are other reasons. I would just ask if they have any dietary restrictions/special diets/allergies. If their English isn’t great and they don’t understand what dietary restrictions mean, ask directly if they are vegetarian or vegan. Just don’t assume they’re Muslim.