So it’s been a month since my last update, sorry about that! It’s been a whirlwind of a month, with Stellar coming up very soon, a few El Preggo issues here and there, and my son finally going to school!

But I do have some really happy updates!

Because of the amazing influence of social media, the managers and powers-that-be from Conti’s got wind of my blog entry about what happened with us at their restaurant. Barely one hour after I posted it, I already received messages saying they were forwarding the report to managers and owners of the establishment. Social media and your desire to help really made such a big difference, and I am so incredibly grateful!

The day after, I received a call from Michael Martinez, the Marketing Manager of Conti’s. He extended sincere apologies, asked some more questions about the situation, and invited me to lunch. I felt it was a good opportunity to get them to put words into action, so I agreed.

On the day of our meeting, I decided to stop by Cafe Mary Grace for some coffee and breakfast. I was extremely elated when right there, atop their pastry fridge, was this sign:

I asked when they started displaying this sign, and if it had been applied to all their branches. The server told me that they had just put it up that day, and that it was something all their branches were required to have. I left there with the biggest smile on my face. Whether or not this action had anything to do with our little blog entry, it felt good to have such a serious issue finally acknowledged and acted upon.

Conti’s was right across, and I walked over there really hopeful that my son’s battles with severe allergies would at least do some form of good for others. I met Michael, and he was gracious and very open, and seemed really willing to help rectify the situation.

We talked about what kind of steps they could take as a company to make sure allergy-related emergencies don’t happen again. Michael assured me that they were going to take the following steps:

1. Printing new menus that include allergen information. He assured me that they would be available in all the stores by the end of July.
2. Their Research and Development group were going to create a special non-allergen menu that servers could refer to each time they encountered a customer with special dietary needs.
3. They were going to give their frontliners a refresher course in allergen awareness.

We are currently waiting for more updates, and are looking forward to see their plans come to fruition.

In the meantime, people have been reporting different steps that other establishments are taking towards being more allergy-friendly. My friend Vicky told me that she was asked by a server in Sarsa if she had any allergies that they needed to be aware of. Even that small act made me feel so happy!

And then today, my husband sent me these photos taken by his colleagues:

This is all I have for now! But it makes me beyond happy that slowly but surely, we are working towards a world where my son doesn’t have to be afraid for his life whenever he eats out, one small step at a time.