A guest has an allergy to lemon zest; how should you handle a dish that requires lemon zest for flavor?

• A. Remove lemon zest during plating and hope for no cross-contact.
• B. Serve as-is and note the allergy.
• C. Confirm with kitchen that the dish can be prepared without lemon zest and avoid cross-contact.
• D. Substitute with lemon juice and continue.

Answer: (C)

Allergen safety in service means you must involve the kitchen to remove the allergen and prevent cross-contact. In this case, you should confirm with the kitchen that the dish can be prepared without lemon zest and that every step of the prep uses clean equipment, a separate prep area if needed, and fresh ingredients to avoid any zest traces. This careful coordination protects the guest and ensures the dish is truly free of the allergen, while also giving clear instructions to the front-of-house team.

Removing the zest during plating doesn’t address potential contamination that already happened earlier in prep, and simply noting the allergy doesn’t change how the dish is made. Serving as-is risks a reaction, and substituting with lemon juice may still introduce citrus-related proteins and cross-contact, and it changes the dish’s profile without guaranteeing safety.