Handling allergen questions on the phone, safely

Who should answer allergen questions in a restaurant?

Someone with current kitchen knowledge, named in advance, with a defined stand-in when they are not on. Not whoever picks up, and not an automated system.

The reason is that the honest answer depends on today: the supplier, the substitution somebody made at eleven, and which surfaces were used. That is a kitchen question, not a menu question, and the menu is what everyone else has access to.

Why should an AI assistant never answer an allergen question?

Because the worst case is unbounded and the best case saves half a minute. Being right ninety-nine times does not offset being wrong once when the consequence is somebody in hospital.

Partial answers are the trap. Telling a caller a dish is probably fine and then transferring has already given them the answer they will act on.

If you use any assistant on your line, ask the vendor to show you this refusal in writing and to say whether it is enforced or merely requested in a prompt.

What should the phone script be?

Stop, say plainly that allergen questions go to a named person, and transfer or take a number for a call back within a stated time. No reassurance in the meantime.

Write it down and put it by the phone. Under pressure people default to being helpful, and being helpful is exactly the failure here.