Anyone afflicted with food allergies knows all too well how difficult it can be to eat when away from home. Convention consuites can be even worse since there is often no way to know what will be served or how it is prepared. When we ask questions about the ingredients or if they have an alternate item, we are seen as being persnickety and overly picky about free food. Even worse, some people will view us as though we have a privilege complex. To combat these issues, we usually bring our own food with us, research local restaurants, and eat only what and where we know it’s safe.
As a person with severe food allergies, I understand the problems. In That Ain’t Quite Right Café and Bar, we work hard to ensure you, the attendee of LibertyCon, have the best possible food experience. Although we cannot guarantee there won’t be any cross-contamination, we do our best to keep specific items labeled and in some cases separated.
Last year we tested stepping away from being a totally peanut-free convention and reintroduced PB&J sandwiches. Those sandwiches were kept separated during production, packaging, and serving. This gave as much containment as possible for those who are allergic to peanuts and legumes. There were no peanut-related allergy issues during the convention or after, that we are aware of. We will continue offering these sandwiches going forward while continuing to be as diligent as possible to ensure the safety of our attendees.
Peanuts aren’t the only allergen we look out for. Our prep room has a gluten-free shelf and a toaster labeled Gluten-Free Only. Dairy-free options are always available upon request, and we usually have a few servings of some items available for those with specific food allergens such as onion, celery, and cucumber.
The list goes on and on for food allergens. While we can’t and don’t guarantee your allergen isn’t present, we will have the recipes for most items served within our consuite available upon request. If you want to know if you can eat an item we are serving, please ask a consuite staff member and they can get the list for you. Our staff is always available to answer questions and help find items you can eat. If you have questions before the convention, please reach out to us by email at hospitality@libertycon.org.
So when you feel the need, stop by, grab a bite, and stay awhile at That Ain’t Quite Right Café and Bar. We look forward to helping you keep your energy up with tasty and varied options throughout LibertyCon.