Dietary Requirements & Allergies

🍽 Dietary Requirements & Allergies

Our Approach to Guest Wellbeing & Seamless Service

At Vivre Catering, we take dietary requirements and allergies seriously. Whether it’s a life-threatening allergy, a cultural or religious requirement, or a personal preference, our goal is to make every guest feel cared for — without disrupting the flow of service or the enjoyment of the event.

We work with clients early in the planning process to understand guest needs and engineer the menu accordingly. This allows us to design dishes that naturally accommodate key dietary groups, reducing the need for too many separate meals and ensuring smoother, more elegant service.

✅ Early Communication = Better Solutions

We request dietary and allergy information as early as possible — even as a first draft. This gives our chefs the opportunity to:

• Design menu options that are inclusive (e.g. vegan entrées that work for everyone) 
• Reduce the number of special plates needed 
• Plan kitchen operations for efficient and accurate execution 

We understand that guest information can change close to the event. We always try to accommodate last-minute changes, but our preference is to lock in final dietary details at least 10 days before the event. This helps us purchase ingredients and schedule kitchen prep with precision.

🧠 How We Categorize Dietary Needs

We group guest requirements into four categories, each treated with a different level of care and planning:

Category	Examples	Our Approach
Severe Allergies	e.g. nuts, shellfish, gluten (coeliac)	Prepped, cooked, and plated separately
Intolerances	e.g. dairy, mild gluten, FODMAP	Managed via recipe adjustments
Religious / Ethical	e.g. vegetarian, halal, no pork	Covered through menu engineering
Preferences	e.g. keto, low carb, “no onion”	Managed where possible if flagged early

All our meat is halal-sourced, but our kitchen is not halal certified. If a guest requires certified halal preparation, we can arrange for it to be prepared externally through an accredited partner.

👨‍🍳 Kitchen & Service Standards

We follow clear procedures to ensure accuracy and safety:

• Dedicated prep and plating areas for allergy and dietary meals 
• Separate kitchen equipment used for severe allergies 
• Mise en place clearly labeled and tracked per guest 
• Final check by the Executive Chef or a senior kitchen lead before meals go out 
• Hot holding and plating kept separate until service 

🍽 Service Style: How We Handle Dietary Requests

1. Set Menu (Same Dish for All)

We serve a separate plated meal for each dietary guest, based on the final list.

2. Set Menu with Alternate Drop

Guests with dietary needs are identified by seat number or with dietary cards. We deliver the correct meal discreetly.

3. Set Menu with Pre-Ordered Choices

We ask for a guest list with seat numbers and selections in advance. Dietary meals are flagged and handled accordingly.

4. Set Menu with Free Seating

We issue discreet dietary cards for guests to place on their table. This allows us to identify and serve them efficiently without disrupting flow (especially useful during speeches or awards).

5. Buffets & Family Style

We label each dish with clear food tags showing dietary suitability and common allergens. Our menus are designed to include something for everyone, and we prepare separate plated meals for guests who cannot eat anything from the buffet.

6. Canapés

All canapé trays are labeled, and dietary-specific canapés are served on separate trays to avoid cross-contamination. Our service team is fully briefed, and supervisors are always on the floor to assist with guest questions.

✍️ Final Sign-Off & Guest List

All dietary and allergy information is captured in our Banquet Event Order (BEO). We encourage clients to review and sign off the final version, which includes:

• Final dietary list 
• Seating map (if available) 
• Menu selections 
• Any special meal instructions 

If seating is free or unclear, we recommend issuing dietary cards to guests.

We can also prepare additional meals (“overage”) at a per-plate cost, for events where the guest list is fluid or dietary information is uncertain.

⚠️ Allergen Disclaimer

While we take the utmost care in managing food allergies — including the use of separate preparation zones and equipment — please note that our kitchen is not a certified allergen-free environment. We regularly handle ingredients such as gluten, dairy, nuts, soy, shellfish, and other common allergens.

Despite our best efforts to prevent cross-contamination, we cannot guarantee that any dish is completely free of trace allergens. As such, we cannot be held responsible for any allergic reactions that may occur.

Guests with life-threatening allergies are strongly encouraged to inform us clearly in advance so that we can take all possible extra precautions. However, consumption remains at the individual’s own risk.

If you have questions about how we manage dietary needs or would like help engineering your menu to suit your group, we’re happy to work with you from day one. Our job is to make sure everyone is safe, satisfied, and impressed.