Your next trip to a restaurant in California could look a little different - even before you place your order. Beginning July 1, hundreds of chain restaurant locations across the state will be required to change their menus under a first-in-the-nation law aimed at helping guests with food allergies. The new rules mean customers at well-known chains, like Outback Steakhouse and Olive Garden, will begin seeing allergen information alongside iconic menu items. California's Senate Bill 68, known as the Allergen Disclosure for Dining Experiences (ADDE) Act, is meant for restaurant chains with 20 or more locations nationwide with at least one restaurant in the Golden State. Now, those chains will be required to say if a menu item has any of the FDA's nine major food allergens: milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans and sesame. California is the first state in the nation to require allergen disclosures directly to customers before they order, potentially setting a precedent that other states could choose to follow. This law does not apply to smaller restaurants or food trucks.

The allergy information will appear every way customers order food, whether that's with a printed menu, digital menu, online or at a kiosk. Caroline Menjivar, the California democrat who authored the legislation, said the bill was partially inspired by her experience living with food allergies - and aims to make dining out safer for others in the state. 'California will once again lead the nation by becoming the first state to mandate allergens be listed on menus for food facilities with 20 locations and above,' Menjivar said in a statement. According to Menjivar's office, almost four million California residents have potentially life-threatening food allergies, while the CDC estimates food allergies impact nearly 8 percent of US children as of 2024.

Restaurants may also share allergen details via QR codes or digital menus, but only if they also make a written version for customers who can't access the information electronically. A glaring flaw for some, however, is that this law does not require restaurants to warn about potential cross-contact from shared cooking equipment or preparation areas, focusing instead on allergens intentionally included as ingredients. Some shared their relief at the upcoming requirements, saying more states should follow California's example. 'As someone with 5 IgE-mediated food allergies who has gone into anaphylactic shock due to eating chicken I didn't know was cooked in sesame oil, I wish all restaurants would list out the ingredients,' author Chrissy Bernal told the Daily Mail.

'Every vacation I have taken in Europe restaurants there have an allergen key on every menu and every item states what allergens are in the dish,' one Reddit user said. 'I don’t see why that would be a problem here.' Many of the restaurant chains covered by California's new law already share allergen information with customers in some form. At Outback Steakhouse, customers can currently access an online allergen guide that names menu items with allergen risks, while the company advises guests with food allergies to notify their server before ordering.

Olive Garden has a similar practice, with allergen information listed on its website. 'Each of our managers has completed a food safety course, which includes basic information about food allergies, in addition to safe food handling practices,' the Italian chain's website states. 'Even with processes and procedures in place, we are mindful that we are not an allergen-free facility. As such, we cannot guarantee that any item is free of any allergen,' the statement continues. Many restaurants also ask guests with severe allergies to speak with a manager or server so kitchen staff can take added precautions while prepping their meal.