How To Make An Allergic Reaction Claim Against Beefeater

Beefeater Food Allergy And Illness Compensation Claims

If you’re looking into making an allergic reaction claim against Beefeater, you or someone you are responsible for may have suffered a reaction due to the restaurant’s negligence. We have created this guide to explain what you may need to know before making a claim, and how we could help you start your journey to compensation.

Allergic Reaction Claim Against Beefeater

Beefeater allergy compensation claims guide

In the sections below, we explain what legal obligations restaurants have towards customers with allergies. We also answer frequently asked questions about claims for food allergies, including what situations could lead to a claim and how courts and lawyers arrive at compensation amounts for personal injury claims. We also explain how restaurants should take steps to protect their customers from suffering allergic reactions by consuming their food.

If you feel ready to begin a claim right away, or are seeking free legal advice, our advisors would be only too happy to speak to you. You can call us at any time on 0161 696 9685 to have your questions answered, or for us to connect you with a lawyer who could help you.

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A Guide On An Allergic Reaction Claim Against Beefeater

If you’ve suffered an allergic reaction after eating at a Beefeater restaurant, you may be under the assumption that there would be nothing you could do about it. After all, not everyone suffers from allergies, and you may think Beefeater has done their best to protect you from harm while dining with them. 

But what if they have been negligent in not informing you about allergens in their dishes that may cause allergic reactions? And what happens if you ask for a dish to be amended to leave out an allergen, and they ignore your request, causing an allergic reaction? Could you make an allergic reaction claim against Beefeater? And what would that involve?

The truth is, restaurants and other food service providers have a legal responsibility to give accurate allergen information to customers. If they fail to do so, they could be held liable for an allergic reaction and you could make a personal injury claim against them. 

The information in this guide could help you assess whether you could claim and show you how to get started. Whether you have a lupin allergy, a fruit allergy or a gluten allergy, the sections below describe the types of symptoms you could suffer and the levels of compensation you could claim. 

If there’s anything in this guide you’d like to learn more about, or you’re looking for free legal advice, you can call our team at any time. They’d be happy to assess your case and get you connected with a solicitor who could help you get the compensation you deserve.

Grill Restaurant Compensation Calculator

If you’re thinking about making an allergic reaction claim, you might want to get an idea of how much compensation your claim could be worth. 

When courts and lawyers calculate compensation payouts for personal injury claims, they do so by assessing all the unique facts and circumstances of the case. This is why a personal injury claims calculator might not offer you an accurate figure. It would be unable to assess your case on its specific facts and circumstances.

When it comes to evidencing a Beefeater nut allergy claim, or a claim for any other allergic reaction, you’d need to provide medical evidence. So as part of your claim, you’d need to visit an independent medical expert, who could write a medical report after examining you, to verify your injuries and give their professional opinion on your prognosis. 

This could be used by solicitors and courts to come to a value for your claim. They could also consult the Judicial College Guidelines, a publication detailing the values of a range of injuries, to hone in on an appropriate level of compensation. 

We have provided some figures from this publication relating to injuries that could connect to an allergic reaction claim.

Injury/IllnessRemarksCompensation Guideline Bracket
Illness from non-traumatic injury (iv)Disabling pain, cramping and diarrhoea at varying levels for days or even weeks.Up to £3,710
Illness from non-traumatic injury (iii)Alteration of bowel function, cramping and fatigue. Sufferers may need to be treated in hospital. A full recovery within 1-2 years.£3,710 to £8,950
Illness from non-traumatic injury (ii)Serious short lived poisoning. The most severe symptoms of which could dissipate within 2-4 weeks but there would be a continuing impact on bowel function, and the injured party’s ability to enjoy a normal sex life or enjoy their food for a few years.£8,950 to £18,020
Illness from non-traumatic injury (i)Toxicosis which is severe. Injured parties could experience acute serious pain, diarrhoea and fever. They may need hospital treatment for some days or weeks. Their ability to work and enjoy life could be affected.£36,060 to £49,270
Mental AnguishFearing death, or a reduction in their life expectancy could cause mental anguish.£4,380

For a more accurate assessment in line with your own circumstances, we need to learn more about your case. Why not give us a call?

Further Damages Awarded For Allergic Reactions To Food

When you make an allergic reaction claim, you may find you are eligible to claim different types of compensation. We explain more about these below.

General Damages

The compensation amounts you could receive for the physical and mental pain and suffering you’ve experienced are known as general damages. Examples of this sort of payout can be found in the table above this section.

Special Damages

The effects of an allergic reaction at a Beefeater grill restaurant may not be purely physical. You could also incur losses and costs because of such an incident. Special damages compensate victims of personal injury for out-of-pocket expenses and financial loss, including those below.

Income Loss

If you need to take time off work to recover from your allergic reaction, you might lose out on pay. If you do, you could recoup these losses through your claim.

Medical Costs

Some medical costs pertaining to an allergic reaction may include prescription fees and the like. You could also claim these as special damages.

Care Costs

If you need help at home with daily tasks such as washing, dressing or feeding because of your illness, you could claim care costs as special damages too.

Travel Costs

It could be possible for you to recoup the costs you incur travelling to medical appointments or to meet with your lawyer.

What Is An Allergic Reaction Claim Against Beefeater?

If you’ve had an allergic reaction, this may mean your body is hypersensitive to certain foods. When this occurs, it is because the immune system sees something as a threat, and launches antibodies as a response. This could cause symptoms ranging from mild to life-threatening.

You may already have heard about people who have a seafood allergy, or an egg allergy, for example, but there are lots of other types of food allergy you could suffer from, including:

  • Milk allergy
  • Celery allergy
  • Fish allergy
  • Cereal allergy
  • Mustard allergy
  • Shellfish allergy
  • Sulphur dioxide allergy

What Type Of Allergic Reaction Could I Suffer?

There are different types of allergic reaction you could suffer, which include:

IgE-Mediated Reactions

If you’ve suffered an allergic reaction such as hives, this could be an IgE-mediated reaction. Other symptoms of IgE reactions could include:

  • Tingling/itching in the mouth
  • Swelling of the body, throat, face or mouth
  • Feeling lightheaded/dizzy
  • Difficulties swallowing
  • Wheezing/shortness of breath
  • Vomiting/nausea
  • Hay fever symptoms, such as itchy eyes or sneezing
  • Abdominal pain/diarrhoea

Non-IgE-mediated Reactions

These reactions usually show symptoms some time after eating/drinking foods you are allergic to. They could include:

  • Atopic eczema
  • Constipation
  • Cramps in the abdomen
  • Itchiness and redness of the skin
  • Vomiting

Anaphylaxis

This is a severe reaction that could be life-threatening if not treated. Symptoms could include collapsing, feeling faint, a tight chest, swelling of the tongue and difficulty swallowing and breathing.

Avoiding An Allergic Reaction

People with known food allergies generally take great care when eating in restaurants to avoid having an allergic reaction. They could check the restaurant’s allergy menu or ask the servers for foods that are safe to eat. They could even ask that a dish is specially prepared without including a certain ingredient.

If a restaurant was negligent in providing correct allergen information or ignored a request for something to be omitted from a meal and you can prove it, you could be eligible to make an allergic reaction claim, whether your allergic reaction was life-threatening or minor.

What Allergy Warning Information Should Restaurants Provide?

It is a restaurant’s legal duty to provide customers with information on 14 major allergens in its foods. According to the guidance at food.gov.uk, restaurants could do so by:

  • Writing a visible sign that tells customers where to find allergen information
  • Putting together an allergen information pack, an allergen menu, providing details of allergens on the main menu, or writing them on a chalkboard

Government advice for staff communicating allergen information verbally says that they should be able to back up any verbal information with written details.

Negligent Practices In Food Safety

The Food Safety Act 1990 protects restaurant-goers from damage, loss or personal injury caused by unsafe food or food that is not as described. This means you could make an allergic reaction claim if a restaurant:

  • Does not provide accurate written allergen information, causing an allergic reaction.
  • Fails to comply with a request for an allergen to be left out of your meal if they agreed to uphold the request, or fails to tell you they cannot comply, causing an allergic reaction.
  • Cross-contaminates your food with an allergen you’ve asked to be omitted from your food.

If you’re unsure about whether you could have a valid claim for compensation, our advisors could provide free legal advice to you over the phone. They could also connect you with a personal injury lawyer from our panel to help you.

What Allergens Could I Request A Restaurant Remove From My Dish?

Whether you suffer from nut allergies, a gluten allergy, or another type of allergy, you might see a dish on the menu you believe could be altered to make it safe. If so, you could ask for your meal to be prepared with no nuts, no oats, no milk, no wheat, no tomatoes, no cheese, no fish or no eggs.

Government advice says restaurants can try and comply with such requests where possible. However, they’re under no obligation to do so and should tell you right away if they cannot so you can order something else.

How You Could Be Affected By An Allergic Reaction

If staff cannot remove an allergen from your meal, they should inform you, so you could then choose another dish. If they ignore your request for the removal of allergens or fail to tell you they cannot comply, you could have an allergic reaction. This could constitute negligence by the restaurant.

Not only could this cause you to suffer the physical symptoms of an allergic reaction, but it could affect you mentally. You may lose faith in your ability to eat out safely in restaurants again after such an incident.

So long as an allergic reaction has caused you to suffer, you could seek compensation from a negligent restaurant. If you would like our advice about what could justify an allergic reaction claim against Beefeater, why not ask for a free assessment of your case today?

Are You Eligible If You Did Not Inform Staff About Your Allergy?

You may assume you wouldn’t be able to make an allergic reaction claim if you haven’t communicated your allergies to the restaurant. However, this may not be the case. There are 14 allergens that a restaurant must inform you of in writing if they are present in their foods. These include:

  1. Lupin
  2. Fish
  3. Sulphur dioxide/sulphites
  4. Crustacean
  5. Tree nuts
  6. Sesame
  7. Molluscs
  8. Mustard
  9. Cereals with gluten in
  10. Eggs
  11. Celery
  12. Soybeans
  13. Peanuts
  14. Milk

If you can prove that a restaurant was negligent in informing you of allergens in your food, and you suffered an allergic reaction, you could be eligible to claim compensation.

For example, you may decide you don’t need to tell the restaurant about your allergies because they’ve already given you a menu distinguishing meals with allergens. If you chose a meal based on that information but had an allergic reaction because of cross-contamination or because the menu was inaccurate, you could claim.

This could also be true if a server advised you (incorrectly) on dishes with allergens before you had a chance to tell them of your allergies.

Rates Of Food Allergies In The UK

Allergy UK has reported that allergies are amongst the most common chronic conditions experienced across Europe. An estimated indirect annual cost of between EUR 55bn and 151bn relates to the failure to properly treat allergies in the EU.

When it comes to the UK, Allergy UK reports that more than 20% of the population has an allergic condition, with 44% of British adults having at least one allergy. They also state that 1 to 10% of the UK population has a food hypersensitivity. Of particular concern are younger children, as they have a higher incidence rate (5 to 8% in toddlers) as opposed to adults (1 to 2%).

Does Beefeater Have An Allergy-Friendly Menu?

There is a Beefeater allergy menu on the company’s website. However, we would urge you to check for up-to-date information when visiting a restaurant if you have a wheat allergy, soy allergy or another type of allergy. The information on the Beefeater allergy 2019 menu may not reflect what is contained on today’s menu.

Below, we have taken some information from the company’s website about dishes that may contain allergens. While this was correct at the time of writing, we would still advise you to check with the restaurant before ordering:

Beefeater Breakfast Allergy Menu

  • Cereals
  • Organic Yoghurts
  • Croissants
  • Pains au Chocolat
  • Toast

Starters

  • Cauliflower Popcorn
  • Crispy Flat Cap Mushrooms
  • Loaded Potato Dippers
  • Salt and Pepper Calamari
  • Buttermilk Chicken Goujons

Mains

  • Salad with Grilled Chicken
  • Smothered Chicken Melt
  • Battered Haddock & Chips

Burgers

  • Double Bacon & Cheese Beef Steak Burger
  • Sloppy Joes Vegan Burger
  • Grilled Chicken, Bacon & Avocado Burger

Puddings

  • Vanilla Dairy Ice Cream
  • Meringue Kisses
  • Sticky Toffee Pudding
  • Chocolate Torte
  • Black Forest Sundae
  • Churros Chocolate Sundae

No Win No Fee Allergic Reaction Claim Against Beefeater

Would you like a solicitor to help you with an allergic reaction claim? If so, you could engage the services of a personal injury lawyer from our panel on a No Win No Fee basis. What this means is that you don’t pay them legal fees until your compensation comes through.

How The Process Works

Generally, No Win No Fee claims work as follows:

  • Your personal injury solicitor would ask you to sign a No Win No Fee agreement. This would give them your consent to pay a small success fee out of your compensation payout if it comes through. The fee is a small percentage of your total payout, and it is legally capped. It is used to cover your lawyer’s fees.
  • When you sign and return the agreement, your solicitor can start working on your claim. They would build a case on your behalf and try to negotiate a settlement for you. If the restaurant refuses or disputes your claim, your lawyer could help you take your case to court.
  • When the liable party pays your compensation, the lawyer would deduct their success fee, leaving the balance to benefit you.

What Happens If My Beefeater Allergy Claim Fails?

If your claim ends without compensation, you might be worried about how to settle the success fee, but this would not be an issue. You don’t pay the success fee if your lawyer doesn’t get you compensation. You don’t have to cover your lawyer’s costs either.

To learn more about No Win No Fee agreements, you can read our useful guide, or call us to have your questions answered.

Contact An Advisor

If you can prove you have a justifiable allergic reaction claim against Beefeater, and you’d like to benefit from free legal advice, our advisors could help. We’d be happy to talk to you about your claim and answer any questions you might have. We could even connect you with a lawyer from our panel who could help you begin your journey to compensation. To reach the Advice.co.uk team, simply:

We’d be happy to hear from you.

Related Allergy Claim Resources

Managing Food Allergies As a Young Person – The Food Standards Agency offers advice to young people on managing food allergies.

Allergies And Intolerances – The FSA also provides information on what allergen information food businesses should provide to their customers.

The Science Behind Allergy And Intolerance – The British Nutrition Foundation provides information on the science behind intolerance and allergy.

How Much Compensation Could I Claim – This general guide on allergy claims contains some information you may find useful.

Food Poisoning Case Study – You can read about a case involving food poisoning at a restaurant here.

More Information On Calculating Compensation Payouts – We look in detail at how compensation payouts are calculated in this guide.

FAQs On Food Allergies

How Will You Manage Food Allergy Safety?

If you’re a restaurant owner, it’s important for you to manage food allergy safety to avoid the risk of a customer suffering an allergic reaction. You should read all the government guidance on food.gov.uk, train your staff in allergy awareness, and ensure that protocols are in place to avoid cross-contamination of foods.

What Is The Best Treatment For Food Allergies?

While some symptoms of allergic reactions go away over time, some may require medical treatment. Depending on the type or severity of the allergic reaction, initial treatment might involve an antihistamine or anti-inflammatory medication. For more serious allergies, patients might require steroids. For anaphylaxis, treatment could involve adrenaline.

What Should You Do If A Customer Tells You They Have A Food Allergy?

If a customer in a restaurant approaches staff to tell them of a nut allergy, dairy allergy, or any other allergy, the allergy information they give should be taken seriously. You should provide information regarding the allergens present in the dishes you serve.

You should also inform them if there are any dishes that may contain allergens. If a customer requests a dish to be prepared without an ingredient, you should aim to comply with that request if you are able. If not, you should inform the customer so they could choose a dish that would be safe for them to consume.

What Are The Allergen Steps Of Service?

To avoid the risk of a customer with allergies suffering an allergic reaction, you should follow these steps when preparing their foods:

  • Cleaning any utensils you use before every use, especially if they were previously used to prepare dishes with allergens
  • Washing hands well before preparing dishes without allergens
  • Storing prepared foods and ingredients in closed, carefully labelled containers
  • Ensuring foods containing allergens are kept away from other ingredients
  • Using different oils for customers with allergies

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