Family Life

Celebrating the Holidays with Food Allergies #TheKeg

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Can you believe there are only two weeks left to go? Eek!

Things are looking pretty Christmassy around here! Our lights are up, the tree is decorated, and Mr. Snowman greets everyone who comes to the door. I wanna be clear though, there’s still lots left to do. I need to find the perfect pair of roller blades for Tee, and Kay has her heart set on a queen doll with a crown and real hair to brush. Oh, and my dad. (Why are dads so hard to shop for?) But still, I like to celebrate the small successes, and getting the decorations up is definitely one of them!

It’s a bit of a family tradition for us to kick off the holiday season with a nice family dinner, but the food allergies and intolerances in our family can often get in the way of that. Hubby can’t eat gluten or cow dairy, Kay is allergic to shellfish, and those limitations take a lot of things literally off the table when we want to go out to celebrate.

That’s why we’re grateful to have The Keg Steakhouse nearby. It’s always a popular choice with us for the delicious food, family-friendly atmosphere, and because we know there are plenty of safe choices on the menu for everyone to enjoy. Last weekend, after we put the lights up and decorated the tree, we made our way down to our local neighbourhood Keg restaurant.

The girls asked to wear their holiday dresses for dinner, and of course I said yes. (We didn’t actually have to wait for our table – we just wanted to take a picture of these happy faces!)

Our friendly hostess made sure that our table was kid-friendly as soon as we sat down. She removed the girls’ steak knives, gave us the choice between glass or plastic cups, and set the girls up with activity placemats, crayons, and the kid’s menu. This was a special occasion, so the girls got to order yummy peach smoothies with dinner. How do I know they’re yummy? Well, I might have sneaked a few sips in along the way. Around our house, we call it the “mommy tax.”

When we told our server that Kay was allergic to shellfish, the kitchen manager came out to reassure us that he had alerted the kitchen staff and would have them bake her fries to avoid any cross-contamination issues. That’s another reason I love to eat here – I can relax knowing The Keg takes Kay’s safety seriously.

Gluten-free items are clearly marked on the menu, and there are so many safe choices. Hubby is an especially big fan of The Keg because he knows he won’t get stuck with a limited menu of salads. He can eat almost everything here!

Hubby and I had steaks, and I shared some creme brulee with the girls for dessert. It seemed only fair seeing how I had helped myself to some of their smoothies earlier. I have to admit it was a little hard to share though. Creme brulee is kind of a weakness of mine, and The Keg makes it perfectly! Next time I might come just for the dessert.

But the best part of our family dinner at The Keg was getting to spend the evening relaxing, talking about our plans for the Christmas holidays, and sharing food without any worry about allergens hiding in our meals. Look at those smiles. Trust me, that’s a gift in and of itself!

Speaking of gifts, one of the best gifts we got last Christmas was from hubby’s sister who gave us a gift card for The Keg along with a hand drawn coupon for babysitting. What a perfect pairing! I might just steal that idea this year when I’m finishing up my own Christmas list.

The Keg is a great choice for celebrating the holidays (and year round), especially if you’re dealing with food allergies. See if there’s a location near you and connect on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

Disclosure: I partnered with YMC and The Keg and received compensation for this post. Nevertheless, all opinions expressed are honest and based on my personal experience. Your experience may differ.

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86 Comments

  • I love that your girls wore their holiday dresses.
    I also was surprised that they could accommodate a seafood allergy, since there is so much seafood on the menu which I love.

  • The dreaded unlimited menu of salads? Lol, my husband would agree as he would want an unlimited menu of steaks. The Keg has a wonderful menu – I would order the salmon (and a salad). Thank you.

  • We love going to the Keg as well! It’s our go to spot for steaks and it is very family friendly while still maintaining a classy ambience.

  • Sounds like it was a fun night out! I’ve never taken our kiddos to the keg, but have elsewhere. Love when we get to eat out because I feel it gives us the opportunity to sit and talk with each other and not get distracted by the busyness of life!

  • Your hubby’s sister and my sister think alike! Mine gave me Keg GCs for my birthday this year! She knows how much we love to go there and I appreciate it so much too. Gotta love our sisters!

  • Great write up. I like to take my son here. I also am glad that my sister can now come with us as she has severe food allergies.

  • Nobody offers a better steak dinner than The KEG but they offer something even better for me and that’s steak and lobster. Surf and Turf is my favorite meal and at The Keg they always seem to cook it to perfection. I love how they make sure to care for individuals who need special meal requests or allergies.

  • This is one of our favourite places to eat out as a family. Even with a variety of preferences and food sensitivities/allergies, everyone can have a delicious dinner.

  • Being retired and living on a fixed pension doesn’t leave much room to eat out very much It would be nice to use this on our Anniversary with my sweetheart of 51 years

  • The Keg is my husbands favorite restaurant. We have never had a bad experience there. It is great that they are so accommodating to their customers!

  • I like that the kitchen manager came out to reassure you about your daughters fries that the kitchen staff will avoid any cross-contamination issues.

  • The Keg is a great place to take my family and friends. We always have a special night out at The Keg and enjoy family time!

  • Oh, I just love The Keg. I haven’t been there in so long. Their food is delicious and it’s so great that they are considerate of someone with food allergies.

  • I’m glad they gave you such a great experience for your family. Love to go with my husband-we have never been to The Keg before.

  • I like going to The Keg because it is just fancy enough to feel like a real date night without completely breaking the bank. And I love a good steak. I am happy to hear they take allergies so seriously. I will spread the word about this; everyone needs a place they can have a nice meal without worrying about hospitalization!

  • Your happy faces and the choices on the menu, make me want to go to #TheKeg even more~~~!!! Gluten free and shell fish free are real concerns in our family!!

  • My mother and I have been going to the Keg every year on her birthday for almost twenty years. We have come to know and enjoy many of the great staff, who go out of their way to make it a great dining experience

  • I agree. It is a wonderful dining experience you get from The Keg. With these thoughtful gestures they have, it just goes to show how much they care about their customers. ?

  • We love The Keg, just don’t go often because it is above our eating out budget. But when we do get there the food is always amazing! Looks like you had a nice dinner out with your family.

  • Thankfully our family doesn’t have any allergies, but it gives me great peace of mind that The Keg goes above & beyond to give patrons the valuable treatment they deserve. Your post shows me they put customers needs first & take their commitment to exceptional service seriously.. and for that I give The Keg 5 stars!

  • We too love The Keg for family celebrations! Luckily we don’t have many food allergies in our family but I love that they have many options for those with food sensitivities. It was so awesome to hear that the kitchen manager also came out to reassure you too. We definitely need to drop by The Keg during this holiday season!

  • I was just at the Keg last week. What I like about it the most is that it seems to be very consistent between all their restaurants — and their steaks and prime rib is always good. And definitely like their creme brulee too!