When customers with allergies dine out, who's responsible for their safety?

Cooking, serving, under arrest? Thecase of the arrestedQuebec waiterhassparked debate about how the restaurant industrygrapples with the nearly impossible task of safelyfeedingcustomers with allergies.

Toronto's Terroni restaurants have an allergy protocol:when a customer says they have an allergy, thewaiter tells a manager, whomust approve their order.

When the server gets the OKtoenterthe order, they must include an allergy alert. Thisgets printed on achit and sent to the kitchen in red print rather than black. Managers then check in on the meal while it's being made.

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Customers are supposed to be asked about allergiesseveral times, from when they make a reservationto when they order. A call-out for allergies is printed on the menu.

But even with the best intentions, Terroni owner Cosimo Mammoliti said, mistakes happen.

"If you have a really severe allergy ... we make sure we tell the person [it's] never 100 per cent," he said, noting that food can be cross-contaminated.

Terroni is known for its strict no-substitutions policy. Mammoliti said one of the reasons for the policy is to avoid any foodmix-upsthat could lead to allergic reactions. If someone is allergic to an ingredient in a dish, the waiter will suggest something else on the menu.

Joint responsibility?

In the Quebec case, some say the waiter is toblame. ButMammoliti said the news of the 22-year-old's arrestcame as a shock. Heargues the responsibility restsjust as much on the customer.

"If I have a personal allergy that is deadly and I'm going out to eat, I am going to be pretty clear explaining how serious my allergy is," saidMammoliti, whose child had an allergy.

"They just have to be very clear, look at the waiter, get his or her attention ... it will stay with the server."

Jen Agg, who runs a handful of restaurants and bars includingthe Black Hoof in Toronto and Agrikol in Montreal, agrees the customer has a responsibility.

"Servers aren't mind readers," she told CBC News in an email. "But once told, everyone in the kitchen and even the other servers are informed and of courseit's written on the ticket. We take it seriously, we want people to have a great experience, not an allergic reaction."

Agg who has an allergy to cucumbers said her teamlooks at how to accommodate dishes for allergic dinerson a case-by-case basis, depending on what they ordered.

Jen McDonnell frequently goes out to eat buthas asevere allergy to soy products. She putsthe responsibility on herself.

"I'm choosing to eat out," she told CBC News. "I bring my EpiPen and I hope for the best."

McDonnell has had two notable allergic reactions one at an Asian restaurant, the other at a Toronto street food festival where her eyes started swelling, her throat closedup and she had to go to the hospital. She had warned the food providers abouther allergies.

Nowshe sticks to restaurants she knows.

"It's restrictive and it's terrible because I love eating out [but]leaving it to a restaurant and leaving it to a waiter is not always possible."

Can't deliver? Don't promise

Laurie Harada takes it a step further. Harada,the executive director of Food Allergy Canada,has a son with severe allergies.

"It all starts with the top,"she said, calling out restaurateurs, management and kitchen staff. "It's all about the communication and making sure it's clear and not promising if you can't deliver."

Harada said restaurants must make sure their servers are properly trained to handle customers who have allergies. She said it isnot mandatory for restaurants to give all their staff training about allergies and that it is noticeable when they don't.

Thatmeans looking out for waiters who are overconfident in their knowledge of the ingredients of the menu itemsand don't checkwithkitchen staff. This has caused Harada problemswhile dining outwith her son.

An estimated 2.5 million Canadians reporthaving a food allergy.

Haradasaid this means restaurants should make allergies a priority,just like they do for hygiene and making sure that theirfoodis properly handled.

"There's a huge responsibility."