Allergies and Dining with Peace of Mind: Omi Bar Nadeshico's Commitment to Care

2026/8/10

Bringing the Bounty of Omi to Every Guest: Dine with Confidence at Omi Bar Nadeshico

Here in Kusatsu, Shiga, we wanted to create a place where everyone can casually enjoy the fresh bounty of Omi in a fun, bar-style setting. That's how Omi Bar Nadeshico was born. Our greatest wish is to share the authentic charm of Shiga's prized ingredients—from locally grown Omi vegetables to Omi beef raised in its rich natural environment—with as many guests as possible.

Located just a short walk from Kusatsu Station's East Exit, we welcome guests for all kinds of occasions: a drink after work, an anniversary with a loved one, a girls' night out, a birthday celebration, or even large parties and private events. We are constantly striving to be a place where you can savor the flavors of Omi to your heart's content and spend time filled with smiles.

However, there is something we value just as much as serving delicious food: food safety and security. We understand that for guests with food allergies, dining out can sometimes be a source of anxiety. At Omi Bar Nadeshico, we are sincerely committed to allergy management so that all our guests can dine with peace of mind and enjoyment.

Allergies and Food Safety: The Challenge We Face

In recent years, the number of people with food allergies has been on the rise. In Japan, it's said that approximately 10% of adults and about 5-10% of infants and young children have some form of food allergy, making allergy management an essential and unavoidable issue for the restaurant industry. As a bar in Kusatsu and a part of the Oji Dining complex, we take this reality very seriously.

We want guests looking for Italian food in Kusatsu or pizza in Kusatsu to enjoy our dishes made with the bounty of Omi. However, in a kitchen that handles a wide variety of ingredients, the risk of unintentional cross-contamination is always present. Meticulous care is required at every step, from our stone oven for Napoli-style pizza, to the grill where we cook Omi beef steak, and the prep area for Omi vegetables.

Inquiries about allergies from customers are increasing across the entire food service industry, with many establishments reporting that allergy-related questions make up about 20% of all customer inquiries about meals. This figure underscores just how crucial it is for us to be thorough in our allergy management. What's important is not just displaying allergen information, but also attending to each customer's individual situation and providing the safest possible dining environment.

At Omi Bar Nadeshico, we are addressing this challenge through three core pillars: a deep understanding of our ingredients, meticulous care in our cooking processes, and thorough communication with our guests. We work hard every day to deliver the ultimate peace of mind when it comes to food.

Omi Bar Nadeshico's Three Pillars of Allergy Management

At Omi Bar Nadeshico, where you can casually enjoy the bounty of Omi, we prioritize the following three pillars of allergy management to ensure all our guests can dine with confidence. This is our promise to protect our customers' smiles.

Pillar 1: Deep Understanding and Information Management of Carefully Selected Local Ingredients

Based on our concept of Enjoying the bounty of Omi, casually at a bar, we cherish our local ingredients, including Omi vegetables and Omi beef. We believe that a deep understanding of the unique characteristics of each ingredient is the first step in allergy management.

• Supplier Selection and Information Sharing: By sourcing directly from trusted local suppliers, such as our route for purchasing whole Omi cattle and our partner farms for Omi vegetables, we strive to obtain as much information as possible about potential allergens, right from the production stage. We constantly update this safety information and share it among our kitchen staff.
• Ingredient Knowledge Acquisition: Our staff regularly undergo training to learn about the characteristics and potential risks of all ingredients we use, including not only the 7 major allergens specified by law but also the 21 additional recommended allergens. This helps us to answer customer questions accurately.
• Strict Inventory Management: Ingredients are clearly separated by type, and we implement rigorous labeling and management to prevent cross-contamination between items that contain allergens and those that do not.

For example, when serving our Kusatsu Omi beef steak, we meticulously check the raw materials of everything down to the oils and seasonings, ensuring we can provide you with accurate information.

Pillar 2: Meticulous Care and Information Sharing in the Cooking Process

In the actual kitchen environment, preventing allergen cross-contamination is key. This requires extreme care, especially in a bar setting where many different dishes are prepared simultaneously.

• Separation and Cleaning of Cooking Utensils: When preparing foods containing allergens, we use dedicated cooking utensils whenever possible, followed by thorough cleaning and sanitization. When preparing a special allergy-friendly meal, our standard practice is to use new utensils in a separate area from other food preparation.
• Enhanced Staff Communication: When we receive information about a guest's allergy, we have a system in place to ensure that information is relayed accurately and swiftly from the server who took the order to the kitchen staff and the chef in charge. This system of multiple checks helps prevent errors during the cooking process.
• Thorough Cleaning and Hygiene Management: We have made it mandatory to meticulously clean countertops and cooking spaces after handling allergenic ingredients. We conduct particularly thorough, detailed cleaning after tasks like preparing our Napoli or stone-oven pizzas, which involve the heavy use of flour.

However, we must be honest that guaranteeing a completely allergen-free environment is extremely difficult given the nature of our bar-style operation. For this reason, we ask that guests with severe allergies prioritize their safety and make a careful judgment.

Pillar 3: Thorough Advance Consultation and Individualized Service

What we consider most important is open communication between our guests and us. Your specific allergy information is the most crucial first step toward providing a safe meal.

• Request for Advance Information: When making a reservation or placing your order, we ask that you please inform us in as much detail as possible about the specific ingredients you are allergic to and the severity of your symptoms. The more detailed your information, the better we can prepare an appropriate response.
• Consultation on Individual Menus: Based on your allergy information, we will offer to modify menu items or suggest alternative ingredients where possible. We strive to be flexible, such as by omitting a particular ingredient or substituting it with another. We can also provide information on the ingredients in our all-you-can-drink plans.
• Thorough Final Confirmation: When serving your dish, we will re-confirm the details of the allergy-friendly preparation to ensure you can enjoy your meal with complete peace of mind.

Data shows that in many cases, with advance consultation, we can safely serve approximately 90% of guests with allergies. We at Omi Bar Nadeshico value this dialogue with our customers above all else, and we are working to increase this number even further. We will do our utmost to support you so that you can enjoy your special occasions—be it a date, a girls' night out, an anniversary, or a birthday in Kusatsu—without any worries about food.

Partnering with Our Guests: Steps to a Safe and Enjoyable Dining Experience

To ensure that even our guests with allergies can fully enjoy the bounty of Omi at our restaurant, there are a few steps we kindly ask you to take before and during your visit. By working together, we can create a safer and more enjoyable dining experience for you.

Preparation Before Your Visit: A Request for Your Cooperation

Advance preparation is extremely important for us to smoothly manage your allergy needs. We appreciate your cooperation.

1. Gather Your Information: Please be clear about your specific food allergies (e.g., eggs, dairy, wheat, shrimp, crab, buckwheat, peanuts) and the severity of your symptoms.
2. Share Specific Allergen Information: You can contact us by email at t.okura@lillyholdings.co.jp. Please email us with your allergy details a few days before your reservation or planned visit. If you have a severe allergy, we kindly request that you consult with us as early as possible. This gives us sufficient time for kitchen preparations and ingredient verification. Please understand that preparing an allergy-friendly meal may require an average of 10-15 minutes of additional time compared to standard orders.
3. Menu Consultation: You are also welcome to inquire by email about available dishes or alternative options in advance. We will do our best to answer your questions about which ingredients are used in our Omi beef, Omi vegetable, and Napoli pizza dishes.

Smooth Communication During Your Visit

Sharing information smoothly upon your arrival also contributes to a safe meal.

• Inform Us Upon Entry: When you arrive or are being seated, please inform our staff once more that you have an allergy. This ensures the information is reliably relayed to the kitchen.
• Reconfirm When Ordering: When placing your order, please re-confirm the allergenic ingredients as a precaution. If you have a specific dish you would like prepared with allergy considerations, please let us know.
• Feel Free to Ask Questions: If you have any concerns about a dish being served, please do not hesitate to speak with a staff member immediately. We will do our best to explain everything carefully to alleviate your concerns.

Through these steps, our entire team is dedicated to ensuring that all our guests can relax and fully enjoy their meal at Omi Bar Nadeshico, whether it's for a special date, a girls' night out, an anniversary, a birthday, or a large party or private event in Kusatsu.

Conclusion: Savor the Bounty of Omi to the Fullest—Dine with Confidence at Omi Bar Nadeshico

Enjoying the bounty of Omi, casually at a bar. This concept behind Omi Bar Nadeshico is not just about serving delicious food, but about delivering the highest level of satisfaction and peace of mind to our guests through our cuisine. Our affection for local ingredients and our warm, thoughtful consideration for each and every customer are the foundation of our hospitality.

We are sincerely tackling the modern challenge of food allergies. We strive daily to ensure our guests can safely enjoy the flavors of Omi by upholding our three pillars: a deep understanding of our ingredients, meticulous care in our cooking processes, and thorough advance consultation with our customers. The charm of Omi Bar Nadeshico is that we are more approachable than a formal French or Italian restaurant, yet more focused on the quality and story of each ingredient than a typical izakaya.

As a Kusatsu bar and a place where you can easily enjoy authentic Omi flavors near Kusatsu Station, we will continue to be a part of the local community, adding a touch of luxury and fun to our customers' daily lives.

If you have allergies, please do not hesitate to consult with us at Omi Bar Nadeshico. We welcome your questions and requests at our email address (t.okura@lillyholdings.co.jp). We, the entire staff, sincerely look forward to welcoming you and ensuring you can enjoy the delicious bounty of Omi without any worries.