A Soy Free Guide to Ben’s Fast Food
Soy-Free Eating with Full Transparency at Ben’s Fast Food
If you’ve ever tried to eat soy-free at a restaurant, you know the struggle: soy hides in everything—from salad dressings to sauces, cooking oils to “healthy” snacks—and even when menus say “clean,” soy still slips through. At Ben’s Fast Food, we do things differently. Every single dish on our menu is made from scratch using only soy-free ingredients—no soy sauce, no soybean oil, no processed soy fillers. Whether you're navigating a soy allergy, avoiding soy for thyroid health, or just tired of mystery ingredients, we’ve built our menu to make soy-free eating feel easy again.
While none of the ingredients on our Ben’s Fast Food menu contain soy, and we’re proud to offer fast, delicious meals for soy-free takeout, health-conscious delivery, and even allergen-friendly catering, we do share kitchen space with our sister brands, Umami Express and Palmita, which use soy in their recipes. We follow careful prep practices, but if you’re highly sensitive or have a soy allergy, please review our allergen disclosures and talk to your doctor before ordering.
Looking for a soy-free meal made with care and transparency? Order today for takeout, delivery, or catering—and enjoy meals made with soy-free ingredients, prepared in kitchens that follow careful protocols to limit cross-contact.for your body, not against it.
Why People Avoid Soy—And How It Impacts Eating Out
Soy is one of the top allergens in the U.S., and it can be incredibly difficult to avoid when dining out. It's found in seemingly simple ingredients like vegetable oil, broth, and even baked goods. For people with allergies, soy can trigger everything from digestive issues to more serious immune responses. Others avoid soy due to concerns about hormones, thyroid function, or simply wanting to stick to whole, minimally processed foods.
At restaurants, soy is often invisible. It shows up in marinades, emulsifiers, commercial sauces, and processed proteins. That’s why soy-sensitive eaters are used to scanning labels, asking endless questions, and walking away frustrated. At Ben’s Fast Food, we want to take that burden off your plate.
Understanding Risk and How We Manage It
If you avoid soy due to an allergy, sensitivity, or health preference, you already know how tricky it can be. Soy is often hidden in sauces, dressings, oils, and processed ingredients, and cross-contact is a real concern even when a menu says 'soy-free.' At Ben's Fast Food, we use only soy-free ingredients in our meals—but we believe it's equally important to explain where risk still exists, and what we do to manage it.
Where Risk Can Come From: We prepare our meals inside commercial kitchen hubs where multiple restaurants operate under one roof. While each operation has its own kitchen suite, we do share certain infrastructure, including storage spaces, walk-in refrigerators, and loading zones. Our sister brands, Umami Express and Palmita, operate out of the same kitchens as Ben’s Fast Food and use soy in some of their recipes. This shared environment introduces a risk of cross-contact. Potential risk factors include shared shelving, ingredient deliveries, incidental contact from staff movement, and airborne exposure. Additionally, we cannot control the environment during third-party delivery if you order food delivered.
What We Do at Ben’s Fast Food: We don’t use soy in any Ben’s Fast Food recipes. Our kitchen team follows strict cleaning and sanitization protocols between prep sessions, including cleaning all tools, surfaces, and containers. While we do not use dedicated soy-free utensils or zones, we store Ben’s ingredients on clearly labeled shelves and avoid shared tools.
What We Can’t Guarantee: Because our kitchens exist within shared environments and soy-containing items are present elsewhere, we cannot guarantee a completely soy-free experience. If your condition is severe or if you're unsure whether our setup is right for you, we recommend consulting your physician before ordering.
How to Order with Confidence When You Have A Soy Allergy
Mention your allergy in the delivery notes or online order — our team will take extra care during prep and packaging.
Ask us questions anytime. While our team isn’t medically certified in allergen handling, we’re always happy to explain our prep process so you can make the best decision for your needs. Reach out to us here →
Concerned about sensitivity? If you're newly diagnosed or highly sensitive, you may want to rely on your own trusted methods, including visual inspections, careful ingredient review, or third-party allergen detection tools designed to detect soy. While no method is perfect, these strategies can help give you added peace of mind when trying new meals, including ours.
Understanding Soy Allergy: Facts & Guidance
Soy is one of the top nine allergens in the U.S. and is found in a wide variety of processed foods, sometimes in unexpected places. Soy allergies can affect both children and adults and can cause symptoms ranging from mild (rashes, stomach upset) to severe (anaphylaxis). (FARE)
Symptoms of soy allergy can include: itching, hives, abdominal pain, nausea, runny nose, shortness of breath, and in rare cases, life-threatening reactions. (Cleveland Clinic)
Common sources of soy include: soy sauce, miso, tofu, edamame, soy lecithin, soybean oil, and many packaged or processed snacks, dressings, and breads. Cross-contact is also a concern in restaurants and shared kitchens. (Johns Hopkins Medicine)
How to manage a soy allergy: (UCSF Health)
Always read labels carefully and look for 'contains soy' notices.
Avoid foods with ambiguous ingredients like "vegetable protein" or "natural flavoring" unless confirmed soy-free.
When eating out, disclose your allergy and ask about prep practices.
Carry an epinephrine auto-injector if prescribed, and follow your allergist's guidance.
At Ben’s Fast Food, we make every effort to support soy-sensitive guests by using soy-free ingredients. Still, we recommend reviewing this guide and speaking to your healthcare provider to determine what’s safe for you.
FAQs: Soy-Free Eating at Ben’s Fast food
Are all of your menu items made with soy-free ingredients?
Yes. Every bowl, sauce, smoothie, and side served at BFF is made using ingredients that do not contain soy. We do not use soy sauce, soybean oil, soy lecithin, or other soy-derived additives in any BFF recipe.
Do you operate in a soy-free kitchen?
No. While Ben’s Fast Food ingredients are soy-free, our meals are prepared in a shared kitchen facility that also houses our sister brands, which use soy in their menus. We share certain infrastructure like walk-in fridges and storage areas. This creates a risk of cross-contact that we work hard to minimize - but cannot eliminate - through cleaning protocols and separate ingredient storage.
How do you limit cross-contact with soy in your kitchen?
We follow thorough cleaning and sanitization practices between uses, including cleaning tools, surfaces, and containers before and after every prep session. However, we do not have dedicated utensils or separate prep zones.
Can I trust the sauces and seasonings to be soy-free?
All sauces and seasonings at Ben’s are made from scratch using soy-free ingredients. We do not rely on commercial sauces or pre-mixed packets that often contain hidden soy.
Where can I find ingredient and allergen information?
Our full allergen guide is available on our nutrition page. We keep this information up to date so you can make informed decisions before you order.
What if I have another allergy in addition to soy?
You can customize your meal to avoid additional allergens by choosing your preferred base, protein, sauce, and toppings. Be sure to review our full allergen guide and consider omitting optional items or sauces that may contain your other allergens. If your allergy is severe, please consult your physician before ordering and let us know your needs in the order notes so we can take extra care.
Is it safe for people with a severe soy allergy to eat at Ben’s?
Because our food is prepared in a shared facility where soy is present, we cannot guarantee a completely soy-free environment. If you have a severe soy allergy, we strongly recommend consulting your doctor and reviewing our allergen guide before ordering.