Allergies are very common, with around 1 in 25 people having some sort of food allergy (Allergy UK, 2020).
It’s vital that restaurants and food service businesses consider their customers who have allergies when presenting nutritional information. It’s also important that customers with allergies can let the team know, even if they’re ordering using an app or web-solution.
Consumers typically want as much information as possible about the food and drinks that they are ordering, and displaying this information on your app or web solution is one way to ensure they have it all at their fingertips.
We’ve pulled together a few different ways that you can tackle allergens and nutritional information with Pepper.
1. Add in a clear message at the very top of the menu, reminding customers to let a member of staff know if they have any allergies or intolerances. Revolution Bars also display their website link, so that customers can easily find detailed allergen information.
2. Display the allergens within the product description for each product.
3. Sweetwaters clearly display the allergens that are present as ‘tags’, so that it’s easy for customers to see exactly what’s in the food or drink item they are selecting.
4. Pepper’s app is also designed to allow customers to filter the menu, so they only see foods that are not tagged with those allergens.
5. Some merchants ask customers to select any allergies that they have when they have selected a specific product on the app. This way, allergy sufferers can flag an allergy on the specific meal they are ordering.
6. Lots of Pepper clients also display a pop up warning. This can be used to remind customers to alert staff if they have any intolerances or allergies.
7. Where gluten-free options are available, some merchants use a ‘modifier’ to allow customers to order that option - such as a gluten-free pizza base or burger bun.
8. As well as allergens, you can also display nutritional information using Pepper - such as calories, carbs and sugars. This is great for allowing total transparency for customers.
Each year, hundreds of thousands of people require emergency medical care for allergic reactions to food (Fare, 2021). That’s why it’s crucial that whichever digital ordering solution you choose can be flexible to your specific operational needs.
If you have a mobile app or web solution, it’s important to set aside some time to continually review it, check the allergen information that is logged and consider if you need to refresh staff members’ knowledge on dealing with customers with allergies.
Feel free to get in touch with us if there’s anything that we can help with!
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