Almost every service, someone asks: "Do you have gluten-free options?" "Is this dish nut-free?" "Can the kitchen do something vegan?" Front-of-house staff answer these questions dozens of times a week. Online, the same questions arrive before guests book, often late at night.
Restaurant allergy questions are important, repetitive and sensitive. Guests with allergies choose restaurants based on how confidently and clearly they are answered.
What guests ask
- Do you have gluten-free, vegan or dairy-free options?
- Does a specific dish contain nuts?
- Can the kitchen adapt a dish?
- How do you handle cross-contamination?
- Is there a separate fryer?
- Can you accommodate a severe allergy?
Why guests check before booking
A guest with a serious allergy cannot risk a meal where the kitchen cannot help. They research before booking, and pick the restaurant that answers most clearly. A vague "we'll do our best" loses them to a restaurant with clear information.
Publishing allergen information
Your online menu should include:
- Allergen labels for each dish.
- Dietary labels: vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free.
- A note about adaptations the kitchen can make.
- An honest statement about cross-contamination.
- A request to tell staff about allergies on arrival.
Script 1: dietary options
Guest: Do you have gluten-free options? Answer: Yes, several dishes are gluten-free and marked GF on the menu, and the kitchen can adapt some others. Please let staff know when you arrive so they can guide you.
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Script 2: a specific allergen
Guest: Is the curry nut-free? Answer: The curry doesn't include nuts, but our kitchen handles nuts, so we can't guarantee there are no traces. If you have a serious nut allergy, please speak to staff when you book or arrive so the kitchen can advise.
Script 3: severe allergies
Guest: My son has a severe dairy allergy. Can you cater for him? Answer: The kitchen can prepare several dairy-free dishes. For a severe allergy, please call or let staff know when you arrive, so the chef can talk you through the options directly.
SpideyChat for restaurants answers from your published menu and allergen information at any hour. It never guarantees safety, and always directs serious allergies to staff.
Training staff to answer consistently
Guests notice when the website says one thing and a server says another. Brief front-of-house staff on the same allergen information that is published online, and update both whenever a recipe changes. Consistency is what makes guests with allergies trust you enough to come back.
Busy periods
Allergy questions spike around busy periods like bank holidays and weekends, when guests book last-minute. The pattern is covered in bank holiday enquiries and the weekend enquiry problem.
Menu changes
When seasonal dishes change, update the allergen information online at the same time. A dish that sells out or changes is like a product going out of stock, and the approach in how to answer stock and restock questions without an inbox applies: keep the information current and honest.
Bookings come after answers
Guests who get clear dietary answers often book in the same conversation, including late at night, as described in booking requests that arrive after the kitchen closes.
Check your online menu has allergen and dietary labels for every dish. Then try an assistant on your restaurant website, or see the features.