Most restaurants manage allergens the same way they did ten years ago. Spreadsheets. Binders. A chef who knows the menu by heart — until they leave.
It works, right up until it doesn't. And when it doesn't, someone gets hurt.
If you're looking at allergen management software, here's what actually matters. Not features lists. Not logos. The things that determine whether the system works when it counts.
Start with the source of truth
The first question is the most important one: where does the allergen information come from?
Some systems ask you to tick allergen boxes for each dish. That's faster than a spreadsheet, but it's the same approach with a nicer interface. The allergens are still a human opinion, entered once, and assumed to stay correct.
The better approach is ingredient-level tracking. You enter what's actually in each dish — the real ingredients — and the system calculates the allergens. When a supplier changes a product, you update one ingredient and every dish that uses it recalculates automatically.
This isn't a feature. It's the difference between a system that can drift and one that can't.
Think about the moment of truth
When a guest asks "is this safe for me?", what happens next?
In most restaurants, the server asks the chef. The chef checks a folder — or tries to remember. The server comes back with an answer they're not entirely confident about. The guest notices.
A good system eliminates that chain entirely. The server looks it up on their phone. They see every ingredient. They know what can be removed. They answer with confidence, at the table, in seconds.
That's the moment that matters. Everything else is infrastructure.
Guests shouldn't have to ask at all
The best allergen experience is one where the guest never needs to have an awkward conversation. They scan a QR code, select their allergens, and see what's safe. No flagging down a server. No explaining their allergy for the third time that week.
Look for a system that gives guests a self-service option — not a static PDF, but something they can filter and personalise.
Go beyond the 14
UK law requires you to declare 14 allergens. That's the floor, not the ceiling.
A guest with a garlic intolerance doesn't care that garlic isn't one of the regulated 14. They need to know what they can eat. A system that only tracks mandated allergens leaves those guests unsupported and your staff without answers.
The right platform tracks at the ingredient level, which means it can answer questions about anything — not just the allergens the law requires.
Real-time means real-time
When a recipe changes on Tuesday, can a guest scanning the QR code on Wednesday see the updated allergens? If the answer involves someone remembering to update a spreadsheet, it's not real-time.
Look for systems where a change in the kitchen flows automatically to the guest-facing menu and staff tools. No intermediate steps. No one needs to remember anything.
Integrations save you from double entry
If you already use an inventory or recipe management system — Fourth, Zonal, Nory, Adaco — your allergen platform should plug into it. Double data entry is where errors live.
The best integrations sync daily and automatically. You manage your recipes where you already manage them. The allergen information follows.
Scalability isn't about size — it's about consistency
If you have more than one location, the question isn't "can it handle multiple sites?" It's "does every site show the same truth?"
A menu change at one site should update everywhere it needs to. A supplier change should ripple through every location that uses that product. Consistency across sites isn't a feature to look for — it's a requirement.
The audit trail question
If Trading Standards visits tomorrow, how long does it take to produce your allergen documentation?
If it's more than a few clicks, that's a risk. Look for systems that timestamp every change — every recipe update, every ingredient swap, every allergen recalculation. Not because you'll need it every day, but because the day you need it, nothing else will do.
Ask to see it work
The most important thing you can do when evaluating any system is see it with your own menu. Not a demo menu. Yours.
Upload your dishes. See how it handles your recipes. Watch what happens when you change an ingredient. That's the test that matters.