A practical worksheet for evaluating allergen menu software
Use this worksheet with your restaurant team before choosing a menu platform. These fictional scenarios are a product evaluation method, not a food safety certification or a report of measured results. Record the information entered, the guest result, the evidence shown, and any question your team still needs answered.
Last updated
By Can I Dine?™ team. Product guidance from the software publisher.
1. Check a component, not just a dish name
Use a fictional rice bowl with a sesame dressing. Enter the dressing as a component and select sesame as the guest restriction. Check that the dressing evidence affects the bowl and that staff can see which component caused the result. A dish name alone is not enough information.
2. Combine two restrictions
Use a fictional salad with croutons and a milk-containing dressing. Select both wheat and milk. Removing the croutons only addresses one conflict. Record whether the guest still sees the remaining dressing conflict, and which modifications the kitchen actually supports.
3. Separate ingredients from shared equipment
Use a fictional potato dish with no listed fish ingredient, then declare that it shares a fryer with a fish dish. Check that the guest sees the shared-fryer exposure separately from ingredients. Compare the ordinary view with the Severe allergy setting. The software can only use preparation information your team records.
4. Try an unfamiliar custom restriction
Enter a made-up ingredient term in the custom restriction field. An unfamiliar entry should not silently produce a reassuring result. Record whether the menu asks the guest to clarify the restriction or consult staff before relying on it.
5. Compare languages with the same selections
Choose the same dish and restrictions in English and another guest language. Check dish identity, ingredient explanations, modification instructions, and shared-equipment warnings. A translated label is useful only if it preserves what the restaurant needs to communicate.
6. Change a recipe and check the guest link
Change an ingredient in a draft, review the updated information, and publish the intended change. Open the existing guest QR link again. Record which update the guest sees and when. Agree who will own recipe and supplier updates during service.
7. Check the limits before choosing a plan
Record menu and location limits, current and renewal pricing, trial terms, and who can edit the menu. Ask what happens when ingredient or preparation information is missing. Do not use a software result as certification that a dish or kitchen is allergen-free.
Keep an evidence record
For each scenario, keep a screenshot, the date, the guest language, the restrictions selected, and the restaurant information you entered. Mark the result as observed, unclear, or needs follow-up. Leave pass/fail decisions with the people responsible for your menu and preparation practices.
The downloadable CSV below contains the same seven scenarios and blank result fields. Use synthetic dishes in a private draft while evaluating a tool. Can I Dine?™ provides menu upload and restaurant review, combined restrictions, shared-equipment disclosures, a Severe allergy setting, and a guest menu in 10 languages. Start with the product tour and current pricing, then evaluate the workflow against your own requirements.