Restaurant allergen menu: how to create and keep it current

Is it mandatory for a restaurant to provide allergen information?

Yes. In Spain, food businesses that serve meals must inform customers about products that contain any of the 14 allergens as an ingredient. This information must be available to customers; organizing it by dish helps your team find and explain it with confidence.

You can provide the information in writing on a menu, on signs, labels, or boards near the food. You can also give it verbally, as long as customers know where to ask and staff can check it easily. In practice, providing allergen information means more than answering from memory: the restaurant needs a written or electronic reference.

For a restaurant, this means considering different points in the service: when someone reads the menu at the table, asks about a dish on the daily menu, or orders takeaway. The information must be available when the food is served. If you’re unsure about a particular dish, check the recipe or dish record before answering; don’t guess.

How do you create an allergen menu for your restaurant?

To create an allergen menu, prepare a record for each dish that lists its ingredients and clearly identifies which of the 14 allergens are present as ingredients. Then make sure both staff and customers can consult the information without confusion.

A simple approach is to start with the recipes your restaurant actually uses, rather than a generic list. Record every ingredient in each dish, including those in sauces, sides, doughs, coatings, or finishing touches. If a dish is prepared differently depending on the shift or what’s available, note which version is being served and how to check its information.

You can organize the information in a table with these columns:

The table is an internal tool. For customers, you can use a menu, daily menu, board, or digital format. The important thing is that the information is clear, accessible, and matches what you actually serve.

How should you list allergens on the menu and daily menu?

List allergens next to each dish or use a clear reference that directs customers to an easy-to-read table. If you provide the information verbally, display a visible note explaining how customers can ask for it, and make sure staff know how to check it before the purchase is complete.

On a printed menu, you can use a key next to each dish and explain the symbols on the same menu. Another option is to write out the names of the allergens. Avoid abbreviations that could be interpreted in different ways, and check that the text is legible and has enough contrast.

Treat allergens in the daily menu with the same care as the rest of your menu. If the daily menu changes, update the information too: don’t assume the record for a previous dish applies to the new one. If customers can request substitutions, clarify which components change and review the full preparation.

If you use a QR code menu, make sure customers can find the information from the relevant dish and that the published version reflects the current service. A digital format makes changes easier, but it doesn’t replace checking the recipe or communicating with the kitchen.

How do you update a dish’s allergen information?

Update a dish’s allergen information whenever its recipe, any of its ingredients, the composition of a product used, or its preparation method changes. Before publishing or serving the new version, review the dish record and inform the people who serve customers.

Even a small change can affect the information your team relies on—for example, switching a sauce, changing a side, or using a different preparation for the same dish. That’s why the person changing the recipe should also update its record, rather than assuming someone else will notice during service.

You can set up a simple process:

1. The person responsible reports what has changed.
2. The ingredients and finished preparation are checked.
3. The dish record and the customer-facing menu or other material are updated.
4. The front-of-house and kitchen teams are told about the new version.
5. The published information is checked against what’s being served.

Keep the current information in one place, and avoid maintaining several copies without knowing which one is up to date. An organized inventory can help you find ingredients and product changes. If you manage purchasing and stock with a tool, you can explore restaurant inventory management.

What should restaurant staff know about allergens?

Staff should know where to find information about each dish, how to check when they’re unsure, and whom to notify if a recipe or ingredient has changed. A clear, verified answer is better than a quick response based on memory.

Before service, share menu changes and planned substitutions with the front-of-house and kitchen teams. During service, if a customer asks about a specific ingredient, staff should check the information before answering. The recorded information must be accessible to the people who need it and not depend on a single person being present.

It also helps to agree on how to handle questions: who verifies the recipe, how an urgent change is communicated, and what to do if the information can’t be confirmed at that moment. Don’t promise that a dish is suitable based only on an impression or the fact that it’s “usually” prepared a certain way.

If you use a restaurant POS system alongside other management tools, consider how to keep service data aligned with the information on your menu. Tablezio brings together tools for restaurants; you can try it for free and see whether it fits the way your venue works.

How do you organize a digital allergen menu?

A digital allergen menu can make information easier to check and update, as long as it’s clear and reflects the dishes you serve. Keep one current version, review changes before publishing them, and make sure staff know how to access it.

A well-organized menu lets customers identify a dish and check its allergens without having to search the whole menu. If you use a digital menu, also check that links or codes still work and that the information is easy to find on a phone. If a customer can’t access the digital format, staff should have another way to provide the information.

A digital format doesn’t solve the problem of outdated information on its own. If a recipe changes, update both the internal record and the customer-facing menu; if the change appears in only one place, staff and customers may get conflicting answers. Tablezio can be part of your restaurant’s digital management setup, but checking ingredients and recipes still depends on the process you put in place with your team.