How does an AI waiter handle allergy and dietary questions?
WaiterPilot answers only from your menu. When a guest asks whether a dish contains nuts, milk or gluten, it gives what your menu says and asks the guest to confirm with a member of staff; when the menu doesn't say, it tells the guest to ask staff. Your team always has the final word. It does not alert staff by itself, so every restaurant using it needs a simple house rule: any allergy mention means a person goes to the table.
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What does a guest see when they ask about an allergy?
An answer taken from the menu, then a clear request to check with staff. When the menu is silent, the chat says so instead of guessing.
I'm allergic to nuts. Is there anything with nuts in the beetroot salad?
The menu lists walnuts in the beetroot salad. Because you mention an allergy, please check with a member of our staff before you order. They have the final word on allergies.
What about the grilled sea bass?
The menu doesn't list nuts for the grilled sea bass, but it doesn't say how the kitchen prepares it. Please ask a member of staff before ordering.
What does WaiterPilot do, and what stays with your staff?
The chat repeats what your menu says. Everything that needs judgment, the kitchen's knowledge or a conversation with the guest stays with people.
| Situation | What WaiterPilot does | What stays with your team |
|---|---|---|
| A guest asks what is in a dish | Answers from the dish's description on your menu, in the guest's language | Keeping descriptions complete and up to date |
| A guest says they have an allergy | Gives what the menu says and asks the guest to confirm with staff | A person goes to the table, checks with the kitchen and decides |
| The menu doesn't answer the question | Says it doesn't have that information and tells the guest to ask staff | Answering the guest, and adding the answer to the menu if it comes up often |
| "Is it safe for me?" or another health question | Gives no medical advice; it keeps the conversation on the menu | The conversation with the guest, and any decision about serving |
| Shared fryers, boards or cross-contact | Knows only what your menu says about them | The kitchen's answer, which only the kitchen can give |
| Vegetarian, vegan, halal or gluten-free questions | Answers from how your menu describes each dish | Deciding what you label, and only labelling what is true |
| An allergy note on an order | Puts it on the ticket as the request was taken, not translated | Reading it before confirming, and in the kitchen before cooking |
What should happen when a guest mentions an allergy?
The chat hands the question to a person. Your team's routine does the rest. This is the routine we recommend.
The guest asks in the chat
In their own words and their own language. The chat answers from your menu and asks them to confirm with staff.
The guest gets a person
The guest taps to call a waiter from their phone; the call appears on the floor screen within seconds. If they order with an allergy note instead, the note goes on the ticket.
A server goes to the table
The server confirms the allergy face to face, checks the dish with the kitchen and agrees what the guest can eat.
Staff check the order
The first order at a table waits for a person. Staff read the notes and confirm the order, or reject it if it isn't safe to cook as written.
Awaiting staffThe kitchen reads the note
The kitchen screen shows dishes, options and notes. Later orders from the same table go straight here without a staff check, so the kitchen treats any allergy note as a stop.
In kitchen
What will WaiterPilot not do?
It won't promise a dish is safe, guess beyond your menu, give medical advice or raise an alarm for staff by itself.
- It won't say a dish is safe for someone. It reports what the menu says and sends the decision to your staff.
- It won't fill gaps in your menu. If an ingredient isn't on the menu, the chat doesn't know about it, so it says it doesn't know.
- It won't give medical or health advice. It steers medical questions back to the menu, and guests can't talk it out of its rules.
- It won't alert staff automatically. The guest is asked to confirm with staff; nothing flags the table for you. That is why the house rule below matters.
- It won't translate notes for the kitchen. A note typed in Italian reaches the kitchen in Italian. Decide who reads notes in other languages. See multilingual ordering.
- It won't replace your written allergen information. Where local rules require written allergen information, keep providing it. The chat is an extra way to ask, not a substitute.
How do you set up your menu so the answers are right?
The chat is only as good as your menu. Write down what your servers would otherwise have to remember.
- List the allergens in every dish. Name them plainly: "contains milk, egg, wheat". Use the list your local rules use, such as the 9 major allergens in the US or the 14 in the EU and UK.
- Include the hidden ingredients. Sauces, dressings, stocks, marinades, frying oil, garnishes and bread on the side are where allergens hide.
- Say what the kitchen can't avoid. If the fryer or grill is shared, write it down, so the chat can repeat it instead of saying nothing.
- Label diets only when they are true. Mark a dish vegetarian, vegan, halal or gluten-free only if your kitchen can stand behind it.
- Check the menu before you go live. We load your menu from a PDF or photos; you check it before guests see it. Read the allergen lines twice.
- Update it when a recipe or supplier changes. A new sauce or a different bread changes the answer. Mark a dish sold out from your phone until its description is right.
- Read the questions it couldn't answer. Your owner reports list questions the chat couldn't answer. Recurring allergy questions show you what to add to the menu.
A short guide for the owner: the house allergy rule
Five decisions, made once and taught to everyone on shift, close the gap between the chat and the kitchen.
- The rule. Any allergy question, note or waiter call that mentions an allergy means a person goes to the table before anything is cooked.
- Who goes. Name the role, such as the shift lead, and who covers breaks.
- Who decides in the kitchen. One person on each shift says yes or no to a dish for an allergic guest.
- How notes are read. Whoever confirms first orders reads every note, and the kitchen stops on any allergy note on its screen, including on later orders that skip the staff check.
- When the answer is no. Staff reject the order while it's awaiting, or mark the dish Out of stock if it's already in the kitchen, and tell the guest in person. A guest can also cancel their own order while it is still awaiting staff.
What do food allergen rules say?
Rules differ by country and region, and they apply to your restaurant whatever software you use. A chat on a guest's phone doesn't change what you must provide. This summary is not legal advice; check with your local food authority.
United States. The FDA lists nine major food allergens: milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans and sesame; sesame was added by the FASTER Act from 1 January 2023. Where a state or local authority has adopted the 2022 FDA Food Code, unpackaged food served to consumers must come with written notification of major allergens used as ingredients, which can be physical or electronic (for example on the menu or a table tent), and staff training must include food allergy awareness. California's SB 68 (Chapter 741, Statutes of 2025) adds written allergen notification, on the menu or in a digital format, for restaurant chains covered by federal menu-labelling rules, from 1 July 2026.
European Union. Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 makes allergen information mandatory for non-prepacked food, which the European Commission says includes restaurants and cafés. Annex II lists 14 allergens. Member States may set how the information is given.
United Kingdom. The Food Standards Agency says food businesses must tell consumers if they have used any of the 14 allergens as an ingredient; for non-prepacked food the information can be given by any means, with a sign saying when it is given verbally. Its best-practice guidance (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, February 2025) recommends written allergen information supported by a conversation with staff, and an alternative way to get the information where it is digital.
Why the conversation still matters. In a US registry study of 2,827 people with food allergy, dining out was the second most common place for a reaction (21%), and 53.9% of restaurant reactions happened even though the guest had told staff; the authors point to communication breakdowns such as language barriers and noise in a busy restaurant (Oriel et al., *J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract*, 2020). A chat that answers in the guest's language helps the question get asked. A person still has to answer it. CDC figures put diagnosed food allergy at 6.2% of US adults and 5.8% of children (2021).
Questions about allergies and dietary needs
Can an AI waiter tell a guest a dish is safe for their allergy?
WaiterPilot doesn't. It gives what your menu says about the dish and asks the guest to confirm with staff. Staff always have the final word.
Does WaiterPilot warn my staff when a guest has an allergy?
No, not by itself. The chat asks the guest to check with staff, and the guest can call a waiter from their phone. Set a house rule so any allergy mention gets a person at the table.
Where do the allergy answers come from?
Only from your menu: dish names, descriptions and the ingredients and allergens you list. When the menu doesn't say, the chat tells the guest it doesn't know and to ask staff.
Can guests ask about allergies in other languages?
Yes. The chat answers in the guest's language, tested in English, Arabic and Spanish. Allergy notes on the ticket are not translated, so decide who reads them.
Can it answer vegan, vegetarian, halal or gluten-free questions?
From your menu, yes. If your menu marks a dish vegan or halal, the chat can say so. If it doesn't, the chat says it doesn't know. Only label what your kitchen can stand behind.
What happens to an allergy note on a second order from the same table?
Later orders from a table go straight to the kitchen without a staff check. The note is on the kitchen screen, so train the kitchen to stop on any allergy note.
Does using WaiterPilot meet my legal allergen duties?
No. Keep providing allergen information the way your local rules require, in writing where required. WaiterPilot is an extra way for guests to ask.
Can I test allergy questions on my own menu?
Yes. Book a demo and ask the chat the questions your guests ask, so you can see what your menu does and doesn't answer.
Sources (checked 15 October 2026)
- FDA: Food AllergiesThe nine major food allergens and the FASTER Act. US Food and Drug Administration, content current as of 11 March 2026.
- FDA: Addition of sesame to the 2022 Food CodeWritten allergen notification for unpackaged food and allergy-awareness training where the 2022 Food Code is adopted. Content current as of 10 December 2024.
- California SB 68, major food allergensBill status and digest: Chapter 741, Statutes of 2025, operative 1 July 2026. CalMatters Digital Democracy.
- European Commission: Food information to consumersRegulation (EU) No 1169/2011, including allergen information for non-prepacked food in restaurants and cafés.
- Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Article 44Allergen particulars are mandatory for non-prepacked food (UK retained version, legislation.gov.uk).
- Food Standards Agency: Allergen information for non-prepacked foods, best practiceThe 14 allergens, the legal minimum and the best practice of written information plus a conversation. Published 24 February 2025.
- Oriel et al., Characteristics of food allergic reactions in US restaurantsJ Allergy Clin Immunol Pract, 2020, doi:10.1016/j.jaip.2020.12.018 (PDF via FARE).
- CDC NCHS: Food allergy in adults and children, 2021National Health Interview Survey release, 26 January 2023.
What should you read next?
- From scan to servedWhere the first-order staff check sits, and what the kitchen screen shows.
- Multilingual orderingWhat is in the guest's language, and why notes aren't translated.
- What is an AI waiter?What it does at the table, and what stays with your staff.
- Serving tourists who don't speak your languageA checklist with allergens, prices and bills.
- GlossaryAllergen, cross-contact and other terms, in plain words.