A chatbot for your restaurant website, and why it should never answer allergy questions

What guests look for on a restaurant website

In a 2019 US survey reported by Restaurant Dive, 77% of diners said they check a restaurant’s website before visiting, and the menu was the main factor in deciding. The questions a chatbot will see most:

• Opening hours, including holidays
• Where you are, parking and accessibility
• The menu, prices and what a dish contains
• How to book, and whether you can seat a larger group
• Delivery and takeaway: areas, times, apps
• Private events, set menus and gift cards

What the chatbot can answer, and what it must not

Why allergy questions must always go to a person

Food allergy is common and serious: the UK Food Standards Agency estimates about 6% of UK adults have a clinically confirmed food allergy. The rules reflect that:

• UK: food businesses must provide allergen information for every item containing any of the 14 regulated allergens; for online and phone orders it must be available before purchase and again at delivery. The FSA’s best-practice guidance says allergen information should be available in writing and “underpinned with a conversation”.
• US: the FDA recognises nine major food allergens, sesame having been added from 1 January 2023, and its Food Code, adopted by states, asks food establishments to tell consumers in writing about major allergens in unpackaged food.

An AI chatbot summarising your menu can miss a trace, a shared fryer or a recipe change made this week. So: keep your written allergen information on your site, and make allergy and intolerance questions a locked topic that always goes to your staff.

This is general information, not legal advice. Check the rules that apply to your restaurant with your local authority or food safety adviser.

Setting it up

1. Put the facts on your website

   Opening hours (including holidays), address and parking, the full menu as text, not only a PDF or photo, and your booking link.

2. Add a short knowledge base

   Group sizes you can seat, corkage, dress code, dogs, high chairs, gift cards.

3. Lock the risky topics

   Allergies and intolerances, large and private bookings, complaints.

4. Ask for contact details only when needed

   For a party booking or an allergy question, take the guest’s email or phone so your team can reply.

5. Test it

   Ask about Sunday hours, a vegetarian option, a table for 12, and “is the curry safe for a nut allergy?”. The last one must go to a person.

Menus in PDFs and photos

A chatbot, like a search engine, reads text. If your menu is only a PDF or an image, it may not be able to answer from it. Publish the menu as text on a page too; it also helps your Google ranking and your guests on phones.

Questions people ask

Sources

Checked on 25 September 2026. Prices and features change; tell us in the chat if something here is out of date and we will fix it.

1. Restaurant Dive: 77% of diners visit restaurant websites before going (2019)
2. GOV.UK: allergen guidance for food businesses
3. GOV.UK: allergen information for non-prepacked foods, best practice
4. Food Standards Agency: around 6% of UK adults have a food allergy (2024)
5. FDA: sesame is the ninth major food allergen
6. FDA: summary of changes, 2022 Food Code