Every food business must handle allergen information responsibly. storekit provides several options - the right choice depends on your service type, risk appetite, and how much friction you’re willing to add to the ordering process.
The Trade-off
More allergen protection = more friction for guests.
A customer with no allergies doesn’t want to click through warnings or answer questions. But a customer with a severe allergy needs you to take it seriously. Your job is to find the right balance.
Option 1: Store Notice Before Checkout
Display a modal that customers must acknowledge before completing their order.
How it works:
- Create a store notice with allergen information
- Enable “Show in modal before checkout”
- Customers see the notice and click “Continue” to proceed
Best for: Reminding all customers about allergen policies without blocking ordering.
Example text:
Allergen Information
Our kitchen handles all 14 major allergens. If you have a food allergy, please call us on 020 1234 5678 before placing your order so we can discuss your requirements.
This approach informs but doesn’t prevent ordering. Customers acknowledge the notice and continue.
Option 2: Allergen Gate (Disable Ordering)
Ask customers upfront if they have an allergy. If yes, disable online ordering and direct them to staff.
How it works:
- Enable the “Allergens disable ordering” setting
- When customers first visit, a modal asks: “Do you have an allergy?”
- If they select “Yes, I have an allergy” - ordering is disabled and they see a message to order with a team member
- If they select “No” - they can order normally
- Customers can change their answer by clicking the notice banner
Default text:
- Modal title: “Do you have an allergy?”
- Modal description: “If you do, we take your safety very seriously so we kindly request that one of our amazing managers personally takes your food order”
- Disabled message: “Online ordering is disabled due to your allergy, please order with a team member”
The modal text is customisable. Contact support to update the wording to match your brand voice.
Not recommended for delivery or pickup stores where customers can’t easily speak to staff.
Option 3: Allergen Modifier Group
Add a required modifier group to products (or all products) asking customers to declare allergies.
How it works:
- Create a modifier group called “Allergen Declaration” or similar
- Add options like:
- “I have no food allergies”
- “I have allergies - please contact me”
- Make it required on relevant products
- Review orders with allergy declarations before preparing
Best for: Capturing allergy information per-item while still allowing online ordering.
Example options:
- “No allergies”
- “I have allergies (we’ll call you)”
- “Nut allergy”
- “Gluten intolerance”
- “Other allergy - see order notes”
Option 4: Order Notes
Rely on the order notes field for customers to communicate allergies.
How it works:
- Customers type allergy information in the order notes
- Staff review notes when preparing orders
Best for: Low-friction stores with operationally mature teams who always check notes.
Risks:
- Customers may forget to add notes
- Staff may miss notes during busy periods
- No structured data for reporting
This is the highest-risk approach. Consider combining with a store notice to remind customers to use order notes for allergies.
Display Options
| Option | Description |
|---|
| Default | Allergens shown in the “Details” tab when viewing an item |
| Extended | Allergens displayed prominently on the item modal with “Contains: [allergens]” and “May contain: [allergens]” labels |
How Allergens Work
storekit supports the 14 major UK allergens as defined by the Food Standards Agency:
Celery, Gluten, Crustaceans, Fish, Eggs, Lupin, Milk, Molluscs, Mustard, Nuts, Peanuts, Sesame, Soya, Sulphites
Each menu item can be tagged with:
- Contains - The item definitely contains this allergen
- May contain - The item may contain traces (cross-contamination risk)
Allergens on Modifiers
Modifiers can also have allergen tags. As guests select modifiers, the allergen display updates in real-time to reflect the complete allergen profile of their customised item.
For example, if a burger has no nuts but the guest selects a “Satay Sauce” modifier that contains peanuts, the allergen list will update to show peanuts as they make that selection.
This ensures guests always see accurate allergen information for exactly what they’re ordering, including all their customisations.
Allergen Filtering
Customers can filter the menu to hide items containing specific allergens. This helps customers with allergies browse safely, but should not be relied upon as the sole protection.
Choosing Your Strategy
| Scenario | Recommended Approach |
|---|
| Dine-in only | Allergen Gate - staff can take orders personally |
| Delivery/pickup | Store Notice + Extended allergen display |
| High-risk menu (nuts, shellfish heavy) | Store Notice (modal) + Allergen modifier on key items |
| Low-risk menu | Store Notice + Order notes reminder |
| Multi-location chain | Consistent approach across all stores - typically Store Notice |
Combining Approaches
You can use multiple approaches together:
- Store Notice to inform all customers about your allergen policy
- Extended allergen display so customers can see allergens on each item
- Allergen modifier on high-risk items only
- Order notes as a catch-all for specific requests
Legal Considerations
This guide covers storekit’s technical options. It is not legal advice. Consult your local food safety authority and legal advisor to ensure your allergen practices meet regulatory requirements.
