Tasty Startups: DineSafe
The Craving it Satisfies
An easy way to defuse the food allergy bomb for both diners and restaurants
Why it has a winning recipe
Back in my table waiting days, I worked with chefs that turned frighteningly murderous when informed of a guest’s allergies. Most of the chefs didn’t really hate the diners (despite the curses spewed) so much as they hated being put in a position where it was difficult to accommodate a guest’s dietary needs AND sound out plates as delicious and complete as the rest of the menu.
Food allergies are real, and multiplying. The burden this places on kitchens is considerable. That said, waaaaaaay to much is made out of the situation. Both sides of the plate need to take a deep breath and consider the other’s predicament, and everyone will enjoy themselves a lot more.
DineSafe makes this possibly without fanfare or fuss. It’s a brilliantly simple application that lets those with food allergies find dishes they can eat and gives restaurants the ability to better serve those with special dietary needs.
Participating restaurants make menus available in-app. Guests can then search in advance, filtering out dishes according to allergies, so they view acceptable dishes only. Guests may also learn whether it’s possible or not to make substitutions, deletions, or alterations to a dish. Likewise, restaurants can both cater specifically to people with allergies ahead of time rather than hope to not cross paths and make acceptable changes with proper warning.
Nicely done, DineSafe. Problems turned into opportunities. A win for everyone involved.
I know, restauranteurs, it hasn’t always been easy to meet the needs of guests with allergies, especially when put on the spot, in the middle of service, but it’s smart business to cater to this growing segment of the population. And diners, it’s no doubt difficult navigating menus, so why not make life easier (and safer!) by taking a moment to prepare.
DineSafe also eliminates the need for lengthy dietary discussions between guests and servers, which is drag for everyone else at the table and a time suck for staff that have others to attend to…
Smart, smart, smart.
I would have been thrilled if the restaurants I’d worked in had teamed with DineSafe and guests had been using it. It wasn’t any fun being the messenger, caught in the crossfire. May dinesafeapp.com take off soon!
Tweetable
Enough of the nonsense about #foodallergies. They shouldn’t be a problem for guests or restaurants. #DineSafe
Photo Credits
DineSafe | Nicoleta Ionescu/Shutterstock | Rommel Canlas/Shutterstock
