Allergen Menu Item Setup (Allergies Configuration)

Owned by Douglas Chow
Last updated: Sept 20, 2023
8 min read

Overview

Under Menu Setup, users may provide information on allergy items for each Menu Item, via the “Allergen” info page.

This allows sites to configure Menu Items with specified allergy grouping items. When the customer orders one or more items with restricted ingredients (based on their profile information), users will be prevented from purchasing the item.

Availability

  • This feature is available on both BackOffice and HeadOffice

  • Clients will be allowed to label one or more items as restricted ingredients for the customer

  • Users will be prevented from ordering the item if they order items that feature the restricted ingredient (i.e. item with allergy)

Allergens on Kiosk

Availability on Kiosks

Allergens are viewable on both “Regular” and “Compact” modes:

  • In future updates, the Customer Database will be updated for Allergens so that they are pulling from the Allergens created inside of Menu Setup instead of through via Customer Notes.

  • A new select Allergens screen is displayed which lets the user pick and choose Allergens.

    • If the user removes any Allergens, a confirmation dialogue is displayed warning the user.

On the Kiosk, when the customer is signed in, the user is prevented from ordering items given that there is a match between the item's Allergens and the customer's Allergens.

  • If the items are ordered and then the customer signs in afterwards and we detect Allergens, we display warnings advising that the user does have matching Allergens, but we do not undo the sale.

  • Likewise, the information is displayed prominently that there are matching Allergens to flag it for the user that it is not safe for their consumption.

Enable Allergens on Kiosk

To enable Allergens on kiosk in the BackOffice:

  1. Navigate to Hardware > Terminal Setup > Advanced Options.

  2. Under the Other section, check off “Display Allergens on POS/Kiosk“.

Menu Setup

Menu Setup > Menu Item > Ingredient Info Page

Located beneath the "Ingredient" info page, under a heading called 'Allergens'.

  • Users will also be able to fill out Name, Alt Name, Description, Order Id and Advanced Config when adding a new allergen

  • Users will be allowed to promote/download allergens to and from HO

Menu items can be dragged and associated with allergies under the Grouping > Allergens.

From this view:

  • Users may add new allergens with a right-click context menu.

    • Furthermore, users may add, edit, and remove allergens from this tab.

  • Users can customize to display allergens per terminals.

    • Allergen Grouping creation/editing is similar to customization of Menu Sets, Ingredients, Discounts and other Groupings

  • When copying terminal settings, Allergen details are also carried over from one terminal to another

Viewing Allergy Info on Kiosk

Accessing Allergy Info

When a user is on any Kiosk Quick Menu, they can access Allergy Info on items by selecting them.

Allergen Warnings

Warning Info Icons

Users will be prompted that Allergen Info is available on items, through the following means:

  • A yellow exclamation is displayed beside each item that has a description.

  • A red exclamation is displayed beside each item with one or more allergens.

If an item is considered to have allergens, allergen icons are displayed in the top right hand corner of the image.

  • For each item on the Quick Menu, a maximum of 3 allergens are displayed.

Allergen Warnings on Chits

Kiosk and POS kitchen chits will indicate allergen warnings in the following ways:

  • In System Configuration, if the setting “Show Active Customer Allergens on Kitchen Chit” is enabled, Kitchen Chit will display all allergens that exist between any ordered items and Customer.  

  • When the System Configuration setting "Show ACTIVE ALLERGENS warning on Kitchen Chit" is enabled, “ALLERGENS DETECTED” warning will display at the top of the chit.

  • Warnings will be printed based on what items are present in the transaction, rather than basing it off items on the kitchen chit.

Kitchen Chit Text Options and Customization

Updated Kitchen Chits options under Kitchen Chit Text Customizations. These settings can be found under System Configuration > Page 2. Scroll to the bottom of the middle panel.

  • Under the Kitchen Chit section, the following checkbox options are available:

    • Show ACTIVE ALLERGENS warning on Kitchen Chit

    • Show Active Customer Allergens on Kitchen Chit

       

  • Under Kitchen Chit Text Customizations, a new row of settings are available, next to the Customer Allergens label. These settings are used to configure how Customer Allergens are displayed on the chit:

    • Red

    • Bold

    • Underlined (“U”)

    • All Caps (“AA”)

    • Larger Font (“A^”)

Upon selection of the information / exclamation button, a modal message will appear with item information:

  1. Item Name

  2. Item Description (if available)

  3. Quantity – Amount currently ordered of the item

  4. Allergens – A list of all allergens that are associated with this item

Prevent User from Ordering Allergen Items

On the Kiosk, when the customer is signed in, users will be prevented from ordering items, provided there is a match between the item's stated Allergens and the customer's Allergen warning list.

Detecting Allergens and Signing In

If the items are ordered, and then the customer signs in afterwards and we detect Allergens, we display warnings advising that the user does have matching Allergens, but we do not undo the sale. Likewise, the information is displayed prominently that there are matching Allergens to flag it for the user that it is not safe for their consumption.

Customer Database and QSR Setup

Recording and Displaying Allergies on QSR

As of Build 1784_0000, the Customer Database now pulls from Allergens created inside of Menu Setup, instead of through Customer Notes.

A new select Allergens screen is displayed which lets the user pick and choose Allergens. If the user removes any Allergens, then there is a confirmation dialogue.

Volanté records individual Customer allergies via 'Customer Notes', and/or using other custom attributes in the Volante CDB.

  • If the customer does not exist in the CDB, cashiers will need to manually record preferences and allergies in the 'Transaction Notes A' field.

  • Volanté can also display items with Allergies (via customer notes and transaction notes A) in red on kitchen chits and on the QSR Kitchen Display.

    • Customer Notes (first image) are specific to customers who are logged in.

    • Transaction Notes A (second image) are used in cases without customers logged in.

Configuring Color Coding on QSR ConnectSmart Kitchen Builder Pro

Configuring colors for items can accomplished via GRDS Color Schemes in the ConnectSmart Kitchen Builder Pro application.

  • The intent is to display Customer Notes in the Guest Food Allergies header in red.

  • Volante will also display Transction Notes A in the Comment header in red.

Steps

  1. In Kitchen Builder Pro, navigate to View Settings > GRDS Color Schemes > Item Attributes > Allergen or Add Allergen attributes.

  2. Assign colors from the right pane.

Notes

Default Allergens

On all existing BackOffices, the following Allergens are created by default. These include alternate (alt) names meant for other languages. Currently, French is used as the default alt names for all items.

Ingredient

Name in Menu Setup

Alt Name

Ingredient

Name in Menu Setup

Alt Name

1

Milk

Milk

Lait

2

Eggs

Eggs

Oeuf

3

Fish

Fish

Poissons

4

Shellfish

Shellfish

Mollusques et Crustacés

5

Tree Nuts

Tree Nuts

Noix

6

Peanuts

Peanuts

Arachide

7

Wheat

Wheat

Blé

8

Soybeans

Soybeans

Soja

9

Sesame

Sesame

Graines de Sésame

Previously Planned List of Allergens

Note that this is not applicable as customers will be expected to generate Allergens via Groupings.

  • Alcohol

  • Beef

  • Buckwheat

  • Celery

  • Egg

  • Fish

  • Garlic

  • Gluten

  • Lupin

  • Milk

  • MSG

  • Mushroom

  • Mustard

  • Onion

  • Orange

  • Peanuts

  • Pork

  • Poultry

  • Sesame seeds

  • Shellfish

  • Soy

  • Strawberry

  • Sulphites

  • Tomato

  • Tree Nuts

  • Wheat

 

1784_0000 Updates

Allergens functionality has been updated with the following changes:

Kiosk Visuals

Updated visuals for Item Details:

  • Items with no images set will use a Volante placeholder logo

  • Backgrounds will be blurred for contrast with foreground menu UI objects, and UI buttons have been updated to use curved corners for more consistency

  • This is a general UI update that applies beyond viewing Allergen Items.

Allergen Warnings on Chits

Updated Kiosk and POS kitchen chits to indicate allergen warnings:

  • In System Configuration, if the setting “Show Active Customer Allergens on Kitchen Chit” is enabled, Kitchen Chit will display all allergens that exist between any ordered items and Customer.  

  • When the System Configuration setting "Show ACTIVE ALLERGENS warning on Kitchen Chit" is enabled, “ALLERGENS DETECTED” warning will display at the top of the chit.

  • Warnings will be printed based on what items are present in the transaction, rather than basing it off items on the kitchen chit.

Kitchen Chit Text Options and Customization

Updated Kitchen Chits options under Kitchen Chit Text Customizations. These settings can be found under System Configuration > Page 2.

This includes the following updates:

  • In the Kitchen Chit section, new checkbox options are available:

    • Show ACTIVE ALLERGENS warning on Kitchen Chit

    • Show Active Customer Allergens on Kitchen Chit

  • In Kitchen Chit Text Customizations, a new row of settings are available, next to the Customer Allergens label. These settings are used to configure how Customer Allergens are displayed on the chit:

    • Red

    • Bold

    • Underlined (“U”)

    • All Caps (“AA”)

    • Larger Font (“A^”)

Item Purchase Restrictions and Warnings based on Allergens (Kiosk)

Updated behavior for when customers order Menu Items containing allergens on kiosks. These include restrictions, warning markers and other visual changes. These changes require the Terminal setting “Allergens on POS/Kiosk” to be enabled.

This includes the following changes:

  • If a customer is signed into the Kiosk and has an Allergen profile configured in the CustomerDB, items matching their Allergen profile cannot be ordered. A red exclamation mark will display and the item will be greyed out from the menu.

  • Customers can order items containing Allergens that do not match their profile; these will be displayed with a yellow exclamation point to warn them of potential allergen items.

    • If a customer bypasses this restriction by ordering items with before signing in, all restricted items will be listed in red, underlined font on the checkout screen.

  • When landing on Checkout or Thank You screens, if the transaction contains any restricted items, the following message will appear: “Warning: You have items containing allergens matching your customer profile.”

Storing Allergens on BackOffice – CustomerDB

In the Customer Database on the BackOffice, or under the Customer screen on the POS terminal, users will be able to edit customers and indicate Allergens for that particular customer.

  • When selecting the Allergens field, a modal window will open, showing all configured Allergens on the BackOffice, downloaded from template or local levels.

  • Users will be able to select or deselect Allergens, and will be prompted with warnings when Allergens are removed to ensure changes are being made appropriately. Changes will apply to each individual customer and will provide appropriate warnings when items are ordered on the specified Customer account.