Allergens on the menu: the boring feature that builds more trust than any campaign

Of all the features in GERG's app, the one regulars bring up most is not the stamp card or the points. It is that the menu tells them, for every item, what is in it. Allergen information is unglamorous and it is the feature that decides whether some people can be customers at all.

Who it is for

Anyone with an allergy, an intolerance, a diet or a child with any of those. For them the question "can I eat this?" comes before "do I want it?" A menu that answers it clearly turns a stressful order into a normal one. A menu that does not sends them somewhere that does.

How it is shown

• Per item, on the item itself, not on a separate page or a footnote.
• Visible without tapping on the detail screen, alongside the price and the description.
• In plain words, using the categories people actually look for, with clear icons.
• Current. A recipe change updates the app the same day. Stale allergen information is worse than none.

Photos and prices that match the counter

The same principle applies to the rest of the menu. A photo that looks like the drink that arrives, a price that matches the till, a description that is true. Each of these is a small act of honesty, and together they are why someone opens the app on the way to the shop rather than guessing.

Keeping it true

The hard part is not building the screen; it is the process behind it. The menu in the app is managed by the shop, with a simple way to update items, prices and allergens, and a rule that nothing goes on the counter before it is in the app. The feature is only as trustworthy as that rule.

Why it matters for loyalty

A loyalty app that is opened only at the till is opened only when the customer is already there. The menu is the reason to open it before, at home, deciding where to go. Allergen data is a large part of what makes the menu worth opening.