How Rustic Root Removed Over 1000 Allergy Related Queries Per Month
Rustic Root Serves Complex Comfort Food Safely with Foodini
BUSINESS TYPE
New American Restaurant
LOCATIONS
2 Restaurants
LOCATION
San Diego, CA
Rustic Root brings New American comfort food to San Diego with dishes like elk chops and creative takes on familiar favorites. With locations in the Gaslamp Quarter and Solana Beach, they're known for complex, ingredient-heavy dishes that keep diners coming back.
THE CHALLENGE
But those complex menus created a problem. Servers constantly interrupted the kitchen during busy service to ask about ingredients and allergens. The kitchen team was frustrated, service slowed down, and management worried about allergen mistakes.
"We wanted to find a way to provide transparency to the consumer, while also streamlining our operations."
Wilfried Bergerhausen
Culinary Director
THE SOLUTION
Rustic Root started with Foodini at their original Gaslamp location. The platform digitized their menu and leveraged ingredient data from their existing inventory management system, Meez, making setup straightforward without changing their current workflow.
Now when guests have dietary questions, they can access their personalized menu on the Rustic Root Website, or via QR code on the physical menu. The kitchen team updated the system once when recipes changed, and everyone had the same accurate information instantly.
THE RESULTS
The difference was immediate. Over 1000 guests used the personalized menu solution in the month of May, resulting in an estimated 55% drop in kitchen interruptions. Servers felt more confident catering to guests with allergies and dietary restrictions by pointing them to an accurate source of truth.
Guest satisfaction scores improved, and they noticed 40% more repeat visits from customers with dietary needs.
The success at Gaslamp made expanding to Solana Beach easier. "We rolled out Foodini on day one of the new location," Wilfried explains. "No training headaches, no confusion about ingredients. Our team could focus on great service instead of playing telephone with the kitchen."
Queries Removed
in May alone
Drop in kitchen interruptions
More repeat dietary guests
Locations successfully expanded
WHAT THEY SAY
"Before Foodini, I was running back and forth to the kitchen five times during a busy dinner rush. Now I have all the answers right on my tablet, or can point the guest to the QR on the menu. Guests trust that I know what I'm talking about."
Server
Gaslamp Location
"The kitchen runs so much smoother now. We're not stopping mid-prep to answer the same questions over and over. Everyone has the right information, and we can focus on cooking great food."
Kitchen Manager
Rustic Root
LOOKING AHEAD
RMD Group plans to add Foodini to additional venues within the group over the coming months, following the success at the first two locations.
"The results speak for themselves. We're looking at rolling this out across our entire portfolio because it just makes sense for our operations and our guests."