The Perfect Storm: Why Restaurants Must Act Now as Legislation and Guest Demands Collide
The Storm Brewing Over the Restaurant Industry
All restauranters have seen the steady rise in food allergy and dietary requests over the last decade, although most don't realize over half of the US population now identify as having some form of dietary need. Legislation requiring every restaurant to label menus for all food allergens has been a reality in European countries for many years, and so we have known it is only a matter of time until these same requirements make it to the US.
At the same time, your customers—more informed and more health-conscious than ever—are demanding transparency about everything from peanuts to preservatives, pregnancy safety to seed oils.
This isn't a hypothetical. It's happening. And most restaurants are not ready.
The ADDE Act: California's Groundbreaking Allergen Disclosure Law
Senate Bill 68, formally known as the Allergen Disclosure for Dining Experiences (ADDE) Act, is a legislative proposal that would require Californian restaurants to provide written disclosure of the nine major food allergens directly on their menus.
These allergens include: milk, egg, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soy, and sesame.
Senator Caroline Menjivar, who introduced the ADDE Act, has experienced severe food allergies firsthand.
9-year-old Addie Lao advocated for clearer allergen labeling after struggling to eat safely at restaurants.
The bill was introduced by California State Senator Caroline Menjivar, who lives with severe food allergies and has experienced anaphylaxis firsthand. Inspired by 9-year-old Addie Lao, who advocated for clearer allergen labeling after struggling to eat safely at restaurants, Senator Menjivar aims to protect millions of Californians with dietary risks.
An estimated 2.5 million Californians live with one or more food allergies, and up to one in four serious food allergy reactions occur while dining out. Nearly half of allergy-related deaths are linked to restaurant food and food allergies are responsible for approximately 30,000 emergency room visits per year.
"Without clear information about the ingredients of restaurant meals, people managing food allergies face challenges in making safe dining choices."
AAFA, along with its pediatric division Kids with Food Allergies (KFA), strongly supports SB68. They're organizing events, sharing stories with legislators, and rallying national support to prevent tragedies like the death of Dominique Brown, a 34-year-old woman who died in Los Angeles in 2023 after unknowingly consuming an allergen at a holiday food event.
And it's not just California…
Legislation is cropping up across the country, including in Louisiana, that could have a far-reaching impact. On the table is Senate Bill 14, which calls for bans of some ingredients and disclosures for the use of others. It would call for restaurants to use a disclaimer if seed oils are on the menu, for example, and exclude sweetened beverages from SNAP. As the legislation takes shape, the restaurant industry needs to understand what these shifts in consumer expectation and demands mean for them.
An Industry Unprepared
Despite many large restaurant groups having inventory management systems and internal nutrition teams, most restaurants lack the ability to translate ingredient-level data into usable guest-facing content.
- Paper binders don't reflect daily changes
- Spreadsheets are ignored or outdated
- Verbal communication is very error-prone and unscalable
"We had all the data, but we had no way to surface it when the guest needed it."
Where the Breakdown Happens
Nutrition and procurement teams may have complete allergen data, but guests are still relying on:
- Server memory
- Scribbled notes to the kitchen
- Menu disclaimers without real-time accuracy
And when that system fails, it leads to life-threatening outcomes—and lawsuits.
Guests Deserve (and Expect) Better
Modern guests are managing more than allergies:
- Chronic conditions (heart disease, diabetes, celiac)
- Ethical and lifestyle diets (vegan, keto, low-carb, halal, kosher)
- Pregnancy-safe eating
- Food-as-medicine protocols
These guests need answers they can trust—on their phones, at the kiosk, on the menu, and from your staff.
Best-in-Class Restaurants Are Taking the Lead
Forward-thinking restaurants aren't just preparing for SB68—they're innovating around it. By investing in platforms like Foodini, they're turning regulatory preparation into operational excellence:
- Digital allergen and ingredient databases that update in real time
- Menu systems that auto-flag dietary risks at the guest level
- Waitstaff focused on providing a good experience; not needing to memorize every single allergen and ingredient in every single menu item.
Allergy training for all staff through services like MenuTrinfo and inventory management systems which record all ingredients in recipes such as Meez/CogsWell are also becoming essential tools.
"It's not just about compliance. It's about winning the trust of guests who are tired of feeling unsafe when they eat out."
A Mandate and an Opportunity
Legislation is coming nationwide. For restaurants, it presents a choice:
- React later and scramble
- Act now and lead - while also doing the right thing
"We stopped seeing allergy management as a compliance box. We realized it was a growth strategy."
This Is the Moment to Modernize
California's ADDE Act signals a new era. Restaurants can no longer afford to treat allergen and dietary information as an afterthought. Guests expect personalization. Lawmakers are demanding transparency. And the risks of inaction are higher than ever.
The perfect storm is here. The best restaurants are already building their umbrellas.