Inclusive menus – inclusive restaurants

Until a few years ago, the norm was to design a menu around the ‘general’ customer, with no dietary restrictions and tastes that, until now, were the most common. However, there are now a wide range of different dietary regimes, but, instead of trying to get customers to adapt to us, the most efficient way to run a business effectively is to do the opposite: design inclusive menus that appeal to all kinds of diners.

Allergies, intolerances, dietary preferences, etc. have ‘forced’ restaurants to adapt to every customer’s unique situation, producing inclusive menus to suit every possible dietary restriction that the kitchen may encounter.

The justification for this is obvious: if you want to continue attracting customers to your restaurant, you need to accept the fact that every person is different. You are therefore faced with various factors that you will need to adapt to:

• Allergies and intolerances.
• Nutritional awareness (avoid ultra-processed foods with chemicals and additives, and try to use only ‘zero kilometre’ locally-sourced ingredients).
• Vegetarians, vegans, lactose intolerance, gluten-free diets, etc.

It should therefore come as no surprise that restaurants are now incorporating more and more inclusive alternative options into their menus. They are not only catering to people with allergies or intolerances, but also to those people who want to stick to their particular dietary regime, but don’t want to miss out on going out for a good meal. It’s important to remember that, if you don’t include options for all types of diets, your restaurant may be missing out on a significant portion of the potential customer base.

What’s more, making your restaurant inclusive will not only fulfil your main objective of providing a service to everyone, but your business will also receive the indirect benefit of positive reviews and recommendations from people with intolerances or allergies, who are always highly appreciative of any restaurants that take into account their requirements or preferences.

Customers always love finding a restaurant where they can enjoy a nice meal with their family and friends, particularly one that also offers a menu that is adapted to their needs.