The origin story
Living with food allergies isn’t just my reality; it’s something my whole family has lived with.
Every breakfast, lunch, dinner, drink or snack means asking questions, double-checking ingredients, and hoping nothing slips through the cracks.
As a kid, my family handled most of it for me—calling ahead, packing safe alternatives, making sure I had allergen-free cake at birthday parties! But when I got older, it became my responsibility, and that’s when I started realising just how complicated it really was.
I learned how to scan menus for red flags, how to ask questions that got real answers, how to tell when a server genuinely knew what they were saying—or just guessing.
It was frustrating, exhausting, and unfair. Sometimes, no matter how hard I tried, I had no choice but to sit and watch everyone else eat.
The food fight
Since founding Edible, I’ve spoken to countless people with food allergies and dietary needs, and every single one of them has their own version of this same struggle.
Restaurants genuinely want to help–but they're just not set up to deal with inquiries effectively.
Online menus rarely tell the full story. And allergen lists—if they even exist—are often hiding in the cupboard and formatted as a pile of spreadsheets or cryptic symbols.
Every meal out is a test of deciphering and determining whether I can trust what I'm told. The hardest part is that most restaurants can only deliver this complex information through conversations.
There are too many chances for things to go wrong: changes to ingredients that arrived that morning, how busy the staff are, misunderstanding when customers explain their needs, and how that information is relayed to the kitchen—then back again. Like a game of whispers, key details almost always get lost in translation.
Dining out with food allergies shouldn’t be a gamble.
But right now, it is.
Alex (28)
Founder of Edible
A new standard
Clear and accessible food information should be the standard—not an afterthought.
For restaurants, creating these menus should be straightforward. Our menu builder helps food-service teams present it in a way that’s clear to customers and staff, while easy to update at a moment's notice.
For food-sensitive customers, eating out should be as simple as it is for everyone else. Our menu filter helps people make informed decisions, before heading out.
That means happy customers, fewer misunderstandings, and a dining experience that works better for everyone.
This isn’t just about convenience—it’s about safety, trust, and making eating out accessible to all.
