About Tags and Allergens

Direct Ordering supports adding Tags and Allergens to menu items and modifiers. These filters help guests find what they are looking for faster, avoid ingredients they cannot consume, and have a more personalized and accessible menu experience. Tags, Allergens, or both can be used, depending on the goals of the menu and guest preferences.

What Are Tags and Allergens?

Tags are custom labels applied to menu items to highlight specific characteristics that may interest guests, such as Spicy, Organic, Served Hot, or Seasonal. Tags help guests quickly filter the menu based on what they are in the mood for or what aligns with their preferences.

Allergens identify ingredients that a menu item contains, such as Gluten, Dairy, or Peanuts. Allergens allow guests with dietary restrictions to filter out menu items that may not be safe for them to eat.

Managing Tags

Tags are created and managed in the Direct Ordering Admin Panel under Settings > Miscellaneous > Tags. Tags can be associated with menu items and modifiers. Managing tags involves:

• Creating a tag with a Name and an optional Description.
• Adding an icon image under the tag's Images tab to represent the tag visually.
• Assigning the tag to menu items from the Tags tab in the menu item editor.

Follow the steps below to set up and manage Tags:

Managing Allergens

Allergens are created and managed under Settings > Miscellaneous > Allergens, the same way as tags. Each allergen has a Name and an optional Description, an icon image can be added under its Images tab, and allergens are assigned to menu items from the Allergens tab in the menu item editor.

Follow the steps below to set up and manage Allergens:

Controlling How Tags and Allergens Appear to Guests

How tags and allergens display to guests is set at the brand level under Settings > User Experience > UI/UX Settings, using two controls: Tags Filter and Allergens Filter. Each offers three options:

• None: Tags or allergens are not shown to guests. This is useful while they are being prepared internally and are not ready to display publicly.
• Show/Hide: Guests can filter the menu by toggling a tag or allergen to view only matching items, or to hide items that contain a selected allergen.
• Highlight: Tags or allergens appear as highlighted labels on the matching menu items.

What Guests See

Depending on the display mode, guests can:

• Toggle a Tag (such as Spicy) to view only matching items.
• Hide items that contain an allergen (such as Gluten).
• See highlighted labels on items when the Highlight mode is used.

The video below shows this in action:

Tips and Best Practices

• Use clear, simple names for Tags and Allergens so guests can understand them quickly.
• Apply filters consistently across the full menu to avoid confusion.
• Upload icon images for visual reinforcement, especially on mobile.
• Use the None display mode when tags are being prepared internally but are not ready to show publicly.
• Review Tags and Allergens regularly to keep them accurate as the menu evolves.