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What Are Dietary Codes?

Dietary codes are short identifiers — like GF for Gluten-Free or V for Vegan — that you attach to menu items to communicate dietary and allergen information. Once set up, they appear automatically on quotes, chef dockets, event briefs, PDF menus, the driver run sheet, the consolidated item view, and online menus.

Setting Up Dietary Codes

Go to Settings → Dietary Codes and click New Dietary Code. Enter a short code (up to 3 characters) and a full name. Create as many codes as your menu requires — common examples include GF (Gluten-Free), DF (Dairy-Free), V (Vegetarian), VE (Vegan), N (Contains Nuts).

Assigning Codes to Items

Navigate to Menu Items, open an item to edit, and select the applicable dietary codes. These become the item's defaults — they'll appear on every order that includes that item unless overridden.

Overriding Codes on the Order Form

You can override dietary codes for any individual order item directly from the order form — without changing the item's defaults. When you click + Add next to a catalogue item, the item's default dietary codes are shown below the item name. Tick or untick codes as needed for this order. The change applies to this order only.

This is useful when a dish is prepared differently for a specific client — for example, a standard item made gluten-free for one event, or a dish served without a typical allergen at a particular venue.

One-Off Items and Bespoke Menus

The + Add one-off item button at the bottom of each category lets you add a custom item to an order without it existing in your catalogue. You can give it a name, set a price, and assign dietary codes — all inline, in a single step.

This makes it fast to build fully bespoke menus for events where dishes are customised per client. A gluten-free canapé, a vegan tasting course, a dairy-free dessert — name it, price it, flag it, done.

Where Dietary Codes Appear

• Quotes & PDF menus — a dietary key is printed automatically listing all codes used
• Chef dockets — codes appear next to each item so kitchen staff know the requirements
• Event brief — dietary information is included for each item
• Driver run sheet — delivery documentation includes dietary flags
• Consolidated item view — codes are shown in the kitchen prep summary
• Online menus — dietary badges are displayed next to item names for customers

Overrides Are Saved with the Order

Any dietary code overrides set on an order item are stored with the order. If you reopen the order form later, the codes are restored exactly as you set them — they won't revert to the item's defaults.