For venues
Unless it’s the point of the meal, no one should be surprised by an ingredient.
Increased allergen disclosure presses on avoiding a dangerous surprise.
Ingredient disclosure presses on avoiding an unpleasant surprise.
Fundamentally, both are about hospitality. How do we make sure customers are confident in having a good experience, and how do we make sure venues can have better customers. Kindness should go both ways. So as an act of kindness, consider thinking through your disclosure policy.
What does this look like?
The less choice someone has in what they eat, the earlier they should know.
Likely, the best option will be written on the menu, next to the dish. Letting people know when they order a dish can work, but places a further burden on the server.
If the herb is cooked into the dish, list it on the menu.
Garnishes that change the flavor are ingredients, list them on the menu.
If you're garnishing and in doubt, consider putting it on the side.
You might reasonably think that the customer should just ask, and asking often works. But it's not always obvious there was even a reason to ask, since herb use differs widely within cuisines and among restaurants. Making things open and disclosed helps the customer confidently choose.
Restaurants (In Person)
When feasible, list it in the dish description.
If that's not feasible, give a menu-level notice, as in:
"some dishes on this menu use cilantro, please ask your server"
Otherwise, tell people when they order.
Often, when asked about allergies, thats the only time to speak up, but cilantro or herbs might not be an allergy, but might still stop someone from any enjoyment.
Delivery and Online Booking
Put it in the dish description, it is the menu most people read as well.
Add a toggle option for herbs and garnishes, listing which herb and giving the option for including or not, as is often done for other ingredients.
Food Trucks and Stalls
When you can, list the herbs next to the dishes.
If you can't, and you have a large static menu, one line on the board can help, saying "some dishes are made with / garnished with...".
Airlines and Premade Meals
List the ingredients on the menu, and let people know during pre-order.
This is a disclosure ask, not necessarily a special meal request. However, early notice
Stewards might not have easy access to the information, so asking might not work and cause more delays.
Cafeterias and canteens
Add herb notice to the dish card, particularly when its cooked into the dish.
Garnish can be easy to see, but adding a garnish assumes everyone has the same taste. Allowing the garnish as a side option for people to use as they prefer can be appropriate.
Catering
If designing the menu, let them know about the herb choice before the menu is set.
When in doubt, let guests know the ingredients when they pick the dish on the invitation. If there's no choice, then listing it on the menu card can still be helpful.
Tasting menus and omakase
A dish list may defeat the purpose, but a note at reservation, noting that some dishes may include cilantro, parsley, etc., can be kind.
You can keep the surprise where it matters, while helping the guest have a better experience.
Store prepared food and meal kits
List the herbs, rather than generic spices. If there's an herb garnished, list it on the package, since its not always easy to spot through the packaging materials.
Ingredient listing is already required. The ask is to make it easier to see, or clear on the product ordering page.
If you are a venue looking to make a change, we want to understand what works best for you! Consider taking our short survey!