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Mise En Place

An Inclusive Dining Experience
from Plan to Plate

CLIENT

Fourth

PROJECT TYPE

Independent Study
Strategy
UI/UX

TIMELINE

Fall 2022
8 weeks

TOOLKIT

Adobe Creative Suite
Figma

Setting the Table

Food allergies bring unique challenges to dining. While many can choose restaurants without a second thought, those with allergies must steadfastly advocate for their safety. In this independent study, I explore crafting a solution that warmly invites everyone with dietary needs and restrictions to the table.

CHALLENGE

With a growing number of individuals facing food allergies or related issues, the restaurant industry's inadequate accommodation for dietary restrictions poses significant risks for those affected.

OPPORTUNITY

How might we turn Fourth into a platform that empowers allergy sufferers to confidently select and savor restaurant meals, emphasizing both inclusivity and safety?

SOLUTION

By leveraging AI and other technologies, our inclusive solution for Fourth prioritizes individuals with allergies or dietary restrictions, fostering seamless communication, transparent food safety practices, and optimized responses to diverse dietary needs to maximize operational efficiency and customer satisfaction while aligning with restaurant profit priorities.

Appetizers

MOTIVATION

The inception of this project is rooted in the experiences of a dear friend, "Alicia," who grapples with substantial hurdles when dining out due to her extensive dietary restrictions. Her struggles shed light on a pervasive issue: countless individuals like Alicia find themselves marginalized and disempowered in a restaurant landscape that often falls short in catering to their needs.

Allergy Pervasiveness

- 32 million people have food allergies in the US (including 26 million adults and 6 million children)
- The total number of anaphylactic reactions increased by 377% from 2007 to 2016
25% of these happen in the restaurant sector

Restaurant Preparedness

- 76% of restaurants don't have any allergen-specific documentation (i.e. menus listing ingredients)
- 65% of servers say they wouldn't know how to respond to a customer suffering an allergic reaction

The Main Course

AN EXTENSION TO FOURTH

Fourth's software offers comprehensive support to the restaurant and hospitality sectors. Key features include dynamic menus that can be adjusted in real-time, showcasing available dishes, and providing essential allergen data. The platform also incorporates robust back-of-house training modules, serving as a crucial component for staff training. Positioned as an ideal foundation, this enterprise product is integral to our solution.

mise en place

[mē-ˌzäⁿ-ˈpläs]

noun.

definition. A culinary process in which ingredients are prepared and organized (as in a restaurant kitchen) before cooking

significance. The proposed intervention aptly embodies the essence of "mise en place." Just as in a well-organized kitchen where everything is in its place before cooking starts, our solution involves crucial preparations before the user even steps foot in the restaurant.

Journey Map

ONBOARDING BY DIETARY NEEDS & PREFERENCES

For the app to properly function, the user must first enter all relevant information. This allows the app to recommend restaurants that would best serve the user.

APPEALING TO THE TASTES OF ALL

By creating an event and adding people to it, the user is allowing A.I. to take the entire group's dietary needs and preferences and synthesize them into a profile which it then compares to restaurants. It will prioritize the individual with the greatest restrictions.

DYNAMIC MENU

While the user peruses restaurants, the menus will reflect available items that the user can eat or drink. Everything else will be collapsed and hidden to allow for faster and easier legibility.

REDESIGNED FOOD TICKETS

This intervention better communicates allergies with careful consideration to design principles

Just Desserts

THE "VETO VOTE"

Restaurants often benefit by catering to people with allergies due to the “veto vote” theory which describes how groups tend to choose a restaurant by the group’s most restricted member meaning restaurants aren't only missing out on profits from people with dietary restrictions but their friends and family. as well. Not only that but 92% of guests with food allergies will return frequently to establishments where they have a positive experience.

COSTS

- Allergy-related medical treatment cost healthcare $4.3 billion and an estimated $29.4 billion in 2013
- If restaurant reactions account for 25% of these incidents, we can extrapolate that to mean solving this issue in restaurants will correlate to saving roughly $1 billion directly and $7.4 billion indirectly

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