Quick answer. Feed the AI your recipe card, never a dish name alone, and make it list allergens only from your ingredients, with [CHECK LABEL] for any prepared product. A manager confirms every allergen answer before it goes out. For reviews, thank, acknowledge, say what changed and take it offline.
Why a workflow beats a one-off prompt
A chat assistant knows what pesto usually contains, which is exactly the problem: your pesto might differ, and a customer with an allergy needs your answer, not the usual one. That's why every food workflow here starts from your ingredient list and shows its work. The time savings come from the writing, specials boards, posts, catering replies and newsletters, while the facts stay yours.
Each workflow has five parts: the job it does, a prompt template with [BRACKETS] to fill, an example input with the kind of output to expect, a check before you send (facts, numbers, names, tone), and a privacy rule. Every prompt ends by telling the AI to write [CHECK] instead of guessing, so missing facts show up instead of being invented.
Three workflows you can run today
2. Replies to online reviews
Prompt template (replace every [BRACKET] with your facts):
Write a public reply (under 80 words) to this review of my [RESTAURANT]: [PASTE REVIEW]. Thank them and mention one specific dish or detail. For a complaint, apologize for the experience, say what we're doing about it if I tell you [WHAT WE CHANGED], and invite them to contact [EMAIL/PHONE]. Don't argue, don't share anything about their visit or bill, and don't offer anything in exchange for changing the review. If any fact you need is missing, write [CHECK] instead of guessing. After the draft, list every [CHECK] and anything you assumed.
Example input: 2-star: "Food was great but we waited 40 minutes for entrees on a Friday."
What to expect: Expect a thank-you for the kind words on the food, an apology for the wait, one line on the change (an extra cook on Fridays) and contact details.
Check before you send:
- Facts: the change you mention is real.
- Numbers: no bill amounts or table details.
- Names: reviewer's display name only; no staff named in blame.
- Tone: gracious, not defensive.
Privacy rule: Public review text only. Don't paste reservation records or receipts.
Rule to know: The FTC's Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule bars fake reviews (including buying them) and review suppression. (FTC)
3. Allergen and dietary question replies
Prompt template (replace every [BRACKET] with your facts):
Draft a reply to a customer's allergen question: [QUESTION]. The dish's ingredients, from my recipe card and product labels: [LIST]. Shared equipment or prep areas: [DETAILS]. Answer only from this list. If anything is unknown, say we'll check and get back to them. Include a line that we prepare food in a kitchen where [ALLERGENS] are present and can't guarantee no cross-contact. If any fact you need is missing, write [CHECK] instead of guessing. After the draft, list every [CHECK] and anything you assumed.
Example input: "Is the pesto pasta safe for a tree nut allergy?" Pesto made with pine nuts; shared fryer; walnuts used in kitchen.
What to expect: Expect a direct answer (the pesto contains pine nuts), a note on the shared kitchen and an offer of a dish to ask the chef about.
Check before you send:
- Facts: answer comes from your recipe and labels, never from the AI's general knowledge.
- Numbers: n/a.
- Names: dish names right.
- Tone: careful and clear; a manager confirms before you send.
Privacy rule: Never paste a named customer's health condition; describe the question only.
Rule to know: FDA's list of nine major food allergens. Check your state and local health code for allergen notice rules. (FDA)
How many hours would they give back?
Fill in at least one workflow.
Rules to know before you post or send
The FDA lists nine major food allergens: milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans and sesame, with sesame added effective January 1, 2023 (FDA FASTER Act page). The menu and allergen workflows check each dish against that list using only your ingredients. FDA calorie labeling applies to restaurants that are part of a chain with 20 or more locations doing business under the same name and offering substantially the same menu items (FDA menu labeling). State and local health codes can add allergen notice rules; check with your health department.
For reviews, the FTC's rule bars buying fake reviews and suppressing real ones through intimidation or groundless legal threats (FTC rule Q&A). If a supplier or brand gives you products to feature, disclose it in the post (FTC Disclosures 101).
What stays out of the chat
Whatever the workflow, don't paste Social Security numbers, ITINs, driver's license or passport numbers, or photos of IDs; bank, card or loan account numbers and routing numbers; health information about a named person: diagnoses, medications, allergies, disability details; passwords and door, lockbox, alarm or gate codes; signed contracts, leases or applications with personal details still on them; anything a client told you in confidence. Use first names or roles, type only the facts a draft needs, and set your AI tool's chat history and training options to the most private choice it offers. The FTC's guide for businesses puts it as take stock, scale down, lock it, pitch it and plan ahead (FTC). If staff use AI tools too, the Small Business AI Use Policy Kit puts these rules in a written policy. The free AI tool risk check shows how much business data is going into AI tools now.
All 13 workflows in the kit
- Menu descriptions from your recipe cards
- Daily specials board and post
- A week of social posts
- Replies to online reviews
- Catering inquiry reply and quote outline
- Event and market vendor application blurb
- Allergen and dietary question replies
- Pre-shift briefing notes
- Supplier order and price-check emails
- Job post for an open position
- Holiday hours and closure notices
- Monthly email newsletter
- Food truck location schedule post
Each comes with the same five parts as the samples above. Related: Recipe Costing and Menu Pricing Workbook · Restaurant Daily Sales Sheet. Other trades: real estate agents · contractors and home service pros · salons and beauty pros · landlords and property managers · freelancers and creatives. Or start at the AI workflows hub.
Sources
- FDA: The FASTER Act, sesame is the ninth major food allergen
- FDA: Menu labeling requirements
- FTC: The Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule, questions and answers
- FTC: Disclosures 101 for social media influencers
- FTC: Protecting personal information, a guide for business
General information checked November 2026 against the official sources above, not legal advice. Check your state and local rules. No AI product or vendor is recommended; the workflows work in any chat assistant. The calculator runs in your browser, and nothing you enter is sent or saved.
Common questions
Can an AI tool tell me which allergens are in my dish?
Only from the ingredient list you give it, and even then you check it. A chat assistant guesses from typical recipes and doesn't know your suppliers' products, so the workflow marks prepared items [CHECK LABEL] and a manager confirms the answer.
Do I have to put calories on my menu?
FDA menu labeling applies to restaurants and similar retail food establishments in a chain of 20 or more locations under the same name with substantially the same menu items. Check your state and local rules too.
How should I answer a bad review?
Thank the reviewer, apologize for the experience, say briefly what you changed if anything, and give a way to reach you. Don't argue, share details of their visit or offer anything for changing the review. The review workflow drafts exactly that.
Can I ask customers for reviews or give a reward?
The FTC says general requests to customers are fine. Its rule bars incentives conditioned on a particular sentiment, and asking only happy customers may violate the FTC Act. Ask everyone, with no reward tied to a positive review.
Is it safe to paste my recipes into an AI chat?
Recipes are business information, not personal data, but check your tool's settings for chat history and training on your data. Leave out ratios you consider secret; the menu workflow only needs the ingredients.