Snap the menu. See FDA top-9 allergen flags before you order.
NutNope reads a restaurant menu photo and flags dishes that may contain the FDA top 9 allergens — milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans, and sesame — so you walk in with a short list of questions for your server. Free for allergy families. Always confirm with your server. We never say a dish is safe.
NutNope is a menu photo tool for allergy families: you snap a restaurant menu and it flags dishes that may contain any of the FDA’s top nine allergens — milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans, and sesame. Flags come from menu text and typical recipes. They are a starting point for questions, not a guarantee about how the kitchen prepares food.
A “no flags found” label means NutNope did not see a clear signal for your selected allergens in that dish’s menu wording. It does not mean the dish is free of your allergens or free of cross-contact. Always confirm ingredients, oils, shared fryers, and prep with your server before anyone eats.
NutNope is free for allergy families and $1.99 per month for everyone else. It is not medical advice. For dish-level flags on any menu you can photograph — including local spots without reviews — join the waitlist at nutnope.com.
What NutNope does in one snap
You photograph (or upload) tonight’s menu. NutNope maps the dishes it can read and marks each one against the allergens in your family’s profile. You get three kinds of signals — NOPE (may contain), ASK (worth a question), or no flags found — plus a short question list and a card you can hand your server. Flags come from menu text and typical recipes. They are a starting point for conversation with the kitchen, not a guarantee about how food is prepared, plated, or fried.
That loop is the product: snap → dish-level flags for the FDA top 9 → ask, then order. The kitchen has the final word. Always.
The FDA top 9 NutNope flags from day one
From day one, NutNope is built around the FDA’s major food allergens:
- Milk
- Eggs
- Fish
- Shellfish
- Tree nuts
- Peanuts
- Wheat
- Soybeans
- Sesame
You choose the allergens that matter for each kid (or for yourself). Peanut may be the reason many families show up first — and the full top nine are available on the same scan. Flags reflect what the menu wording and typical recipes suggest. Menus often leave out oils, finishes, substitutions, and shared equipment. That is why every result ends with confirm with your server.
Flag types you’ll see
- NOPE — menu wording or a typical recipe for that dish suggests it may contain one of your selected allergens. Treat this as “ask before anyone eats,” not as a ban stamped by the kitchen.
- ASK — something on the line is ambiguous (house sauce, “crunch,” spice mix, shared fryer language, incomplete description). Worth a clear question.
- No flags found — NutNope did not see a clear signal for your selected allergens in that dish’s menu wording. This does not mean the dish is free of your allergens or free of cross-contact.
Under every flag set: Confirm with your server. We never label a dish “safe,” “allergy-safe,” or “guaranteed.”
How it works (3 steps)
- Snap or upload a menu photo. Point the camera at the paper menu, QR menu screenshot, or specials board you can photograph clearly. (Texting a menu photo is coming soon — join the waitlist and we’ll tell you when it launches. Do not expect live SMS today.)
- Get dish-by-dish flags for your family profiles. Tap the profile for the kid (or adult) you’re ordering for. Same menu photo can be re-flagged for a sibling with a different allergen set.
- Ask, then order. Use the short question list or hand-to-server card. If staff are unsure, pick another dish or leave. Confirm ingredients, oils, shared fryers, and prep before anyone eats.
Today’s homepage includes a labeled sample / example-only menu demo so you can see how flags look before texting launches. Sample demos are not a real restaurant’s kitchen promise.
Family profiles
Allergy families often juggle more than one set of rules. NutNope is built for multiple kids and multiple allergen combinations. Save a profile per person, then re-run the same menu photo without starting over. Unlimited kid profiles for allergy families on the free plan.
Server card
NutNope builds a short list of questions tied to the dishes and allergens you care about, plus a simple card you can show staff. The card is a conversation tool. It does not certify the kitchen. If the answer is “I’m not sure,” escalate to a manager or choose something else.
What NutNope is not
- Not medical advice. Follow your allergy action plan and your clinician’s guidance. In an emergency, call 911.
- Not a substitute for talking to staff. Flags can miss ingredients, recipe changes, substitutions, and cross-contact.
- Not proof that an allergen is absent. A missing flag is not an all-clear.
- Not a “safe dining” guarantee. We will never market NutNope that way.
Verified menu badges (when live) mean a restaurant reviewed allergen information with Easy Lite on a dated pass — not that any dish is free of an allergen.
Who it’s for
Allergy families first — free. Especially Chicagoland parents finding us through local allergy parent groups and community networks. The product works on any photographable menu in the U.S.; early membership focus is Chicagoland-wide, not one suburb only.
Everyone else: $1.99/mo. Nothing is charged on the waitlist today.
Sister apps in the Easy Lite family do different jobs: DishRizz (palate / foodie learning) and MunchCount (calorie-sort estimates). NutNope’s job is dish-level allergen flags for dining out.
How this differs from Spokin, Fig, Find Me Gluten Free, or ChatGPT
- Spokin — strong for community restaurant (and other venue) experiences filtered by allergen. It does not replace reading tonight’s dishes on the menu in your hand.
- Fig — strong in the grocery aisle (barcode scans). Restaurant matching is limited compared with photographing any local menu.
- Find Me Gluten Free — strong for gluten-focused place discovery. Not a full FDA top-9 dish-level menu photo tool.
- ChatGPT / generic scanners — can read a photo, but they are not built around NutNope’s saved family profiles, cautious flag language, and “confirm with your server” product habit.
For a fuller side-by-side, see NutNope vs Spokin, Fig & Find Me Gluten Free.
Dining-out guides by allergen cluster
- Dining out with peanut & tree nut allergy
- Dining out with dairy, egg & soy allergy
- Wheat, sesame, fish & shellfish dining out
FAQ
What happens when I snap a restaurant menu with NutNope?
NutNope reads the menu photo, flags dishes that may contain allergens in your selected profile (FDA top 9), and gives you short questions to take to your server. Flags are informational. Always confirm with your server before anyone eats.
Which allergens does it flag from day one?
Milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans, and sesame — the FDA top 9. You pick which ones matter for each profile.
Is it free for allergy families?
Yes. Allergy families use NutNope free (unlimited kid profiles). Everyone else pays $1.99 per month. The waitlist does not charge you today.
Does a “no flags found” result mean the dish is OK to eat?
No. It only means NutNope did not see a clear signal for your selected allergens in that dish’s menu wording. It does not prove absence of allergens or cross-contact. Always confirm with your server. We never say a dish is safe.
How is this different from Spokin, Fig, Find Me Gluten Free, or ChatGPT?
Those tools help with community place intel, grocery scans, gluten venue maps, or generic AI reads. NutNope’s job is dish-level FDA top-9 flags on a menu you can photograph — then a habit of confirming with staff. See the comparison page.
What should I still ask the server?
Ask what’s in the dish (including sauces, oils, garnishes), whether equipment is shared, and who can confirm if the first answer is unsure. If staff cannot confirm, choose another dish or leave.
Can I text a menu today?
Not yet. Texting a menu photo is coming soon. Save my spot on the waitlist and we’ll tell you when it launches. Until then, use the sample-menu demo on the homepage to see how flags look.
Is this medical advice?
No. NutNope is informational only. Follow your allergy action plan and confirm with your server. In an emergency, call 911.
Where do the flags come from?
Menu text and typical recipes. For Verified menus (when live), also restaurant-reviewed info on a dated pass. Menus still often omit sauces, oils, and cross-contact — so confirmation with staff remains required.
Join free (waitlist)
Free for allergy families. $1.99/mo otherwise. Snap any menu for dish-level FDA top-9 flags, then confirm with your server. We never say a dish is safe.
Keep reading
Please read: important
NutNope is for information only. It is not medical advice and does not replace your doctor, your allergist or the restaurant. Flags come from menu text and typical recipes and may be wrong or incomplete. They can miss ingredients, recipe changes, substitutions and cross-contact. A missing flag does not mean an allergen is absent. Always confirm with your server before ordering, and follow your allergy action plan. In an emergency, call 911.