Why BiteMe Exists
From Pedro Fonseca, founder of BiteMe
I have had food allergies from the moment I was born. So many, in fact, that at one point it was easier to state the few foods that I could have, than the so many I could not. And because of this, I know the “eating out” experience can be tough.
For most people, going out to eat means fun: the table, the company, the ritual. For those with food allergies/restrictions, it means doubt, anxiety, fuelled by the one question: Will there be something that I can eat?
The information you need to answer this question lives inside the restaurant: on the menu, in the kitchen, in whoever is at the counter. You only find out once you’re standing there. So every plan comes with a question mark. The not knowing. The asking, again. The evening you cancel because it was easier than explaining.
BiteMe exists to move that answer out of the restaurant and into your hand, before you’re at the door.
The information to make your own choice, and to feel safer making it.
If it helps you choose a table with a little less doubt, tell me. If something on it is wrong, tell me faster.
Kind regards and happy eating,
What we hold to
- Straight from the source
Every allergen you see comes from the restaurant’s own menu or allergen sheet. Nothing is derived from outside.
- Unknown is not free
When a restaurant doesn’t say, we show a question mark. Uncertainty is never hidden and never dressed up as safety.
- A person read every menu
Each restaurant carries a date and a source: checked in person, or taken from what the restaurant published.
- Built by someone who lives it
Made by someone who understands, catered to the specific needs.
- The decision stays yours
Kitchens change and cross-contamination is real. BiteMe is not a certification and doesn’t pretend to be. Always confirm with staff before ordering.
The 14
The EU’s fourteen allergens, the ones a restaurant has to declare. One icon each, the same everywhere in BiteMe.
- Gluten
- Milk
- Eggs
- Nuts
- Peanuts
- Soy
- Fish
- Shellfish
- Celery
- Mustard
- Sesame
- Sulphites
- Lupin
- Molluscs
Plus vegan, vegetarian and halal, shown exactly as the restaurant labels them.
Run a restaurant nearby?
If your menu declares allergens, we’d like to add it, as it is, at no cost. Write to us.
Cross-contamination and kitchen handling can always affect safety. Always confirm with staff before ordering, especially if your allergy is severe.
Talk to us
Pedro Fonseca