Guides · Updated 2026-10-15

ChatGPT prompts for cafés and restaurants (UK)

These prompts cover the writing a café, restaurant or takeaway does every week: menu descriptions, allergen notices, booking and deposit policies, staff tipping policies and replies to reviews. Fill in the [brackets], paste into ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini, and check the draft before you use it. AI tools can get rules wrong, so check anything legal yourself. We checked the rules below on 15 October 2026. They come from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and GOV.UK and apply in England, Wales and Northern Ireland unless we say otherwise. Scotland has its own food standards body.

Never let an AI tool work out which allergens a dish contains. It can't see your recipes or your suppliers' labels. Use it to word the notice, then fill in the facts from your own allergen records.

For general business messages, see ChatGPT prompts for small business admin.

Allergens and labelling

1. Allergen notice for the counter and menu

Write a short, clear notice for my [café/restaurant/takeaway] telling customers that allergen information for every dish is available [in our allergen folder at the counter / on our website at link / from any member of staff], and asking them to tell us about any allergy before they order. Friendly, plain English, British spelling, under 60 words. Don't say any dish is "allergen-free" or "safe".

If you sell loose food (meals, drinks made to order, food from the counter), you must give allergen information for every item that contains any of the 14 regulated allergens. You can do this in writing, or verbally with a written notice in a clearly visible place telling customers how to get it (FSA allergen guidance for food businesses). The FSA's best practice guidance says customers prefer written information backed up by a conversation (FSA best practice for non-prepacked foods).

2. Turn your allergen records into a tidy chart

Here is my own list of dishes and the allergens I've recorded for each from my recipes and supplier labels: [paste list]. Lay it out as a table with one row per dish and a column for each of the 14 UK allergens: celery, cereals containing gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, peanuts, sesame, soybeans, sulphur dioxide and sulphites, tree nuts. Use only the information I've given; if a dish has no entry for an allergen, mark it "check" rather than guessing.

The 14 are listed in the FSA guidance linked above. Check every cell against your recipes before you print it, and update it whenever a recipe or supplier changes.

3. Labels for food you pack before customers choose it

Write a label for [food, such as a ham and cheese sandwich] that we make and pack on site before customers choose it. Use this ingredients list from my recipe: [paste ingredients, including the ingredients of any compound ingredients such as bread or mayonnaise]. Give the name of the food, then a full ingredients list in descending order of weight, with any of the 14 UK allergens in bold. Don't add or remove ingredients.

Since 1 October 2021, food that's prepacked for direct sale (packed on the premises before it's ordered, such as sandwiches in a grab-and-go fridge) must be labelled with its name and a full ingredients list, with the allergens emphasised (FSA: introduction to allergen labelling for PPDS food). This is often called Natasha's Law. Check whether your food counts as PPDS with the FSA's decision tool, linked from that page.

Menus and bookings

4. Menu descriptions

Write menu descriptions for these dishes at my [type of café/restaurant] in [town]: [dish names and main ingredients]. 15 to 25 words each, appetising but honest, no claims I can't back up (such as "locally sourced" unless I say it is), British spelling.

5. Booking and deposit policy for groups

Write a short booking policy for tables of [number] or more at my restaurant. Rules: a deposit of [£amount per person] to secure the booking, taken off the final bill; we need final numbers [days] before; cancel with [days] notice for a full refund; less notice means [what happens to the deposit]. Fair, plain English, no small print, British spelling, under 150 words.

Keep it fair: the Consumer Rights Act 2015 lists, as a term that may be unfair, one requiring a consumer who decides not to go ahead to pay a disproportionately high sum in compensation or for services not supplied (Schedule 2, paragraph 5).

6. Christmas or event menu announcement

Write a short announcement for our website, email list and Instagram about our [Christmas/Mother's Day/event] menu: [dates], [courses and price per person], booking at [link or number], deposit [£amount]. Warm, no fake urgency, British spelling, under 120 words, plus a 200-character version for Instagram.

Staff and hygiene

7. Written tipping policy

Write a short, plain-English tipping policy for my [café/restaurant] team. Cover: how card and cash tips are collected, that all tips go to staff without deductions, how they're shared ([method, such as by hours worked]), when they're paid ([with wages]), and that staff can ask to see the tip records. British spelling, under 200 words.

By law, all tips must be passed to workers without deductions, and a statutory code of practice covers written tipping policies and record-keeping (GOV.UK: tips at work). Tips don't count towards the National Minimum Wage.

8. Cleaning and closing checklist

Turn these notes into a clear daily opening and closing checklist for my kitchen, with tick boxes and a space for initials and the date: [paste your notes on cleaning, fridge temperature checks, stock rotation and so on]. Keep my own steps and wording for any temperatures or times; don't add figures I haven't given.

At an inspection, food safety officers look at how food is handled, the condition of the premises, and how you manage food safety, including your processes, training and systems (FSA: food hygiene rating guidance for businesses). Use the FSA's own Safer Food, Better Business pack for the food safety content itself.

Reviews and ratings

9. Reply to a bad review

A customer left this review: [paste review]. Write a calm, polite public reply from me, [name], the owner. Thank them, apologise for [the specific problem] without arguing, say what we've changed ([if anything]), and invite them to contact me at [email]. Don't mention their order details or anything private, British spelling, under 100 words.

If a review mentions an allergic reaction or food poisoning, don't just reply: check what happened, take it seriously offline, and keep records.

10. Right to reply after a hygiene inspection

Write a short, factual "right to reply" statement for the food hygiene ratings website. At our inspection on [date] we were given a rating of [number]. Since then we've [list improvements, such as new fridge, staff training on date, deep clean]. Plain English, no blame, British spelling, under 120 words.

If you're unhappy with your rating, you can appeal in writing within 21 days. You can also submit a right to reply at any time before your next inspection; it's published next to your rating. Once you've made the improvements, you can ask for a re-rating inspection, which may cost a fee (FSA guidance linked above). In Wales and Northern Ireland you must display your rating sticker at or near each customer entrance; in England displaying it is optional.

Before you use anything

• Check every allergen fact against your recipes and supplier labels, not the AI's version.
• Don't paste customer names, phone numbers or health details into an AI tool.
• For booking apps, card readers and other tools, see AI tools for cafés and restaurants and the best card payment providers.

FAQ

Do cafés have to list allergens on the menu?

Not necessarily. For food that isn't prepacked, you must give information on the 14 allergens for every item that contains them. You can put it in writing, or give it verbally with a clearly visible written notice telling customers how to ask, according to the FSA.

What is Natasha's Law?

It's the rule, in force since 1 October 2021, that food prepacked for direct sale must be labelled with its name and a full ingredients list, with the 14 allergens emphasised.

Do I have to display my food hygiene rating?

In Wales and Northern Ireland, yes, at or near each customer entrance. In England it's optional, though the FSA encourages it.

Can I keep part of the tips?

No. By law, all tips must be passed to workers without deductions.