I bet you guessed wrong, I did. There are more than 175 countries in the world with populations smaller than 85 million people. Why does this matter you ask? Because in the U.S. alone, there are over 85 million Americans that make food decisions based on dietary preferences, allergies, or health conditions.
That’s nearly every nation: from France, to Italy to the U.K to Thailand, Kenya, and South Africa. This means the community of guests navigating “what they can eat” at restaurants is as large as the ENTIRE population of Germany or Turkey. Let that sink in.
When you stop to think about that, it reframes everything; at least it should. If people with dietary preferences were their own nation, it would rank among the top 20 largest countries on Earth, ON EARTH!! They’re health-driven consumers, allergy-aware parents, fitness enthusiasts, and lifestyle-based diners, each making intentional choices about what they consume.
And the ripple effect is massive:
They represent a $133 billion dining opportunity in the U.S. alone.
Their influence stretches beyond their own purchases into family ordering decisions, peer recommendations, and online reviews.
When they find restaurants that make it easy to “eat their way,” they come back, spend more, and bring others (See 1st edition of my newsletter)
For decades, restaurants have viewed nutrition and allergen data as regulatory obligations. Now, they’re becoming differentiators. Guests are no longer scanning menus for calorie counts, they’re scanning for connection and ingredient transparency.
The difference between a guest who orders once and one who returns ten times often comes down to how easy it was to trust your menu. When brands like Cracker Barrel and honeygrow take what used to live in spreadsheets, PDFs, or kitchen binders and make it visible, personalized, and actionable, both brand and guest win.
So why does all this matter to your Restaurants? Let's see what the data shows:
I’ve said it before, and I’ll keep saying it this is not a niche audience; it’s a massive, overlooked market... It’s a nation-sized market sitting right at the table influencing what gets ordered, shared, and reviewed. Ignoring this audience is like ignoring an entire country’s worth of customers.
By digitizing recipes, allergens and nutrition into an interactive, ingredient-first menu like EveryBite's SmartMenu restaurants can transform the menu from a static list into a dynamic engagement tool that helps guests make confident, personalized decisions.
And the impact is measurable. By digitizing recipes, allergens, and nutrition into an interactive, ingredient-first experience, SmartMenu transforms menus from static PDFs into dynamic engagement tools:
7M+ guest interactions across 7,000+ restaurant locations
46% higher online order conversions
24% profit-margin uplift
20+ dish or ingredient explorations per visit
109,000+ attempted orders through SmartMenu experiences
$3.8 million in measurable order intent across participating brands
That’s real data. Real diners. Real dollars.
CMOs, it’s time to rethink the true scale of dietary preferences and what they mean for your brand’s revenue potential. When a guest opens your menu and feels: “They see me. They’ve thought about me,” that’s not just inclusion, it’s one of the most powerful sales messages you can deliver.
And with California’s SB68 Allergen Labeling Law taking effect July 1, 2026, chains with 20+ locations will be required to disclose allergen information directly on menus or through a digital format, where brands can turn obligation into opportunity.
How is your brand preparing for it? Let’s discuss in the comments!
EveryBite | SmartMenu™ Powering personalized, ingredient-first menus for the modern restaurant industry.
