Restaurants Use Menu Intelligence to Shape Loyalty, Discovery and Personalization
At the 2026 Food On Demand Conference in Dallas, a panel on menu intelligence brought together Olo's Devon Roscoe, EveryBite co-founder Lucy Logan, and Dave Kelly of Noodles & Co. to talk through how restaurants are turning menu data into guest personalization. Logan pointed to the fact that most guests now check a restaurant's menu online before ever walking in, and argued the industry is behind e-commerce in offering guests the kind of filterable, searchable experience they're used to elsewhere.
Kelly shared how Noodles & Co. used menu interaction data to rethink its menu layout during last year's revamp, particularly for first-time guests — who turned out to be significantly more likely to add recommended items during online ordering. The chain also found that lower-priced add-ons outperformed pricier upsells, and that a surge in ramen-related searches, despite no ramen dish on the menu at the time, led directly to a standout limited-time offer.
Logan also spoke to the scale of the allergen and dietary community, noting that roughly one in ten Americans manages a food allergy, and that menu items showing full ingredient and allergen detail tend to see about six times more guest engagement than those without it.
