Menu Transparency Unlocked: Find Safe Restaurant Choices Fast with Dylan McDonnell

Restaurants need to show what is actually in the food. In this episode, we talk with Foodini founder, Dylan McDonnell, about the product that turns menu chaos into clear, personalized choices for people with food allergies, celiac disease, and special diets.
Dylan walks through the founder story, explains how the platform tags ingredients and allergens across menus, and lays out why accurate menu data matters for safety and for business. The conversation covers the tech behind QR-driven menus, the operational reality of ingredient changes, and how restaurants can adopt this approach quickly.
Watch to see a real-world path toward safer, more inclusive dining and to learn how restaurants and consumers can start using personalized menus today.
Key topics covered:
Founder story: celiac diagnosis to Foodini
How personalized menus are generated and delivered via QR and web links
Ingredient tagging, allergen labeling, and dietary profiles
Real operational challenges: suppliers, recipe changes, and menu updates
Why transparency equals trust and repeat customers
The business opportunity for restaurants that document allergens
How consumers discover Foodini and how restaurants can sign up


Meet Dylan:
Dylan McDonnell is the founder and CEO of Foodini, a dietary intelligence platform that helps restaurants and food service providers deliver accurate, personalized menu information for more than 150 allergens and dietary needs. Inspired by his own lifelong experience with celiac disease, Dylan left a career in corporate law to build a scalable solution that brings transparency, safety, and inclusivity to dining. Under his leadership, Foodini has supported hundreds of thousands of users across the U.S., Canada, and Australia, partnering with restaurants, hotels, and stadiums to modernize menu data and improve the guest experience. He is recognized as a leading voice in advancing food-allergen transparency and helping the industry adapt to emerging regulatory standards.


Website: https://foodini.co/
LinkedIn:   / 73432658  
Instagram:   / getfoodini  
Facebook:   / getfoodini  
TikTok:   / getfoodini  


Connect with NextGen Purpose:
Website: https://www.nextgenpurpose.com/
Instagram:   / nextgenpurpose_  
YouTube: https:   / @essential.ingredients  
Linkedin:   / nextgenchef  
Facebook:   / nextgenpurpose1  


Episode Highlights:
01:15 What is Foodini? Personalyzed Allergy-Safe Menu Explained
06:23 Market Research, Customer Interviews, and MVP
10:04 Loyalty, Revenue Opportunity, and Decision Influence
13:03 Data Problem in Food Service and Building a Tech Team
17:48 Self-Funded Offshore Build and Early Team Steps
22:34 Eating Freely Again
24:22 Explaining User Workflow