Methodology

How Simpa handles restaurant allergy and dietary information

Simpa is designed to help diners ask better questions before ordering. The platform combines restaurant information and community reports, but it does not replace direct confirmation with the restaurant.

Data sources

Community data and owner data are not the same thing

Community data comes from diner feedback about what a restaurant accommodated, how clearly staff answered questions, and what was confirmed during a real visit.

Owner data comes from the restaurant itself, such as menu details, ingredient notes, preparation practices, and other operational information the business chooses to publish.

Simpa keeps those source types conceptually separate because diner experience and restaurant-published information serve different purposes.

Listing status

Claimed and unclaimed listings

A claimed listing is a restaurant record actively managed by the business or its authorized representative.

An unclaimed listing is a public restaurant record that may still have useful community reports, but does not carry the same implication of active owner participation.

Claimed status should be read as a source-status signal, not as a safety guarantee.

How reviews work

What a community report means

Reported by diners

Diners can report what a restaurant said or accommodated for specific dietary or allergy topics.

Aggregated by topic

Reports are grouped by topic such as gluten-friendly, dairy-free, kosher, peanut allergy, or tree nut allergy accommodations.

Shown with caution

When evidence is weak or mixed, Simpa should show that uncertainty rather than overstate confidence.

Evidence

How Simpa interprets review-backed evidence

Simpa can show stronger support when community feedback points in the same direction for a specific topic.

Mixed feedback means diners reported conflicting outcomes, so the page should push users toward direct confirmation rather than imply certainty.

Limited support means there is not enough positive evidence to present the topic as reliably accommodated.

If details are still being confirmed, the listing should say that clearly instead of pretending the data is settled.

Important limit

No listing is a guarantee

Restaurants can change ingredients, suppliers, staff behavior, preparation methods, and kitchen conditions. Simpa is a research tool, not a guarantee of safety.

Freshness

Why freshness matters

A useful restaurant record depends on current information. Older reports may still help, but they should be treated more cautiously than recent, consistent feedback.

Freshness affects how much confidence a diner should place in a listing, especially when menu items or kitchen practices change often.

Moderation

How moderation is supposed to help

Moderation is intended to reduce obviously misleading, low-signal, or unsupported claims and to keep restaurant records understandable.

Moderation does not turn a listing into a medical or legal guarantee. It improves clarity and reliability, but diners should still confirm key details directly.

How to use Simpa well

  • Use city pages to narrow the field, then open restaurant detail pages for specifics.
  • Treat community support as a signal to ask better questions, not as a final answer.
  • Prefer restaurants with clearer, more consistent evidence when stakes are high.
  • Always confirm ingredients, preparation, and cross-contact procedures directly with the restaurant.