How to Make Your Restaurant Menu Compliant in Saudi Arabia (Step-by-Step Guide)

Introduction

SFDA compliance isn’t just a legal checkbox—it’s how you build trust and protect your brand. This guide walks Saudi restaurant owners through exactly how to bring printed and digital menus (including QR menus and delivery listings) into compliance—without slowing down operations.

Step 1 — List Required Nutrition & Calorie Info

What to include for each item:

Calories (kcal) per item/serving
Key nutrients (at minimum sodium; many restaurants also include sugars and carbs for clarity)
Caffeine (mg) for relevant beverages

Tips

Standardize serving sizes before calculating.
Keep a nutrition sheet in the back office for audits and quick updates.

Step 2 — Disclose Allergens Clearly

Common allergens to flag: gluten (wheat), milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy, sesame, celery, mustard, lupin, sulfites.

How to show it

Add a concise line under each item (e.g., Contains: milk, wheat), or
Use small, consistent allergen icons with a legend at the bottom of the menu.

Step 3 — Use Arabic (with optional English)

All required information (calories, warnings, prices) must appear in Arabic.
You can add English alongside Arabic for tourists/expats.
Keep terms consistent (e.g., “سعرات حرارية” for calories).

Step 4 — Show Final Prices (VAT Included)

Display VAT-inclusive prices (15%) on menus and boards.
Add a small note: “الأسعار تشمل ضريبة القيمة المضافة” for clarity.
Ensure delivery app prices match in-restaurant prices.

Step 5 — Add Health & Warning Cues

High sodium items: add a clear visual cue (e.g., salt shaker icon).
Caffeinated beverages: list exact mg of caffeine.
(Optional but useful) Add a brief daily calorie guidance note in the footer.

Step 6 — Make Your QR Menu Fully Compliant

If guests scan a QR code, the mobile menu must show the same info: calories, allergens, VAT-inclusive prices, caffeine mg, sodium icon, etc.
Ensure the page is mobile-friendly, loads fast, and works in Arabic (RTL).
Provide an alternative (tablet or single-use print) for guests who can’t scan.

Step 7 — Create an Update Workflow

You need a simple process for:

Price updates (inflation, supplier changes)
Recipe changes (affects calories/nutrition/allergens)
New items/seasonal menus

Recommended workflow

Chef updates recipe →
Ops calculates nutrition/allergens →
Marketing updates menu (print + QR + delivery apps) →
Manager signs off →
Staff briefed on changes.

Step 8 — Train Front-of-House Staff

Teach staff to explain icons (salt/caffeine/allergens).
Prepare answers for common questions (low-cal options, gluten-free items).
Keep a reference binder or tablet view for quick checks.

Step 9 — Audit Your Delivery Channels

Align HungerStation/Jahez/Talabat listings with in-store information.
Reconcile any mismatches in calories, prices, item availability, or allergens.

Step 10 — Keep Evidence & Be Inspection-Ready

Save nutrition calculations, recipe specs, supplier labels, and update logs.
Keep dated screenshots/PDFs of your menu versions.
Review quarterly to catch drift (new items, changed recipes).

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Only adding calories but forgetting allergens.
Showing VAT excluding in the menu price.
Arabic present, but required info only in English.
QR menu missing calories/allergens compared to print.
No internal process—updates become inconsistent across channels.

Tools & Practical Tips

Use a centralized digital menu so changes sync to QR and print.
Maintain a simple ingredient library (with allergen flags) to reduce errors.
Standardize portion sizes to keep calorie counts accurate.
For caffeine and sodium, create templates so staff input is consistent.

Conclusion

Compliance protects your guests and your brand—and it’s much easier with a clear process and a digital menu that updates instantly across channels. Standardize your data, train your team, and keep your QR and delivery menus aligned with your in-house boards.

👉 Make compliance simple: Create your free, AI-powered digital menu with Tappya and get calories, appetizing descriptions, nutrition cues, Arabic support, and VAT-inclusive pricing—all in one place.

Get Started Free →