Our Story
Born from a moment of truth
at a restaurant table.
"We just wanted to eat safely — without the negotiation."
It started at a restaurant in Dubai. Our family has been navigating dietary restrictions for decades: not one of us, all of us. Karim can't have dairy, corn, gluten, lamb, or soy. His sister follows a gluten free diet and reacts to dairy, vinegar, onion, and garlic. His parents follow a medical hypotoxic diet. And Aurelie is a non reactive allergic who should avoid dairy, orange, and peanuts (but rarely does).
Every meal out, the same scene. A patient waiter spending 45 minutes navigating our restrictions. The familiar feeling of being that table. And still, one restriction doesn't make it through. There's always one. Because the system isn't built for this.
Walking out that night, it hit us: "We can navigate any city, find any restaurant, but there's nothing to tell us what's safe to eat?"
AlignEat was born from that moment. And Dubai became the perfect place to build it. Dozens of cuisines, hundreds of languages on menus, and a community that understands dietary complexity across cultures, faiths, and health.
So we built the app that tells you what you can eat, in seconds. From Dubai to the world. For every foodie.
The reality
This Isn't Just Our Story.
52%
of diners following a specific diet struggle to find compliant meals at restaurants. For gluten-free diners, it's 60%.
Spoon Guru / Restaurant Dive
53.9%
of allergic reactions in restaurants happen after the staff were informed. Telling them isn't enough.
Frontiers in Allergy, 2023
50%
of people with dietary restrictions say their eating habits hurt their social life. Dining out should bring people together, not push them apart.
Spoon Guru / Restaurant Dive
What drives us
Eating Confidently, Anywhere.
Following any diet with ease. Navigating menus in all languages.
Safety First
50% of reactions happen after telling the staff. We know. We've been there. Every feature we build starts with one question: does this make eating safer?
Inclusive by Design
Allergies, intolerances, faith-based diets, medical protocols, personal preferences. Our family alone covers dozens of restrictions. We built AlignEat so no one has to choose between eating out and eating safe.
Radically Transparent
We tell you exactly why a dish is flagged, what's in it, and what to watch for. No black boxes. No guesswork. The trust you can't get from a menu, you get from us.
Built for the Real World
Menus in Arabic, Mandarin, Thai, French. Dietary needs shaped by celiac disease, halal, Jain traditions, or a doctor's orders. AlignEat reads across languages and understands across cultures.
The Team
A small team with a big mission
We're a diverse group of food lovers, technologists, and health advocates united by a common goal.
Karim
Allergic Foodie
Can't eat: dairy, lamb, corn, gluten and soy
Current diet: low sugar
Loves: Cheese. Bread. Kebbeh. Everything he can't eat.
Aurelie
Non reactive allergic
Can't eat: peanut, orange and dairy
Current diet: no sugar (trying to cut it)
Loves: cheese, brussel sprouts and rhubarb pie.