Allergy Voyage: Sun Devil entrepreneur develops resource for dining with severe dietary restrictions, food allergies

3 minutes

 

Dining out with confidence can be a challenge for those suffering from food allergies or dietary restrictions, an issue that senior Sun Devil Tristan Tierce understands all too well.

“I myself have severe dietary restrictions; I ended up in the hospital from eating one plate of food,” Tierce said. “That is one of the things that inspired me to create my business to help people like me have safer experiences.”

Double majoring in art studies at Herberger Institute and business entrepreneurship at the W. P. Carey School of Business, Tierce put his entrepreneurial spirit to work during his sophomore year at ASU, when he became the founder and CEO of his venture, Allergy Voyage. 

Prior to traveling abroad for the first time, Tierce had no idea how he would safely dine in a new place — sparking his idea for a resource with restaurant menus and ingredients listed out.

“That's really where the idea spurred from,” Tierce said. “With the realistic nature of business, I had to scale back to focus specifically on Tempe, Arizona. I was very happy to do that because that's where I live.”

His idea was funded through Venture Devils, a program that provides online training, mentorship and opportunities for funding budding entrepreneurs across ASU students, faculty and staff. Tierce joined Venture Devils to combine his passion for entrepreneurship and creativity during his first year at ASU while working on his first project, an original clothing line.

“Through Venture Devils, I've learned how to pitch my business and how to feel more confident as an entrepreneur in what I'm doing,” he said. “The mentorship program they have has been excellent. I've been paired with some great people who have provided some really solid advice.”
 
Those mentorships were the foundation for the relationships Tierce built with local restaurants, continually updating Allergy Voyage with new menus from dining options like The Spaghetti Shack and Pita Jungle.

“I was able to get a lot more ingrained within the community, and with ASU, specifically, and the local restaurants have been amazing to talk to,” Tierce said. “I've got a lot of good feedback from restaurants, I definitely want to continue to develop relationships with them, which is obviously the goal. Right now, it takes a long time to develop those relationships.”

Through the process of creating his own business, Tierce only strengthened his enthusiasm for entrepreneurship.

“Since I graduate this spring, I'm seeing where I could potentially get a job post-graduation,” Tierce said. “Owning my own business is something that I want to do in the future, whether it's Allergy Voyage or another company that I haven't even thought of yet. That's the ultimate goal, but we'll see where I end up directly after graduation.”

Wherever his voyage post-graduation may take him, Tierce has begun and embarked on the winding, twisting entrepreneurial journey. Regardless of what he will go on to invent or develop, Allergy Voyage will remain a resource for Tempe residents to find good eats while remaining cognizant of dietary restrictions. 

To try it out, visit the Allergy Voyage website here.