System for managing a waiter station

Company: Tomato Inc
Product Name: Rest Or Rant
Field: Restaurant Management Systems

My Role: Prototype, UX Design, UI Design

The Problem

Company: Tomato Inc
Tomato Inc has been developing products for the restaurant industry for over 20 years. One of its flagship products is Rest Or Rant, originally created for Windows 3.11 about 25 years ago. Today, the system no longer meets market demands, despite the transition to a touch interface.

Project Goal:
To modernize the product and adapt it to the current era — creating a contemporary interface, an intuitive user experience, and meaningful engagement with the restaurant’s key user groups.

System Objectives:

Streamline the process of ordering and serving dishes.
Improve the work experience for waiters and staff.
Build a smart, accessible, and unified management system for all restaurant roles.

Target Audience:
The system is designed to provide a complete solution for all restaurant users:

Waiters
Shift Managers
Restaurant Managers
Chefs
Bartenders
Diners

Business Model:
The business model of Rest Or Rant is based on selling the main product to restaurant owners, with the option to purchase additional modules as needed.

Existing Modules:

Mobile app for waiters – complements the stationary waiter station.
Kitchen system – manages orders and sends updates to waiters with notifications.
Tablet app for diners – allows customers to place orders and pay independently.

Development Stages:

Stage 1: Stationary waiter station.
Stage 2: Mobile waiter app and kitchen/bar system (replacing printers).
Stage 3: Tablet app for diners.

The Solution

In order to identify solutions and understand the challenges faced by the restaurant staff, I distributed questionnaires and conducted interviews with the restaurant’s key stakeholders:

23 waiters

12 bartenders

9 chefs

15 shift managers

5 restaurant managers

Research

I compiled a set of questions focused on the workflow and pain points, which I used during the interviews and in the questionnaires I distributed.

8 questions

64 Respondents

Five In-Depth Interviews

To get to the root of the problems and understand the users and their behaviors in depth, I conducted interviews with stakeholders and distributed questionnaires to the restaurant staff. The information I aimed to extract from the users was their needs and pain points (unmet needs). This process helped me understand what was missing in the overall system and identify the pain points.

Role Analysis

Waiter Role Analysis

Position Rank:

Junior role
reporting to managers

System knowledge:

Expert-level proficiency

Required Knowledge and Skills:

Basic technological knowledge – in any case, some training will be provided
Ability to memorize / retain information
Interpersonal skills
Multitasking

Role-Dependent Goals:

Satisfy the customer
Provide a good experience
Earn tips
Help the restaurant make a profit
Represent the restaurant

Task Analysis

Receive orders
Seat / move customers
Provide recommendations / advice
Check for allergies
Clean the customer’s area / table
Collect payment
Set up tables
Open and close shifts
Track the dishes for their customers
Update specials / inform customers about kitchen shortages (menu availability)

Tools

Pen and notepad
Appropriate attire / uniform
Waitstaff station
Menus
POS device / handheld terminal

Position Rank

Junior role
reporting to managers

System knowledge:

Expert-level proficiency

Required Knowledge and Skills

Basic technological knowledge – in any case, some training will be provided
Ability to memorize/retain information
Interpersonal skills
Multitasking

Role-Dependent Goals

Satisfy the customer
Provide a good experience
Earn tips
Help the restaurant make a profit
Represent the restaurant

Task Analysis

Receive orders
Seat/move customers
Provide recommendations/advice
Check for allergies
Clean the customer’s area/table
Collect payment
Set up tables
Open and close shifts
Track the dishes for their customers Update specials / inform customers about kitchen shortages (menu availability)

Tools:

Pen and notepad
Appropriate attire/uniform
Waitstaff station
Menus
POS device / handheld terminal

Role

Waiter

Task Analysis

Task

Arrive for the shift
Update shift attendance
Open the shift
Table & Customer Management
Set up a table
Seat customers
Hand out menus
Update specials / unavailable items
Give advice / recommendations
Check for allergies
Order Management
Take an order
Enter it into the system
Serve drinks
Track the dishes
Serve dishes
Ensure everything is fine and the experience is pleasant
Provide toothpicks and napkins
Clear the table
Offer / provide dessert menu
Serve dessert
Clear dessert
Provide the bill
Collect payment / split payments
Table Adjustments
Move tables
Shift Handover / Coverage
Handover shift to the next waiter
Make shift swaps in the system
Ending a Shift
Close the shift
Update shift completion
Kitchen Updates
Stay informed about kitchen shortages / unavailable items

Priority Score (sum)
15
11
13

13
10
11
8
10
12
15
13
12
10
13
7
5
9
7
11
8
11
13

10
10

13
11

Frequency
5
5
5

5
5
5
3
3
3
5
5
4
3
5
3
2
5
3
5
5
5
4

3
3

5
5

Criticalty
5
5
5

5
4
5
3
3
5
5
5
5
3
5
2
2
3
3
5
2
5
5

5
2

5
5

Difficulty
5
1
3

3
1
1
2
4
4
5
3
3
4
3
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
4

2
5

3
1

Task

Arrive for the shift
Update shift attendance
Open the shift

Set up a table
Seat customers
Hand out menus
Update specials / unavailable items
Give advice / recommendations
Check for allergies
Take an order
Enter it into the system
Serve drinks
Track the dishes
Serve dishes
Ensure everything is fine and the experience is pleasant
Provide toothpicks and napkins
Clear the table
Offer / provide dessert menu
Serve dessert
Clear dessert
Provide the bill
Collect payment / split payments

Move tables

Handover shift to the next waiter
Make shift swaps in the system

Close the shift
Update shift completion

Kitchen Updates Stay informed about kitchen shortages / unavailable items

Task Importance Ranking in Task Analysis

Nice to have

Table Notes

Table Hours

Allergen Check

Opening/Closing Day Checklist

Petty cash

Popular dishes/drinks

Tips allocation for waiter/bartender

Important

Dish Search

Dish Timing

Restaurant Occupancy

Weekly Schedule

Critical

Attendance

Cash Register Opening

Table Status (Table Transfer & Table Merge)

Inventory

Dish Notes

Dish

Edit/Delete Dish

Comp/Discount

Check (Split + Tips)

User Profile

Settings

Reports

Suppliers/Orders/Shipping Notes/Invoice

User Story 1:
Dana the Waitress – Ordering Dessert During Peak Hours and Chaos in the Restaurant

Dana is working a Friday evening shift. She receives a request to change the dessert topping from chocolate to cookie crumbs. She rushes to the waiter station, but the interface does not allow her to enter the request freely.

In the end, she writes it as a “general note,” but the kitchen misses it. The customer receives the wrong dessert and becomes upset. Dana has to calm the customer, return the dish, and apologize to the shift manager – all because there is no simple field to “enter special requests.

User Scenario

Information Architecture

What must the user need to do?

Persona / Character:

Dana, a waitress with one year of experience, works in a busy restaurant on Friday evenings.

Motivation: Serve customers quickly, avoid mistakes in orders, and ensure all bills are correctly closed at the end of the shift.

Challenges: Noise, high cognitive load, impatient customers.

1. Logging into the System

Mental State: Start of the shift; Dana is stressed but focused.
Actions:

Quick login using employee card / QR scan.
Receive an initial summary: number of tables under her responsibility, status of open orders.

2. Opening a New Table

Mental State: A new table is seated, customers are waiting.
Actions:

Select “Open New Table” in the interface.
Choose table number from a graphical map of the restaurant.
Indicate the number of diners.

(At this stage, it is important for the interface to reduce options – “Hick’s Law”: fewer choices = faster decisions.)

3. Taking an Order

Mental State: Divided attention – listen to customers, enter orders, maintain eye contact.
Actions:

Select clear categories (Starters, Main Courses, Drinks).
Enter special notes (“gluten-free,” “steak medium”).
Option for “speech-to-text” to ease input under noise.
Send order directly to the kitchen.

(Here, the principle of “Immediate Feedback” is critical – the system provides visual confirmation that the order was sent.)

4. Updating a Table During the Meal

Mental State: Customers are adding items during the meal.
Actions:

Access existing table → “Add Item.”
Option to duplicate a previous order (“Another beer like before”).
Clear indication of what has been served and what is pending.

5. Closing the Bill

Mental State: End of meal, customers are in a hurry to leave.
Actions:

Select the table → “Close Bill.”
Choose: full bill / split by diner / customized split.
Receive payment confirmation (card/cash/payment app).
Clear color-coded confirmation: bill closed.

6. Ending the Shift

Mental State: Tired, wanting to finish quickly.
Actions:

Access “Shift Summary” screen: number of tables, total sales, tips.
Confirm end of shift → log out.

Usre Scenarios

As a waitress in a restaurant,
I want to quickly and easily enter an order for a table with multiple diners
so that each dish reaches the kitchen correctly without confusion, and the customers experience fast and professional service.

As a waiter managing multiple tables simultaneously,
I want to select a table, enter dishes, make adjustments, and send the order to the kitchen
to ensure that each dish is served on time and exactly according to the customer’s request.