GYUBEE
Designing a dining experience that reclaims wait time
Role: UX Research, UI Design, Visual Design, Design System
Timeline: 4 +2 weeks
Platform: Customer facing POS
Read Time: 5 mins
This is a long story short. Want the full process?
The ProblemThe restaurant receives a large number of negative reviews due to long wait times.
Gyubee is an all-you-can-eat Japanese BBQ restaurant known for its quality and great taste. However, due to its popularity and the lack of a reservation system, long wait times have led to customer frustration and lower Google reviews. As a server at the restaurant, I identified an opportunity to improve the customer experience through a dedicated app.
After conducting 6 user interviews I ran into a big challenge:How might we reduce customer frustration during unavoidable wait times?
The keyword here is “unavoidable”. The conventional solution to long wait times is improving reservation and waitlist systems. However, when existing tools like Yelp and Google Reservations fail to meet user needs, simply iterating on the same approach isn’t enough.
But what if I could make the wait... feel shorter?
I mapped out the entire current workflow, and here's the issue:Customers with nothing to do during their wait, and ties up servers with time-consuming onboarding at each table
Customers wait up to 3 hours with nothing to do and no guarantee that their tables will be ready.
Server’s are tied down to one table to take a large order, collect payment information, allergy information, and answering any questions regarding the menu.
The New ApproachLetting customers drive the dining experience
Customers can browse the menu and pre-order the first round of order while waiting for their table.
Servers are no longer tied down because all dining information will be collected automatically.
The onboarding and pre-order feature crosses off 6 pain points at once
I created multiple iterations of wireframes and prototypes. Each iteration is tested and improved upon the next. I’ll showcase the final result. If you want to see the full process go to my full case study.
The final prototype and link to design file
Systematic design thinking
A scalable design system to support growth and consistency
While building the Gyubee experience, I quickly realized this wasn't just a one-off flow. Even as an MVP, the product touched multiple contexts: customers pre-ordering at home, staff preparing orders at the restaurant, and servers referencing allergy information in real-time.
To support all of this — and to ensure consistency across flows, devices, and user types — I built a scalable, atomic design system.
Takeaway
Working on this project taught me that innovation doesn’t always mean reinventing the entire system — sometimes it’s about reframing the problem.
Originally, I set out to solve wait time by designing a better reservation system. But through deeper research and lived experience as a server, I realized the more impactful opportunity wasn’t about avoiding the wait — it was about redefining how customers experience it.
Other key lessons included:
The power of whitepaper research in identifying overlooked patterns in restaurant workflows
The value of co-creating with frontline staff, who often hold the most practical insights
The importance of a scalable design system that supports consistency across evolving features
Next Steps
This MVP is just the beginning. Future phases of the product could include:
Loyalty & personalization features
Smart recommendations and faster reordering based on previous visitsStaff-side tools
A server dashboard to monitor table readiness, prioritize handoffs, and optimize flowAnalytics for business owners
Insights into peak hours, dietary trends, order patterns, and staff efficiency
Wanna see the whole process?
Or use the bottom nav to see my next project.