Our test case was at a restaurant working 6 nights per week with a capacity of 150 customers serving inside and outside. The specific restaurant served starters, platters, main dishes with dishes of the day, desserts, refreshments, beers, wines and cocktails. Each waiter placed on average 26 orders per shift.
During our research we observed a lot of issues and delays with this model. The customers were waiting to get the menus upon arriving.
They were waiting for a waiter every time they wanted to order something. They were waiting for the check and payment process at the end.
Other problems we experienced were: Dishes of the day were aurally provided to the customers and were difficult to remember. Customers sometimes were decided on a dish just to learn from the waiter that it was unavailable. Different items were served than those ordered and it was difficult to find out where the miscommunication happened.
Lastly, what was communicated from the business owner was that it is very difficult to find good staff and keep them.
The average cost of a waiter at the specific business is shown below: