Star Buffet
Star Buffet is a custom app development project for an Australian client. The client, an enthusiastic manager, aimed to improve internal processes within their buffet chain and reduce costs associated with unproductive staff by implementing cameras and video recognition algorithms. The Infigrid team stepped in to thoroughly analyze the client's business challenges, identify weaknesses, and find technological solutions to address them. The restaurant chain's original business model relied on a self-service system where customers paid an entrance fee and served themselves from food stations. Each buffet employed 3-4 staff members, known as food passers, who were tasked with ensuring food availability at each station. They had to keep track of inventory, placing orders with the kitchen as needed, all while managing complex information about what items were available, ordered, and served. This reliance on human oversight led to workflow disruptions, ordering errors, and supply delays, rendering the approach inefficient. We re-evaluated the client's initial concept for integrating a video recognition system and redirected the plan toward more suitable solutions. We suggested developing an iOS app to equip staff, creating two primary user roles: food passers and kitchen staff. Additionally, our developers created a user-friendly admin panel to oversee personnel, food items, categories, and stations. As agreed, the solution needed to be adaptable to accommodate the restaurant network's expansion.