Empowering restaurant servers with actionable guest insights for a B2B loyalty app
My role
I led the revamp of the Sidecar experience to introduce a tagging system that made guest insights accessible, scannable, and actionable for restaurant servers.
Project Type
To B web app
New feature
Launched
Sector
Web 3
Restaurant loyalty platform
Team
PM
Engineer team
Context
Blackbird is a Web3 loyalty platform that helps restaurants recognize and reward loyal Blackbird guests. As the company expanded, it faced a challenge. Servers, the people actually delivering the rewards, lacked visibility into guest insights, leading to missed rewards and guest complaints.
Project highlights
Problem
With restaurants struggling to utilize Blackbird B2B products to serve guests effectively, the Blackbird team saw a significant drop in user retention and received numerous complaints about missing exclusive rewards at partner restaurants. I was tasked with fixing this issue ASAP.
How might we help restaurant servers instantly recognize guests and act on key insights at a glance to ensure a satisfying dining experience without disrupting their workflow?
Solution
Use tags to help restaurant server recognize every guest within seconds
A redesigned Sidecar guest card featuring a tagging system that presents key guest insights at the table level, allowing servers to instantly recognize loyalty guests and deliver rewards efficiently.
Goal
Ensure that every Blackbird guest receives the rewards and delightful service they deserve during each visit.
1
Reduction in guest complaints
Reduce complaints from guests indicate improved reward delivery and smoother server execution.
2
Increase in guest satisfaction
Higher NPS scores reflect a better overall guest dinning experience
3
Restaurant Partner Retention / Satisfaction
Make Blackbird ToB products an essential, enjoyable, and frequently used tool by restaurant staff
4
Tool Adoption Rate
% of servers actively using the Sidecar app during service hours
Initial discovery
Received numerous complaints from restaurant partners and guests about not receiving rewards they deserve
Our studio took over after the previous designer left, inheriting an unresolved reward system issue, and I was assigned to address it. The data revealed low adoption of the front-of-house (FOH) system, prompting the PM to initially ask us to improve the FOH to better highlight reward-related insights for restaurants.
Blackbird product (We’re working on the to B side)
Shift focus to sidecar: Fix the broken reward delivery experience
However, after mapping the reward flow from guest check-in to server interaction and combining feedback and service flow research, it became clear that reward data was only accessible to managers in the FOH system. Servers, who only use sidecar devices, were forced to rely on second-hand information from either managers or guests, leading to frustration for both staff and Blackbird guests.
The ideal Blackbird dinning experience
“I wish I know guest insights the moment they walk in. It would make serving them so much smoother.”
Eva, Restaurant server
Key insights
1
Servers, not managers, are responsible for delivering rewards, but they lacked access to relevant guest information.
2
Servers are often extremely busy and have limited time to engage with digital tools.
3
Guest Value Score (GVS) was difficult to interpret, offering little clarity on guest type or appropriate rewards.
Leveraging this insight, I proposed prioritizing the sidecar device for delivering reward data instead of investing resources into the FOH system. Once approved, I started the redesign exploration of the guest card on the sidecar device.
Blackbird B2B FOH set for the initial release
Manager front-of-house system
Sidecar web app for checkin & out guests
Exploration and validation
Shift focus to sidecar: Fix the broken reward delivery experience
After exploring the product ecosystem, I realized groups often check in under one name for billing. This allowed us to shift reward visibility from individuals to table-level, reducing server effort. My first design exploration focused on how to surface all guest reward insights in a single, scannable table card, helping servers quickly act without cognitive overload.
We send this version with two partner restaurants as “causula” testing due to time constraints. The response was positive: staff found the guest tags intuitive and much clearer than abstract scores. They could immediately identify guest value levels and appreciated having insights readily visible in Sidecar. However, they also noted that displaying all guest data could overwhelm, especially for large parties.
Version 1
Open
Closed
Richard R.
2h ago
Check out
Oscar Lehner
# A15
2h ago
Breakfast Club
High Spender
With 5 more people
Nora Ullrich
Breakfast Club
High Spender
Celia Monahan
High Spender
Drew Morissette
Alfred Pagac
Check in
Silvia Schuster
#
Just now
Breakfast Club
With 1 more people
Kate Kuhn
High Spender
Jennie Gislason
# B5
1h ago
High visibility for servers to scan all guest info without tapping.
No clear hierarchy—important information was hard to distinguish.
The tag colors are not friendly to read at a glance
No caler indication of how many table are waiting to check out
In addional, feedback also highlighted new needs:
1
Whether a guest works in the restaurant industry
2
Birthday
So based on the feedback, we redesigned the table cards.
Next round iteration
Final solution
Shift focus to sidecar: Fix the broken reward delivery experience
Final solution details
1
A high-level tag summary that allows servers to quickly see the total number of rewards or industry members at a glance.
2
Guest Checkout Reminder – Displays 'Close Now' when guests check out. Total waiting tables show on the tab bar.
3
Expandable Guest List – Tap party size to see full guest details.
4
Full Tags for Individuals – Single guests show all relevant tags.
5
Final Review & POS Transition – Servers confirm tags before closing and sending to POS.
Full server experience
Reflection
Even small product improvements can drive big impact for the business
This case truly highlights a truth in product design: when we align with the right direction that addresses both business goals and user needs, even the smallest change can drive significant impact.