Getting Ready: The Restaurant Management System
Understand the restaurant management system problem and learn the questions to simplify this problem further.
A restaurant management system is a software platform used to manage various aspects of a restaurant’s operations, such as food and beverage sales, table reservations, billing, and seating arrangements. It supports a range of restaurant types—from quick-service outlets to fine dining—and helps streamline service and improve customer satisfaction.
The system allows managers to monitor available tables, handle reservations, and generate bills—all from a central interface.
Expectations from the interviewee
There are several components in a restaurant management system, each with specific constraints and requirements. The following provides an overview of some of the main expectations that the interviewer will want to hear you discuss in more detail, during the interview.
Restaurant services
To better understand the services offered by a restaurant management system, you may ask the interviewer the following questions:
Does the restaurant provide a delivery service?
Can a customer place an online order?
Does the restaurant accept online/card payments?
Restaurant management
Ask these to clarify structural and operational needs:
Can the restaurant have multiple branches?
Do we need to account for inventory management?
Design approach
We’ll design this restaurant management system using the bottom-up approach. Therefore, we’ll follow the steps below:
Identify and design the smallest components first—the table, table seat, meal, meal item, and seating chart.
Use these small components to design bigger components—the menu, branch, and restaurant.
Repeat the steps above until we design the whole restaurant management system.
Design pattern
During an interview, it is always a good practice to discuss the design patterns that the restaurant management system falls under. Stating the design patterns gives the interviewer a positive impression and shows that the interviewee is well-versed in the advanced concepts of object-oriented design.
Try to answer the following question. If you are not familiar with design patterns, don’t worry! You can learn about them by asking questions like, “Define design patterns.”
Let's explore the requirements of the restaurant management system in the next lesson.