WaiterDock | Devpost

Landing page
Customer Menu Tab
Waiter Table Dashboard
Ingredient Inventory Page
Business Analytics Page

Inspiration

Mai Shan Yun needed a modern system with seamless functionality and UI design while being simple to use. This would help staff move faster in operations, while decreasing the chance of mistakes between server and customers lower.

What it does

Seat parties and manage table status from a table-grid dashboard
Take and modify orders, then send updates to the kitchen in real time
Let customers browse the menu, place orders, and request help with “I need a waiter”
Provide management stats and inventory tracking

How we built it

We used React, Vite, and Tailwind CSS for the frontend, with Node.js, Express, and WebSockets for real-time updates. We used Firebase Firestore to persist data such as menu items and orders, keeping the system consistent across refreshes and devices. We also prepared an AWS DynamoDB backend for production scaling, but did not enable it during the hackathon to avoid unnecessary cloud costs. We designed the frontend in Figma and then implemented it in code.

Challenges we ran into

Keeping tables, orders, and kitchen tickets consistent across multiple screens
Designing a data model that supports merged tables, order edits, and live updates
Balancing speed and readability for staff-facing UI

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Built an end-to-end workflow that connects customer ordering, waiter actions, and kitchen ticketing in real time
Designed a table-first interface optimized for speed, clarity, and low-touch operation during service
Implemented persistent data storage with Firebase Firestore so menu and orders survive refreshes and stay consistent across devices
Created a management dashboard for key operational insights, with the foundation for expanding analytics over time
Set up the project to be production-ready by preparing an AWS DynamoDB path for future scaling.

What we learned

Real-time apps work best with clear event contracts, and operational timers are most reliable when you store timestamps (not just client-side counters).