Reducing Food Waste in Restaurants

A guided ordering experience based on behavioral insights

A guided ordering flow designed to reduce over-ordering and food waste.

Role: UX designer

Scope: Research, UX strategy, Prototyping, Testing

Focus: Behavioral design, digital ordering, sustainability

Year: 2024

Design Challenge: Problem & Goal

Problem

Many restaurants lose money every day because customers often order more than they can eat.
This usually happens because menus don’t clearly communicate portion sizes, combinations, or what is “enough” for one person.
Food waste here is not about bad intentions — it’s about poorly supported desicions.

Goal

My goal was to understand why people over-order and turn those insights into a digital ordering experience that helps users choose better — without feeling controlled or guilty.

Why it matters:

Food waste is not only an economic problem for restaurants - it`s also a serious environmental and social issue.

Research Snapshot

Context: Master thesis (Macromedia University, 2024)
Methods: Qualitative research (interviews + behavioral analysis)
Output: UX insights translated into a guided ordering flow concept

Research Goal

The goal of this research was to identify the behavioral and UX factors behind over-ordering in restaurants, understand how menu design shapes decision-making, and uncover where users feel uncertain when choosing portion sizes.

Research Methods

• Qualitative interviews with 25 restaurant customers
• Observations in real restaurant settings
• Menu structure and content analysis
• Desk research on behavioral psychology and food choice

Key Findings

• Over-ordering is mainly caused by unclear portion expectations
• Users actively want flexible portion options (half portions, shareable dishes) • Sustainability messages are most effective at the moment of choice, not after ordering

Conclusion:
Over-ordering is not a motivation problem — it is a UX and decision-support problem.

These findings shaped the design strategy:

– Portion guidance at decision points

– Flexible portion selection

– Subtle sustainability nudges in the flow

Key Design Decisions

How research insights translated into UX decisions

Portion-first selection:
Sets realistic expectations early and reduces over-ordering caused by uncertainty.

Visual portion comparison:
Helps users understand quantity faster through visual cues rather than numbers alone.

Nudges at decision points:
Sustainability prompts are most effective when users can still adjust their choice.

Proposed UX Solution - Guided Menu Flow

Translating research insights into a step-by-step ordering experience

Core UX Elements

Portion selection first (half / regular / share)
Visual portion comparison
Sustainability nudge at checkout (impact preview)
Smart suggestions to reduce over-ordering

Designed to reduce food waste without increasing cognitive load or friction.

Guided Menu Flow - From insight to action

Step 1 — Choose portion size first:
Sets realistic expectations before browsing dishes.

Step 2 — Visual portion comparison:
Helps users understand quantity instantly and avoid uncertainty-driven over-ordering.

Step 3 — Smart suggestions:

Context-aware suggestions guide better choices without limiting freedom.

Step 4 — Impact preview at checkout:
A subtle sustainability message reinforces decisions without pressure.

Guided Menu Flow - Visual Walkthrough

Step 1 - Portion selection first

Step 2 - Serving style choice

Step 3 - Dish selection

Step 4 - Impact-aware checkout

Impact & Real-World Reflection

What this project demonstrates and key learnings

Although this project started as a research-based concept, parts of the logic were later observed in real restaurant service. Customers who were guided about portion size early made clearer choices and left less food unfinished in daily service.

Impact

• Shows how behavioral research can translate into practical UX patterns that also work in real service contexts.
• Translates sustainability goals into concrete, low-friction design decisions.
• Shows how decision-support at the right moment can reduce over-ordering without limiting user choice.
• Highlights how UX thinking can influence real customer behavior in everyday service environments like restaurants.

This project also showed me how UX does not only live in screens — it exists in conversations, menus, and real human decisions.

Reflection

• Early UX interventions are more effective than post-action feedback.
• Small, well-timed nudges can have a larger impact than persuasive messaging.
• Visual cues often outperform textual explanations in decision-making.
• With access to real usage data, the concept could be validated and iterated through A/B testing.

Real-world Observation

Parts of this concept were later observed in real restaurant service at “Tahdig”, where portion guidance and small tasting options helped customers make clearer choices and reduced unfinished food.

Next Steps - From Concept to Product

How this concept could evolve with real-world data and collaboration

This concept was developed as a research-driven UX proposal with strong potential for real-world validation.
• Usability testing of the guided menu flow with real users
• Validation using real ordering and kitchen data
• A/B testing of portion guidance and sustainability nudges
• Iteration in collaboration with product, business, and kitchen teams

With access to live usage data, this approach could be refined into a scalable solution that reduces food waste while maintaining customer satisfaction.

I am especially interested in bringing this research-to-product thinking into real teams, where behavioral insights are translated into practical product decisions.