The Problem
Restaurant managers currently face a set of painful, predictable challenges when handling catering proposals:
- Manually calculating quantities in spreadsheets — taking 45–60 minutes per proposal
- Struggling with last-minute changes and calculation errors
- Producing proposals with poor formatting that don't look professional
- Relying on email chains, losing version control and tracking
These friction points directly reduce proposal-to-order conversion rates and eat into already thin margins.
User Research & Insights
A survey of 45 pizza catering professionals revealed the scale of the problem:
- 84% want automatic quantity calculations
- 78% demand professional templates
- 64% need easy sharing via email or link
- 49% prefer working from a tablet
Three personas emerged from the research: Maria (restaurant manager focused on speed and accuracy), Alex (owner scaling multiple locations), and David (operations supervisor needing consistency across sites).
What We Built
The platform is a web-based proposal builder that combines:
- AI-powered quantity calculations based on guest count
- Branded proposal templates for professional presentation
- Real-time validation to prevent errors
- Secure link sharing with mailto fallback
- Analytics hooks for future performance tracking
Designed for small-business users with limited technical expertise — it delivers speed, accuracy, and professional output without requiring a learning curve.
The Proposal Wizard Flow
The core workflow runs through a focused seven-step wizard:
- Customer & event details
- Menu selection (two-column layout with item cards)
- Quantity calculator (AI recommendations vs. current selections, with gap analysis)
- Pricing review (editable unit prices, discounts, fees, payment terms)
- Template selection (branded gallery with live preview)
- Review & validation (checklist + full proposal preview)
- Share & track (secure link generator + mailto fallback)
A persistent context sidebar carries proposal details across all steps, eliminating the need to scroll back or re-enter information.
Key Design Decisions
Wizard over free-form: Breaking a complex process into focused steps minimises cognitive load at each stage. Users told us they felt overwhelmed by open-ended forms — the wizard gave them a clear sense of progress.
AI as a collaborator, not a gatekeeper: The quantity calculator shows AI recommendations alongside what the user has selected, with a gap analysis. Users stay in control; the AI is a suggestion, not a mandate.
Mailto fallback for sharing: Many catering clients don't use link-based workflows. The mailto fallback ensures the proposal reaches the client in a format they expect, while the platform still tracks delivery.
Validation Plan
Testing was planned across four methods: moderated usability sessions with 8–10 participants, unmoderated remote studies via Maze for drop-off analytics, A/B experiments on the calculator layout, and accessibility audits using Axe and manual keyboard testing.
Outcome
By breaking a complex process into focused steps, embedding AI guidance, and preserving context throughout, the solution minimises cognitive load while maximising efficiency. The shareable link with mailto fallback balances simplicity with professional delivery.
Next steps: pilot with select restaurants, iterate on real-world metrics, and expand analytics and integrations to deliver greater business value over time.