TL;DR
Goal: Improve kitchen workflows, communication, and end-of-shift efficiency at Wetherspoons.
Role: Team Member applying Service Design and UX thinking.
Problem: Staff struggled with unclear updates, stock management, disorganized prep areas, and inefficient shift transitions.
Process: Observed pain points → Identified friction in daily tasks → Prototyped simple, scalable improvements.
Solution: Introduced a central notice board, FIFO stock cues, optimized kitchen layouts, and a '5-minute rule' to enhance team efficiency.
Outcome: Reduced shift-end chaos, improved communication clarity, better stock management, and smoother daily operations.
Overview
Working at Wetherspoons gave me a unique opportunity to apply service design and operational UX thinking in a fast-paced, real-world environment. Instead of focusing on digital tools, I improved physical workflows, team communication, and operational efficiency — making everyday work smoother for both staff and customers.
Problem
How I noticed them in the first place?
I first experienced these inefficiencies firsthand. Tasks felt fragmented, and information was either missing or repeated unnecessarily. I spoke to colleagues and noticed recurring pain points. I validated my observations by engaging with the team and managers. I did these through shadowing, first-hand participation, informal team interviews and then co-ideation with team members and leads.
Main Friction Points Identified
Communication Gaps: No clear way to share daily updates or shift-specific notes.
Stock Mismanagement: FIFO (First In, First Out) wasn't visually enforced, leading to waste.
Cluttered Prep Areas: Poor layout meant wasted steps and slower food prep.
Shift-End Chaos: Closing tasks were rushed or missed due to lack of prep strategy.
Well, i've neither studied service design nor a service designer, but my interest and excitement to make my environment more easy and accessible made me think like a service designer.
Process
Even though I haven't practiced service design, I did some homework, understood how to make those changes keeping many other factors like architecture, environment, connectivity, access, etc… in mind. Here’s a breakdown of the key service design changes I proposed and implemented:
Central Notice Board
A weekly-updated board placed near the kitchen containing:
Menu/spec changes
Staff responsibilities
Recycling instructions
Company-wide announcements
UX Law: Jakob’s Law – People expect consistency; a single hub for info reduces mental overhead.
Visual Cues for Stocks
Visual signs installed on fridges to indicate "First In, First Out" usage.
This helped reduce expired stock and trained staff to rotate items independently.
UX Law: Hick’s Law – Simplified decision-making using visual hierarchy.
also inspired from the book Atomic Habits by James Clear - Adding visual cues to your environment is one of the most powerful and overlooked ways to change your behaviour. page-84.
Layout Re-organization
Moved microwaves closer to fridges to reduce walking loops.
Rearranged space to ensure all key tools were reachable from a single zone.
UX Law: Fitts’s Law – The closer an actionable item is, the faster it can be used.
Space Optimization
Restructured shelves and unused spaces to store container and necessary items for daily usage.
Reduced long walks across kitchen to retrieve items.
Psychology: Encouraged flow and reduced physical fatigue = higher morale + efficiency.
Shift-End Prep & 5-Min Rule
Encouraged pre-planning for end-of-shift tasks early on
Introduced “5-Minute Rule”: use any free moment to refill or restock ahead of peak times
UX Principle: Progressive Disclosure – Introduced practices gradually to avoid overwhelm.
Solutions Implemented
To tackle the chaos we often faced during busy shifts at Wetherspoons, I focused on making small but meaningful changes that could naturally fit into the team's daily routine.
1. One of the first ideas was a central notice board — a simple, visible space where managers could leave shift-specific notes, updates about events, or reminders. This helped everyone get on the same page quickly without having to chase verbal updates.
2. Next, I introduced FIFO (First In, First Out) stock rotation cues — something as basic as visual markers and handwritten prompts near stock shelves. It immediately made it easier for everyone to manage inventory without needing constant supervision.
3. In the kitchen, I helped optimize the layout by reorganizing prep tools and condiments, so essential items were always within reach, minimizing unnecessary steps during food preparation.
4. Toward the end of the shifts, the pressure was high, and things often felt rushed. To fix this, I suggested a simple “5-Minute Rule” — a reminder that in the last five minutes of a shift, everyone should proactively restock and tidy up their stations.
These small interventions didn’t require policy changes or heavy training — but they made everyday work noticeably smoother and less stressful.
Outcomes
Faster Closing Times
Teams finished end-of-shift duties ~15–20% faster on average after introducing the 5-minute rule.
Reduced Stock Waste
FIFO visual cues improved compliance noticeably — less expired or wasted stock was reported informally.
Improved Communication Clarity
Daily noticeboard reduced verbal misunderstandings and last-minute confusion.
Smoother Mid-Shift Operations
Prep station optimizations saved staff steps and minimized interruptions during busy periods.
Positive Team Feedback
Teammates said it "felt easier to know what’s happening" and "saved hassle" during stressful hours.
Specific Contribution
My role in this project wasn't formal leadership — it was about observing problems closely, listening to my team, and designing smarter ways of working from within the system.
I took initiative to spot patterns of inefficiency and proposed solutions that felt natural, not forced.
Instead of pushing big changes all at once, I worked alongside my teammates, casually introducing new ideas during shifts, adjusting things based on their feedback, and seeing what truly stuck.
It was a real-world exercise in empathy, collaboration, and iterative improvement — and it made a tangible difference in how our team operated day-to-day.
Learnings
This project showed me that good design isn't always about huge innovations — sometimes it's about small, thoughtful changes that respect the realities of the people who have to live with them.
I learned that listening is powerful — just paying attention to everyday frustrations led to solutions that genuinely mattered to my team.
I also realized that co-creating solutions with staffs, even informally, makes adoption so much easier — because they feel heard, and the solutions feel like their own.
Finally, working at Wetherspoons taught me that service design thinking applies everywhere — not just in apps or websites, but in kitchens, workflows, and team dynamics.
Good design meets users where they are — even in a busy Wetherspoon kitchen.
