Overview
Our client, Smorgasbord Coffee Bar, is an independent coffee bar with a broad food and drinks menu — and every new member of staff has to learn to prepare all of it. SystemLoom designed and built E-Chef, a training platform for the kitchen tablet. Staff watch a short video or follow a step-by-step guide for each menu item, and the manager adds and updates all the training content themselves.
The challenge
Training new kitchen staff usually depends on an experienced colleague showing them each item — which takes time during busy shifts, and means each new starter may learn a slightly different version. For a small venue, that inconsistency shows up on the plate and in the customer experience.
The owner wanted:
- Every new starter taught the same way, at their own pace.
- Senior staff kept on the floor, not tied up with training.
- Training that stays up to date as the menu changes — without depending on a developer for every update.
What we built
Two ways to learn every item
Each menu item has a training video and a step-by-step guide. The guide shows one step at a time, with a photo, a clear instruction and a progress bar. Some people learn best by watching and others by doing, so staff can switch between the two at any time.
Steps read aloud
In a kitchen, eyes and hands are on the food, not a screen. Every instruction can be read aloud by the tablet, and a single tap turns it off.
Hands-free voice control
Every button on screen shows a number, and staff simply say it — "press three" — to tap it. That means they can move through a guide with wet or busy hands. Voice control was originally planned as a later add-on; we built it into this version.
A simple manager panel
A separate admin area lets the owner add or remove menu categories and items, upload videos and photos, write and edit steps, and manage logins. Staff and managers have separate areas, each with its own look. As the menu evolves, the business keeps its training current without paying for every update.
How it works
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1. Log in | A staff member logs in on the kitchen tablet |
| 2. Find | They browse the menu as a grid of categories, or search any item by name |
| 3. Choose | They pick an item and choose the video or the step-by-step guide |
| 4. Learn | They move through the steps by tapping Next and Previous or by voice, with each step read aloud if they like |
| 5. Update | Behind the scenes, the manager adds items, uploads media and edits steps — changes appear for staff straight away |
Built to be simple to run
Read-aloud and voice control use the speech features built into the web browser, so there are no paid speech services to pay for. Content and media are stored as files rather than in a database, so the platform can run on modest hosting or a local machine, on the client's own kitchen tablet or screen.
What's next
We're loading the rest of the client's training content into the platform. Training progress tracking, automatic assignments and reminders have since been added — see the staff training automation case study. Ideas for a later phase include short quizzes after each item and support for more than one branch.
Why choose SystemLoom
We design software around the people who use it. Here that meant a kitchen-first experience — big touch targets, steps read aloud, and voice control for busy hands — plus a manager panel that keeps the business independent.
The results
- Two ways to learn every item: a training video, or a step-by-step guide with photos and a progress bar
- Every step can be read aloud by the tablet, with one-tap mute
- Fully hands-free navigation — staff say a button's number to press it
- A manager panel to update all training content without a developer
- Designed for kitchen tablets and screens, with separate staff and manager areas
“New staff now learn every item on our menu from the kitchen tablet, at their own pace and the same way every time. The read-aloud steps and voice control make it easy with busy hands, and I can update the training myself whenever the menu changes. SystemLoom understood exactly what our kitchen needed.”