Tablz: redefining the restaurant reservation experience
Tablz is a booking platform that reimagines restaurant reservations through personalized, premium experiences—letting guests choose their table, pre-order items, and tailor their visit, while helping restaurant operators unlock new revenue and elevate their brand.
As the lead product designer, I led the end-to-end design of the booking platform—scaling it from 0→1 MVP to enterprise adoption over 4+ years. I partnered with leadership and product to shape strategy, define priorities, and align UX with business goals. My work has driven over $1.4 million in revenue and seated over 200,000+ guests.
Beyond core product design, I built Tablz’s design system, research infrastructure, and DesignOps foundation to drive consistency, improve team velocity, and support growth.
Product
Web App
Role
Lead Product Designer
Timeline
Q1 2021 - Present
team
1 Product Designer, 1 Product Owner, 1 Product Manager, 1 Data Engineer & Dev Team
The Problem
The hidden cost of outdated tools
Tablz started with a shared realization among our team—many of whom had worked in the restaurant industry. Every night brought the same frustrations: restaurant guests wanted more control of their dining experience, and staff had no tools to deliver it. We knew the system had to change.
Design APPROACH
Choosing the right research methods
To tackle this untapped challenge for both diners and restaurant operators, I knew I first had to understand the people behind the problem. Over four years—and counting—I’ve conducted research with 80+ guests, operators, and internal stakeholders using interviews, surveys, usability tests, card sorting, A/B experiments and more.
The methods I choose always depend on the problem at hand. Context, timelines, goals, and resources guide whether we lean qualitative or quantitative, lightweight or structured. Every approach is intentionally selected to fit the product stage and the insights we need.
Following research, I translate the findings into artifacts like user flows, user personas and journey maps—ensuring every design decision is grounded in user behaviour and business context.
Design APPROACH
Identifying the voices that informs our product
What began as two broad user groups (i.e. restaurant guests and restaurant operators) has evolved into five distinct segments shaping our roadmap, feature scope, and design priorities.
design approach
Establishing critical problem themes
Our research uncovered four key pain points affecting both guests and operators, highlighting where the booking experience fails—and where thoughtful design can drive value.
How might we create a seamless booking tool that lets guests enhance their dining experience while simultaneously helping restaurant operators boost revenue and streamline operations?
the solution
Design solutions
With the key problems identified, our goal was clear: build a portal that empowers guests to customize their experience with premium services, while helping operators elevate hospitality and maximize the value of their space.
Armed with rich insights from research—where I uncovered user needs, pain points, and missing features across the market—we developed solutions that directly address these opportunities:
Personalized table selection
Tablz lets guests pick their seats, replacing random assignments with choice. Operators can maximize revenue from popular tables and spotlight others to increase bookings and overall earnings.
3D floorplans & table profiles
Tablz replaces static visuals with interactive floorplans and high-resolution table photos and videos, reducing guest hesitation while helping operators convert more online traffic and boost brand awareness through visual storytelling.
Pre-ordering add-ons
Guests can pre-select tasting menus, bottles, or upgrades in advance on Tablz—no more sell-out stress—while giving operators a way to test concepts, prep efficiently, and grow per-cover revenue.
Streamlined private event booking
Guests can now submit their private event inquiries directly through Tablz—no more clunky third-party forms. With 3D views, budget input, and deposits in one flow, operators capture leads faster and coordinate less.
The sOLUTION
Optimizing with user data
When I first started designing Tablz, I assumed guests would book tables on desktop like they do for hotels. Research proved otherwise: restaurant reservations are often spontaneous, made on the go, where speed and convenience matter most. With 70% of our bookings coming from mobile, I shifted to mobile-first flows, embedding 3D previews in the media gallery so guests could explore without slowing down. Desktop, however, attracted event planners, so I extended the system to combine table inventory with live 3D views, giving planners the context they needed for large bookings and buyouts.
By observing how people actually use the product, digging into the data, and questioning our assumptions, I shaped experiences that felt intuitive and effortless—whether it was a guest booking a spontaneous dinner on the go or a planner coordinating a large event.
the outcome
UX that drove real impact
I’m proud to see the product in use at over 60 restaurants worldwide—from local gems to global groups like Fairmont. We’ve even been featured by outlets like Betakit, Fast Company, and The Spoon. To date, Tablz has:
the outcome
What’s next for Tablz
As for what’s next, I’m analyzing funnel drop-offs and refining key stages of the product flow to make the experience smoother and more effective. A recent Explore phase redesign I led boosted booking rates by 33%.
THE outcome
Reflection
Working at Tablz has pushed me to grow not just as a designer, but as a collaborator, systems thinker, and product owner. Here are a few lessons that have shaped how I approach design today.
