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Ready/docs/waiter-agent/best-practices

Get better guest recommendations

The Waiter Agent is only as good as what it reads. Improve its answers by tightening item descriptions, keeping availability honest, tagging dietary and allergen info, filling Knowledge Base gaps, and testing the questions guests actually ask.

Quality comes from your source data, not the prompt

The agent does not invent a menu. It reads your live items, descriptions, tags, and Knowledge Base, then answers from that. Weak answers almost always trace back to thin source data, so improve the inputs and the answers improve everywhere at once.

  • Every recommendation is grounded in your menu and uploaded files.
  • Fixing one item description improves every guest question that touches it.
  • You are effectively training a strong server by writing down what they should know.

Write descriptions that a guest can act on

Generic descriptions produce generic answers. Specific ones let the agent match a dish to what a guest wants, from spice level to portion size to preparation.

  • Name the key ingredients, preparation, and what makes the dish stand out.
  • Include cues the agent can filter on: spicy, rich, light, shareable, gluten-free.
  • Add pairing hints where it helps, such as which wine or side goes well.
  • Avoid empty phrases like a customer favorite with no detail behind it.
A well-filled item: specific description plus dietary tags. This is the raw material the agent reasons over.

Keep availability and specials honest

Nothing frustrates a guest like being recommended a dish that is sold out. Availability is live, so keep it current and the agent stays trustworthy.

  • Mark items sold out the moment they run out; the agent stops recommending them instantly.
  • Star current specials so the agent leads with what you want to move.
  • Remove or hide seasonal items that are no longer offered.

Tag dietary and allergen information

Allergy and dietary questions are among the most common and the highest stakes. Tag what you know so the agent can answer confidently instead of hedging.

  • Add dietary tags such as vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free where they apply.
  • Note common allergens like nuts, shellfish, and dairy at the item level.
  • When you cannot guarantee something, say so in the description so the agent passes that caution along.

Fill the gaps with the Knowledge Base

Some guest questions live outside the menu. The Knowledge Base is where you give the agent the context a seasoned server carries in their head.

  • Upload wine and cocktail notes, allergen references, and preparation details.
  • Add service policies, catering rules, and event or seasonal information.
  • Keep it current; remove expired promos so the agent never quotes something stale.

Test the questions guests actually ask

The fastest way to find gaps is to be your own guest. Scan the QR and ask the hard questions, then fix the source whenever an answer is thin.

  • Ask about allergies and substitutions on your trickiest dishes.
  • Ask for pairings, popular items, and a good meal under a set budget.
  • When an answer is wrong or vague, update the item or add a Knowledge Base file, then re-test.
  • Have floor staff share the real questions they hear and feed those back into the data.