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Owner docs

Learn Ding, then run it your way.

Setup guides, operating playbooks, and feature docs for owners who want the agents to become useful fast.

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One click takes you straight to your dashboard and starts the tour — everything highlighted, step by step. (You can also re-run it anytime from the orange Help button.)

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Ready/docs/waiter-agent/setup

Set up Waiter Agent

Configure the guest-facing agent from the dashboard, confirm it answers from your live menu, print your QR codes, and test the experience before guests use it.

Before you start: get your menu accurate

The Waiter Agent answers guests from your live menu, so its quality is capped by your menu quality. A few minutes here saves re-testing later.

  • Open Menu and confirm item names, prices, descriptions, and section placement are current.
  • Mark anything unavailable as sold out so the agent never recommends it.
  • Add dietary tags and allergen notes wherever you know them.
  • Star a few items you want the agent to lead with, covered in the publishing guide.

Step 1: Open Waiter Agent and choose your zones

Open Waiter Agent from the dashboard sidebar. You start with one default waiter, The Waiter, that covers the whole restaurant. If different areas need different service, add a waiter for each zone.

  • Keep the single default waiter if one experience fits the whole restaurant.
  • Tap the plus button to add a waiter for a specific area such as Bar, Patio, or Private Dining. You can add up to four more, and each zone gets its own QR code.
  • Choose Simple mode for one shared setup, or by-section mode to tune each zone on its own.
  • Rename a waiter so its purpose is obvious at a glance.
Waiter Agent. Use one specialty for the whole restaurant, or set one per section. Here Main menu uses Server and Wine Corner uses Mixologist, with Save Changes top-right.

Step 2: Pick a specialty

The specialty sets the agent expertise and tone, like choosing the right server for the room. Set it for the whole restaurant or per section.

  • Match the persona to your food: Sommelier for wine, Mixologist for cocktails and bars, Itamae for sushi, Pizzaiolo for pizza, or a general Server for broad menus.
  • Set one specialty globally, or assign different specialties to different zones in by-section mode.
  • Watch for the menu-fit warning. If a specialty does not match your actual items, Ding flags it so guests do not get off-topic answers.
Choose a specialty persona that matches your menu. The menu-fit warning appears when it does not.

Step 3: Add Knowledge Base files

Your menu is already loaded automatically. The Knowledge Base is for everything else the agent should know, the context a great server carries in their head.

  • Upload wine notes, allergen references, catering and event rules, seasonal specials, or service policies.
  • Supported formats are PDF, Excel, CSV, and images.
  • Keep it current. Remove outdated promos or policies so the agent never quotes something expired.
Knowledge Base. Upload wine notes, allergen references, and policies. The menu is already loaded for you.

Step 4: Customize the experience

Make the agent feel like your restaurant instead of a generic chatbot. These settings shape the first thing guests notice.

  • Write a custom greeting in your restaurant voice.
  • Set the personality, chat background or theme, and color palette to match your brand.
  • Toggle which knowledge sources the agent is allowed to draw from.
Customization. Set the greeting, chat theme, and color palette so the agent feels like your restaurant.

Step 5: Preview, then generate your QR code

Use the live preview to experience exactly what guests will see, then create the QR code they scan at the table.

  • Check the live preview. It mirrors your current settings.
  • Generate the QR code, pick a color that fits your table setting, and download it to print.
  • Each zone has its own QR code, so the right waiter loads for the right area.
  • Optional agent tools: run Photo Enhancer to clean up item images and Nutritional Analysis to add calorie and nutrition context.
Live preview and QR code. Confirm the guest experience, pick a QR color, and download it to print.

Step 6: Save and go live

Saving publishes your configuration immediately. There is no separate deploy step.

  • Press Save Changes and the agent goes live instantly for guests who scan the code.
  • Return and save again any time you change the specialty, greeting, or Knowledge Base. Updates apply the moment you save.

Step 7: Test it like a guest

Before you print and place the codes, scan your own QR and ask the questions your guests actually ask. This is the fastest way to catch gaps.

  • Ask about allergies and substitutions, such as whether a dish contains peanuts.
  • Ask for specials, pairings, and popular items.
  • Ask calorie, nutrition, and budget questions, such as a good meal under a set price.
  • If an answer is wrong or thin, fix the source by updating the menu or adding a Knowledge Base file, then re-test.

You are ready to go live when

Use this as your final checklist before placing QR codes on tables.

  • Every zone you want has a waiter, a specialty, and its own QR code.
  • The greeting and look match your brand.
  • The Knowledge Base covers the questions guests ask beyond the menu.
  • You have scanned the live QR and confirmed the agent answers real questions accurately.
  • The QR codes are printed and placed where guests will see them.
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