Virtual Booth

Food and beverage practical courses require students to understand restaurant procedures, menus, service styles and supervisory responsibilities before entering a live simulation environment. However, key learning materials are often distributed across different platforms, making pre-class preparation less consistent and increasing dependence on lecturer briefings. FHTM2U SOD Pocket was developed as a web-based teaching aid that places essential pre-practical information in one mobile-accessible learning hub. The innovation integrates profiles of three training restaurants, weekly menus and service styles, reservation information, Supervisor of the Day (SOD) guidance, operating procedures and selected local tourism content within a Wix-based platform that can be accessed through a link or QR code. Its objective is to support self-directed preparation, improve students’ readiness for restaurant simulation and reduce repeated information delivery by lecturers. The novelty lies in combining operational restaurant content with supervisory guidance and place-based hospitality learning in a single teaching aid rather than using separate documents or announcements. Previous user feedback involving 100 Food and Beverage Service and Restaurant Operation students showed strong perceptions of convenience (97%), ease of use (82%), interactivity (76%) and effectiveness (74%). The platform is reusable throughout semesters, requires minimal paper, can be updated by lecturers and is accessible on common digital devices. FHTM2U SOD Pocket therefore offers a low-cost and scalable approach for hospitality programmes, training restaurants and other practice-based courses. Its commercialisation potential includes adaptation as a customisable digital operations and pre-simulation learning package for educational institutions and hospitality training providers.