Japanese Tea Garden: Tradition Meets Modernization
For over 120 years, San Francisco’s Japanese Tea Garden has welcomed visitors with serene landscapes, koi ponds, and a traditional tea house. Today, the Tea House serves nearly 900 guests daily, managed by Tak Matsuba, a former Michelin-star restaurateur.
Results With CAKE POS
Reduction in Lines
Order times cut in half, shortening waits by up to two hours.
Increase in Staff Tips
Digital tip prompts on customer-facing screens doubled tips.
Reconciliation Errors
Menu programming streamlined operations and eliminated daily billing headaches.
Modernizing a Historic Icon
To keep pace with its growing popularity, the Japanese Tea Garden Tea House needed a modern way to serve guests efficiently while maintaining its historic charm.
Challenge
Despite its popularity, the Tea House struggled with long lines, sometimes over two hours, caused by an outdated cash register system. Tak had no access to sales or inventory data and spent up to 45 minutes daily reconciling bills. Staff efficiency and tips also suffered under the old setup.
Solution
By implementing CAKE POS, Tak modernized operations while preserving the Tea House’s heritage. The user-friendly system:
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Streamlined ordering
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Introduced customer-facing screens with tip prompts
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Provided real-time access to sales, staff, and inventory data
"After seeing the front-facing screen and tip prompt, I felt I could guarantee my staff would increase tips by at least 30 percent. They ended up doubling their tips. They were flabbergasted!”

Tak Matsuba
Manager, Japanese Tea Garden Tea House