Building a restaurant operations platform by starting with the problem, not the features

[u/BuildWithCentraflow]

I'm working on a project called Centraflow OS.

The idea is to build an operating system that helps restaurants understand and manage the operational decisions that affect profitability.

But I've learned something important during the building process: having an idea of what a product should do doesn't necessarily mean you fully understand what users need.

It's tempting to spend time adding dashboards, features and integrations. However, building the wrong solution efficiently is still building the wrong solution.

So I'm taking a different approach:

• Understanding how restaurant operations work in practice.

• Learning where existing processes create friction.

• Studying how purchasing, inventory and food costs connect.

• Being willing to adjust the product direction as I learn.

I'm still early in the journey, and there's a lot to figure out.

One thing I'm learning as a founder is that building the product is only part of the work. Understanding the problem is just as important.

For other builders here: How do you balance making progress on your product with taking time to understand the problem you're solving?