We’ve all been there—standing in a busy restaurant, trying to figure out which order is yours or where it even is. Meanwhile, staff are juggling delivery drivers who are also looking for orders to pick up. It’s a situation both customers and staff deal with regularly.
Yaro Tsyhanenko, a seasoned food tech entrepreneur from Ukraine, has spent more than 15 years building technology solutions for the food industry. That all took an unexpected turn when the war in Ukraine forced him to close businesses he had founded, including a food-delivery marketplace and a kitchen chain sales platform.
After relocating to Chicago, Tsyhanenko sought new opportunities and turned his attention to the restaurant industry, particularly the chaos surrounding pickup orders.
A frustrating problem
“You come to the restaurant, and you’re not sure if your order is ready or not,” Tsyhanenko explained. “There’s usually a crowd around the pickup zone, and no one can find the orders. Restaurants end up spending a lot of time interacting with drivers and customers.”
This process often leads to order accuracy issues and a poor customer experience. The root of the problem, Tsyhanenko realized, was the lack of coordination and transparency in the way orders were processed. Staff often manually search for orders, verify the contents of bags, and mark orders as complete, leading to mistakes.
Enter Pickpad
That’s why Tsyhanenko developed Pickpad, a modular system of smart pads powered by sensors and machine learning.
Pickpad features smart pads powered by sensors and machine learning.
Each smart pad lights up with the customer’s name when an order is ready. The system does this by integrating with the point-of-sale (POS) system. And with weight sensors embedded in each pad, it can detect if an order is missing an item, such as a drink or pastry.
Pickpad is fully integrated with Square POS, but Tsyhanenko plans to expand compatibility with other POS systems as the platform continues to evolve.
“I wanted to create something simple,” Tsyhanenko explained. “No buttons, no complicated technology, just a smart pad that works in the background.”
When asked if the system can detect even the smallest missing items, like side sauces, Yaro said that it will eventually be able to, but noted that it’s still in the early stages. As the system processes more restaurant data, its accuracy will improve.
Pickpad’s weight sensors can help detect missing items.
Yaro wants to partner with restaurants by offering a free pilot to test the new tech and encourages operators to get in touch.
Pickpad is already garnering attention in the tech world; it was recently named a 2025 CES Innovation Award winner.
“We’re not just solving a pain point; we’re elevating the entire customer experience,” Tsyhanenko said. “Pickpad allows restaurants to focus on what truly matters, providing exceptional hospitality.”
