Well, first as a waiter you have to remember more than 4-5, true. But not here. Hell, three would be enough if you don't optimize.
And your logic with the amount of possible order does not really check out. If I tell you to remember a number between 1 and 1000000, you don't care about all the other 999999 numbers, do you? Or if you want to remember a word, it doesn't really matter how many words there are in the language.
EDIT: Okay, I think he got it. Three responses in 3 minutes... Oops.
Currently, these are your possible orders:
0 - no drink
1 - water
2 - pale ale
3 - dark ale
4 - vodka
5 - whiskey
6 - rum
That makes 7 possible orders. Here. After lv 3 becomes fully subjugated, another bar menu expanding edict will be added, which is probably going to increase that number to 9.
madchef The game only has 4 tables, though? Not to mention that you memorize the
actual orders, not all
possible ones.
There are 4 tables, but 10 seats. Bringing a drink to a correct table does not fulfil the order, does it? The patrons are assholes and will not tell Karryn 'this one's for me, sweetheart!' or 'you can leave the tray on the table hun, we'll sort it out ourselves'. You need to serve it to the correct person. Thus, 7 to the power of 10 equals...
And yes, you can optimize customer service, sure. You can take 1-2 orders at a time and run between tables and bar like crazy, with each move taking ridiculous amount of time and stamina (only 5 seconds to pour a drink at the bar but 15+ to put the glass on a table). With all the stamina and energy and willpower-draining molestation going on, the job quickly becomes a challenge, especially in a house full of thirsty, rowdy customers, who'll often finish their shots before you manage to take all (or just 2-3) orders at another impatient table.
Bars usually have two solutions for that. Either the customers order and pay at the bar and either drink at the bar or take the booze to their tables themselves, or the bar staff use... tabs, which have been around since at least 1689.
Would it really be that hard to implement edicts that emulate use of tabs or tills with a tab system? These of course could be sexually corruptible by nerds, for example, so the Warden would use them at her own peril.