Device Based Food Ordering System In Restaurant Information Technology Essay

Bluetooth technology is getting more availability in handheld devices and thus it unveils more useful operations of its advantages. The recent use of mobile device is that buy and sell goods and service and all transactions happen in real time.

For example, a mobile phone could connect to a soda machine over a Bluetooth link or link to a kiosk at which you could buy a theater ticket. Likewise mobile devices such as hand phone or PDAs could also be used to buy or sell goods and services using Bluetooth technology link up with the small area of business (Wang, Thomas, and Haas, 2002).

The Bluetooth Ordering System is an ordering system implemented at a restaurant/food court where customers can order meals straight from their tables. The moment customer step into the restaurant/food court, he/she can request menus from the desired restaurant via Bluetooth (Petrioli, Basagni, and Chlamtac, 2002). The corresponding restaurant will then reply with the menu lists. Orders as well as the table number will go straightly to the counter and to the kitchens. Bills will be sent to the customer and they will approach the counter for payment. Such implementation will enable a smooth operation thus eliminating waiter service. Still, this system will be able to offer the normal business operations such as offering promotions, electronic discounts, and loyalty rewards (Petrioli, Basagni, and Chlamtac, 2002).

Problem Statement

A number of restaurant management systems have been employed which utilize on-line or computer-based control methods for controlling orders and efficiency for both fast food and fine dining restaurant settings. Conventional methods have sought to improve direct communication between the waiter/waitress and the chef with the use of remote devices. However, there have been little significant improvements that link direct electronic communication between a customer, waiter/waitress and the food preparer, which minimize the delays in the normal way of resolving menu orders taken by a waiter/waitress from a patron (Wang, Thomas, and Haas, 2002). Currently, it is sad to say that people who choose to eat in restaurants have become more frustrated by the inefficiency of the waiter/waitress service more than other problematic factors (Petrioli, Basagni, and Chlamtac, 2002).

Unfortunately, it must be said that the wonderful experience of enjoying a well prepared meal at restaurants has often been ruined by degenerative waiter/waitress assistance or a lack thereof. Many customers complaints about the bad services of the service providers, mostly occurs due to lack of proper behavior and attitude management.

Project Background

In the past, we have seen technologies like PC-Card, PCI, USB, and IrDA introduced to enrich the mobile computing environment. Bluetooth technology is the latest such initiative to add a connectivity feature to mobile systems. Bluetooth technology is focused on replacing cables used to connect different mobile devices together. The Technology is based on very small, low-cost; lightweight radios that easily form ad-hoc, secure links between various devices, to allow personal connectivity. With Bluetooth technology we see a combination of several strategies from the PC and cell phone industry that have been used to bring new system features to market (Wang, Thomas, and Haas, 2002).

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The Bluetooth Ordering System is an ordering system implemented at a restaurant/food court where customers can order meals straight from their tables. The moment customer step into the restaurant/food court, he/she can request menus from the desired restaurant via Bluetooth. The restaurant will then reply with the menu lists. Orders as well as the table number will go straightly to the counter and as well as the kitchens. Bills will be sent to the customer and they will approach the counter for payment. Such implementation will enable a smooth operation thus eliminating waiter service (Liu, Lee, and Saadawi, 2003).

Objectives and Scopes

To develop a system that would enable users to order food straight from their mobile devices.

To study about Bluetooth technology and building a Bluetooth based application.

To improve the current ordering system of restaurant in Malaysia through applying Bluetooth technology.

The application will be developed by using Java Programming Language. The communication will be done entirely via Bluetooth. The customers entering a food court or a desired restaurant can request their desirable restaurant menu. When diners find something they like, they simply click on the food items to place their order in advance from wherever they are (within the Bluetooth range). Each order is then delivered to the restaurant and verified with the diner receiving confirmation and approximate time for food delivery. Payment is then made at the counter (Chlamtac, and Farag’o, 1999).

Research Topic

Bluetooth is an industrial standard for wireless connectivity of various devices within relatively short range. There are four factors that make the technology appealing especially in field of mobile device (Petrioli, and Basagni, 2003).

A compliant implementation requires only a small space and therefore it can be included easily in small devices

It consumes so little power that it does not significantly reduce the battery life of the device

Compact implementation and mass production enables low-cost solutions

It is relatively robust against radio interference

However, by taking Bluetooth in the networking field it would be beneficial to a broad range of users and would also bring new players in the picture as well. This development is clearly seen in active research, project findings, conferences and even products made by Bluetooth manufacturers (Chlamtac, and Farag’o, 1999). It is interesting to note that while the rapid development of Bluetooth closer to the field of WiFi (IEEE 802.11), there is an ongoing development happened in opposite direction to equip PDAs and mobile phones with WiFi connectivity. Besides this, there is inadequate or no point in considering WiFi and Bluetooth being competing technologies, since the development of these technologies is driven by different requirements and motivations (Liu, Lee, and Saadawi, 2003).

There are a few applications for Bluetooth networks that are similar with the Bluetooth Ordering System that is being discussed and implemented around the world.

Applications of mobile technologies are diversifying. One area that is recently starting to exploit the benefits of using mobile technologies is the hospitality industry, more specifically restaurants. This research explores the perceived benefits of using personal digital assistants (PDAs) in a restaurant in a B2E context. The findings indicated that the most common perceptions are increased efficiency, speedier service, better usability and ease of use, enhanced reputation/image and increased accuracy. Most of the negative perceptions were related to the technical shortcomings of the technology such as unreliable transmission of data, system crashes, short battery life, and limited durability of the devices.

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[Abstract is taken from a research paper that was presented at the Mobile Business, ICMB 2005 International Conference. The research was conducted by Mishul Prashad, Scornavacca, E. and Lehmann, H. The research explores the perceived benefits of using personal digital assistants (PDAs) in a restaurant in a B2E context. The findings indicated that using mobile technology would bring great benefits to business industry, more specifically restaurant. In contrast, the findings of the research clearly approved that mobile technology would boost the business industry and bring benefits.]

A method for ordering and providing information using a Bluetooth is provided to execute all services, processed in a restaurant, using a Bluetooth by automatically connecting a wireless communication terminal containing a Bluetooth to a Bluetooth server or a master unit in a restaurant, when the wireless communication terminal enters the coverage of a Piconet or a Scatternet in the restaurant, so that the user can order food, determine a settlement method, and pay for the price.

[The abstract is taken from a project that is actually being implemented by a company called Bizmodeline Co. Ltd. The inventor is Hong J. C, Kim J.H, and Kwon B.G. The project is quite similar with the Bluetooth Ordering System. Apart from that, a student at University College Cork, Ireland has recently developed a Scatternet based application in the Java programming language, using the JSR-82 library. The JSR-82 library is one of the libraries created for Bluetooth applications using Java. The JSR-82 API hides the complexity of the Bluetooth protocol stack, by exposing a simple set of Java API’s.]

The world nowadays is going to a leap of drastic changes no matter in business, education, entertainment and even religion. People demand new technology every day to accompany them in various activities. Therefore such new invention and idea are welcomed by everyone. One of the technologies that are in the era of adaptation is Bluetooth (Chlamtac, and Farag’o, 1999). By looking at the above abstracts, the Bluetooth technology is one of the technologies that are available out there and is being tested in different area as to implement it in every aspect of communication basis. In addition, the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) that was established by Nokia, IBM, Ericsson, Intel, Toshiba and others have been experimenting Bluetooth for the use of future application (Petrioli, and Basagni, 2003). One of the future developments in Bluetooth is that in the QoS improvement; where Bluetooth will enable audio and video data to be transmitted at a higher quality, especially when best effort traffic is being transmitted in the same Piconet. Hence, this project that is Bluetooth Ordering System is one of the technologies that may help and improve every restaurants conventional method of managing and food ordering (Baatz, et al, 2002).

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Research Methodology

Four types of research design are most commonly found. They are observational, correlation, true experiments, and quasi experiments. The true experiment and quasi-experiments are often thought of as a laboratory study, thus these research method has nothing to do with the project. Observational research is broad in area of discussion and may included case studies, ethnographic studies, and ethological studies. A main characteristic of all those type of research design is to study the phenomena, observe and record it which is known is qualitative research by nature (Law, Mehta, and Siu, 2001).

In general, correlational research examines the co-variation of two or more variables. For example, the early research on cigarette smoking examines the co-variation of cigarette smoking and a variety of lung diseases. These two variables, smoking and lung disease were found to co-vary together (Johansson, Kazantzidis, and Gerla, 2001). Correlational research is achievable by using various techniques such as collection of empirical studies and empirical data. Often, correlational research is mistreated as an observational research since there is nothing is manipulated by the researcher to conduct the research (Liu, Lee, and Saadawi, 2003).

As for the ease of understanding, the Bluetooth Ordering System was conducted using the analysis, comparison and trend-analysis methods. For the analysis method, classes of data are collected and studies conducted to discern patterns and formulate principles that might guide future action (Johansson, Kazantzidis, and Gerla, 2001). For instance, the data collected were similar project within Bluetooth technology where summarization have been done and managed to recognize the pattern or trends in the technology. Thus, it could devise some sort of principle that might guide future action. In the sense of the project, the principle of food ordering system was chose to integrate it with the trend of the technology that is Bluetooth (Baatz, et al, 2002).

Professional Issues and Rationale

The system may not fill the customer satisfaction totally as it is designed as a prototype. The system idea has been gathered from various other projects have been done before. These implications may be seen that there are some common features available. The author is not professional much to manage the project in a professional way (Law, Mehta, and Siu, 2001). Thus the system doesn’t provide warranty of error in operations but it is assured that the system will not malfunction often; even its rate of failure is negligible. The system will do exactly do for what is designed. The system assures that, it will not perform any other operations that are not mentioned (Baatz, et al, 2002).

Resources and Constraints

In the aspect of system requirements, it is really affordable and acceptable. The system requirements would be:

Microsoft Windows XP or (unsupported) Linux-x86

JavaTM 2 SDK, Standard Edition (J2SE SDK), version 1.4.2

Minimum hardware requirements are:

50 MB hard disk space

128 MB system RAM

800 MHz Pentium III CPU

Gantt Chart

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