CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF STUDY

The online food ordering system is one of the latest servicers most fast food
restaurants in the western world are adopting. With this method, food is ordered
online and delivered to the customer. This is made possible through the use of
electronic payment system. Customers pay with their credit cards, although credit
card customers can be served even before they make payment either through cash
or cheque. So, the system designed in this project will enable customers go online
and place order for their food.

Due to the great increase in the awareness of internet and the technologies
associated with it, several opportunities are coming up on the web. So many
businesses and companies now venture into their business with ease because of the
internet. One of such business that the internet introduced is an online food
ordering system. In today’s age of fast food and take out, many restaurants have
chosen to focus on quick preparation and speedy delivery of orders rather than
offering a rich dining experience. Until recently, most of this delivery orders were
placed over the phone, but there are many disadvantages to this system.

It is possible for anybody to order any goods via the internet and have the goods
delivered at his/her doorsteps. But while trying to discuss the transfer method of
the goods and services, attention is focused on the payment mode. In other words,
how possible is it to pay for goods and services via the internet? This then leads to
the discussion of the economic consequences of digital cash. What are the
implementations from the view point of economic? Since the world is fast
becoming a global village, the necessary tool for this process is communication of
which telecommunication is a key player. A major breakthrough is the wireless

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telephone system which comes in either fixed wireless telephone lines or the
Global System of Mobile communication (GSM).

What I propose is an online ordering system originally designed for use in

college cafeterias, but just as applicable in any food delivery industry. The main
advantage of this system is that it greatly simplifies the ordering process for both
the customer and the restaurant. The system also greatly lightens the load on the
restaurants end, as the entire process of taking orders is automated. Once an order
is placed on the webpage that will be designed, it is placed into the database and
then retrieved, in pretty much real-time, by a desktop application on the restaurants
end. Within this application, all items in the order are displayed, along with their
corresponding options and delivery details, in a concise and easy to read manner.
This allows the restaurant employees to quickly go through the orders as they are
placed and produce the necessary items with minimal delay and confusion. The
greatest advantage of this system is its FLEXIBILITY.

1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

As industries are fast expanding, people are seeking for more ways to purchase
products with much ease and still maintain cost effectiveness. The vendors need to
purchase the products in order to sell to end users. The manual method of going to
their local food sales outlets to purchase food is becoming obsolete and more
tasking. Food can be ordered through the internet and payment made without going
to the restaurant or the food vendor. So there is need for a wide range of publicity
and enabling direct order, processing and delivering of food through online system.
For this system, there will be a system administrator who will have the rights to
enter the menu with current prevailing prices.

1.3 OBJECTIVES OF STUDY

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This study lays out a framework for a new system to be developed and brought to
the market for maximum use and to create an avenue through the web where users
can log on to our server and make a selection of whatever goods or food they like
and subsequently pay via the internet. The following are the objectives this would
bring:

1. The home page of this web interfile provides an avenue where customers
will be able to gather more and reliable information about what the fast food
industry really does.
2. The products and services offered would provide the customers with all the
different categories of available products that they can choose and select
from.
3. This will provide a user friendly environment between the customer and
employee thus increasing the efficiency of the food ordering system.
4. There will also be an online purchase form with which valued customers
will be using to get in touch with any of their request whenever the need
arises.
5. It will also help for easy retrieval of orders made by the customers.

1.4 SCOPE OF STUDY

In this project, a fast food company is designed and KRISPY FAST FOOD,
AWKA is taken as a case study to enable customers order for food and get it
delivered accordingly and also to reduce the long queues of customers at the
counter ordering for food and to reduce the work lord on the employees.

The following things are among other things that are discussed and what the
software would handle:

 About the fast food company

 The fast food and the services offered there
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  Online purchase
 Type of food provided.

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY

In view of the rapid development of computer technology in almost all the fields
of operation and its use in relation to information management, it has become
important to look into the development of online ordering system for firms to meet
up with demands of the customers. Therefore, the food ordering and delivery
system will help customers and management to:

1. Advertise available foods in their company

2. Reduce the workload in the present system
3. Reduce time wasted in data processing
4. Create a platform for online purchase and delivery of fast food
5. Keep accurate record on purchased order and delivery.

1.6 LIMITATIONS

Due to time and financial constraints, the software that is developed covers only
the aspect of food ordering and payments.

1.7 DEFINITION OF TERMS

FOOD: Any nutritious substance that people or animals eat or drink, or that plant
absorbs, in order to maintain life and growth.

MENU: A list of dishes available in a restaurant or the food available or to be

served in a restaurant or at a meal for example "a dinner-party menu”, “politics
and sport are on the menu tonight".

ONLINE FOOD ORDERING: Online food ordering services are websites that

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feature interactive menus allowing customers to place orders with local restaurants
and food cooperatives.

CREDIT CARD: A credit card is a payment card issued to users as a system of

payment. It allows the cardholder to pay for goods and services based on the
holder's promise to pay for them.

ORDERING SYSTEM: This is referred to as a set of detailed methods that is

being used in handling the ordering process.

RESTAURANT: (eating place) is a place where meals and drinks are sold and
served to customers.

CUSTOMER: Sometimes known as a client, buyer, or purchaser) is the recipient

of goods, services, products or idea obtained from a seller, vendor, or supplier for a
monetary or other valuable consideration.

TECHNOLOGY: It is the study of techniques or process of mobilizing resources

(such as information) for accomplishing objectives that benefit man and his
environment.

HAMBURGERS: A hamburger is a sandwich consisting of a cooked patty of

ground meat usually placed inside a sliced hamburger bun.

SHAWARMA: Shawarma is a Levantine Arab meat preparation, where lamb,

chicken, turkey, beef, veal, or mixed meats are placed on a spit, and may be grilled
for as long as a day.

BEEF: Beef is the culinary name for meat from bovines, especially cattle. Beef
can be harvested from cows, bulls, heifers or steers. Beef muscle meat can be cut
into steak, roasts or short ribs.

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 CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 INTRODUCTION

An ordering system is referred to as a set of detail methods that is being used in

handling the ordering process. Food ordering can be computerized or done
manually. Thos helps the customer to order their food themselves which is known
as the customer self-ordering system.

The customer self-ordering system can be defined as a computerized system that is

being used by customers to place their own orders in the restaurant and allow the
orders to be tracked, in order to prepare and deliver the food to the computers.

2.2 SELF-SERVICE/SELF-ORDERING IN RESTAURANT

Self-service or self-ordering in restaurant industry refers to the restaurant taking

orders from customers through applying various types of technologies such as
internet and many others. Self-service or self-ordering is successful when it is
applied at restaurants in many other countries. The usage of the self-service or self-
ordering technology is proven to benefit most of the investors.

Odesser-Torpey(Odesser-Torpey, 2008) reports that most of the Americans

hate waiting for an order. Therefore, they prefer self-service technology, which can
be in form of text messaging, the internet and kiosk. Usually, the customer prefers
self-service because of speed and convenience in making order and transaction
while minimize the miscommunication. He also mentioned that self-activated
terminals are more likely to serve as ordering innovation in the future. The

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implementation of alternative ordering can increase check size, free up counter
staff that need to serve customers and take money handling out of service equation.

Bhatnagar(Bhatnagar, 2006) mentioned that the innovation of kiosk and

computerized table top ordering screen will force restaurant industry re-jigger an
often used acronym quick service restaurant to the self-service restaurant.
Customers can get information or search for recipes from the kiosk and internet.
The kiosk and internet also takes orders and receives credit cards or debit cards
payment. As a result, wrong order and long queue can be avoided, order staff can
be arranged to somewhere else and focus to speed up on delivery orders. On the
other hand, a table-top touch screen order system can take customer orders as well
as handle other customer requests such as refill drinks, call a waiter and make
payment by credit card and debit card.

Bytes, a restaurant located at Canterbury has been successfully standing apart from
the competitors because of applying online self-service ordering and the payment
concepts. The system used in Bytes allows the customers make an order through
the touch screen, and the order will be directed to bar or kitchen. The system also
offers games after a customer placed the orders while internet access will be
provided to customers in the future. Touch screen ordering reduces the need of the
waiter. The system also provides database for customers’ habits and preferences,
generate the management reports, perform analysis as well as allows the menu to
be updated instantly. (Brickers, 2006).

Based on study, it is possible for applying the online food ordering system to the
fast food restaurants in Nigeria. This is because the system can improve workplace
efficiency, increase sales of the restaurant as well as reduce making incorrect order.
As a result, it is worth for investing on the system, whereby it can shorten the
return on investment.

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 In addition, the system should be supported by the food origin taste and
services to maintain the customers’ loyalty and satisfaction. However, widely
implementing the food ordering system may cause the influx of labor due to the
elimination of waiters in restaurant industry. Even the system is important to be
implemented, yet there is still some risk in other factors such as a direct interaction
and restaurant design concept, which need to be considered for ensuring the
success of the system.

Gan (Gan, 2002) proposed to develop an online fast food restaurant

ordering system that allows customers to place orders anytime at any place. The
system helps to manage order from customer as well as advertise promotion. It
allows kitchen staff to view ordering information, management to manage fast
food raw materials and staff to search customer delivery and profile information.
This system helps to reduce queue issues during peak hours, speed up food
preparation and increase customer volumes. As a result, market share of fast food
restaurant can be boosted up and increases return of investment for the investor.

De Leon (De Leon, 2008) mentioned that there are several aspects that
should be included in a good online food ordering system. System should be
simple to navigate, not clustered and easy to make an order, (Sharma, 2007,)
designed with professionals looking with search engine optimize capability and
available 24hours. The system should also have a secure payment gateway to
protect their customers’ credit cards information, fast and keep track on orders and
sales history easily as well as generate a comprehensive sales report, (Sharma,
2007).

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2.3 E-COMMERCE

Electronic commerce or e-commerce according to Garret, (1996) is the exchange

of goods and services by means of the internet or other computer networks. In e-
commerce, buyers and sellers transact business over networked computers.

Electronic commerce is also sharing business information, maintaining

business relationships and conducting business transactions by means of
communication networks. It includes the relationship between companies
(business-to-business), between customers (customer-to customer) as well as
between companies and customers (business- to-customer). Business to business
segment currently dominates the e-commerce while customer oriented segment is
significantly lagging behind and current estimate places it at less than 10% of the
total volume, even though they are all experiencing an exponential growth
(Vladimir, 1998). E-commerce offers buyers convenience. They can visit the
World Wide Web (www) sites of multiple vendors 24hours a day and seven days a
week to compare prices and make purchases, without having to leave their homes
or offices.

For sellers, e-commerce offers a way to cut costs and expand their markets.
They do not need to build staff or maintain a store or print and distribute mail order
catalogs. Because they sell over the global internet, sellers have the potential to
market their products or services globally and are not limited by the physical
location of a store.

E-commerce also has some disadvantages, however. Customers are reluctant to

buy some products online. Online furniture businesses for example, have failed for
the most part because customers want to test the comfort of an expensive item such
as a sofa before they purchase it. Many people also consider shopping a social
experience, for instance, they may enjoy going to a store or a shopping mall with

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friends or family, an experience they cannot get online. Customers also need to be
reassured that credit card transactions are secure and that their privacy is respected.
E-commerce is not only widening customer’s choice of product and services, but
also creating new business and compelling established business to develop internet
strategies.

2.4 HISTORY OF FAST FOOD/RESTAURANT

A fast food restaurant is a restaurant characterized both by food ready to eat

quickly after ordering and by minimal service. One trait shared by all fast food
establishments is that the customer pays for the food prior to consuming it. Often
this food is referred to as fast food. The food in these restaurants is often cooked in
bulk and in advance and kept warm or reheated on order.

Although fast food restaurants are often viewed as a representation of modern

technology, the concept of “ready cooked food to go” is as old as cities themselves,
unique variations are historical in various cultures. Ancient Roman cities had
bread-and-olive stands, East Asian cultures features noodle shops. Flat bread and
falafel are ubiquitous in the Middle East. Popular Indian fast food delicacies
include Vada Pav, Papri Chaat, Bhelpuri, Panipuri and Dahi Vada. In the French
speaking nations of west Africa, meanwhile, roadside stands in and around the
larger cities continue to sell- as they have done for generations-a range of ready-to-
eat char grilled meat sticks known locally as “brochettes” (not to be confused with
the bread snack of the same name found in Europe).

The modern history of a fast food in America began on July 7, 1912 with the
opening of a fast food restaurant called the Automat in New York. The Automat
was a cafeteria with its prepared foods behind small glass windows and coin-
operated slots. Joseph Horn and Frank Hardart had already opened an Automat in
Philadelphia but their Automat at Broadway and 13th street, in New York City,

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created a sensation and numerous Automat restaurants were quickly built around
the country to deal with the demand. Automats remained extremely popular
throughout the 1920’s and 1930’s. The company also popularized the notion of
“take-out” food, with their slogan “less work for mother”. The American company
White Castle is generally credited with opening the second fast food outlet in
Topeka, Kansas in 1921, selling hamburgers for five cents a piece. White Castle
later added five holes to each beef patty to increase its surface area and speed
cooking times. White Castle was successful from its inception and spawned
numerous competitors.

Mc Donald’s, the largest fast food chain in the world and the brand most
associated with the term “fast food” was founded as a barbeque drive-in in 1940 by
Dick and Mac. After discovering that most of their profit came from hamburgers,
the brothers closed their restaurant for 3months and reopened it in 1948 as a walk-
up stand offering a simple menu of hamburgers, French fries, shakes coffees and
coca-cola, served in disposable paper wrapping. As a result, they were able to
produce hamburgers and fries constantly, without waiting for customer orders, and
could serve them immediately; hamburgers cost 15cents, about half the price at a
typical dinner. The McDonald’s stand was the milkshake machine company’s
biggest customer and a milkshake salesman named Ray kroc travelled to California
to discover the secret to their high-volume burger-and-shake operation. Kroc
thought he could expand their concept, eventually buying the McDonald’s
operation outright in 1961 with the goal of making cheap, ready-to-go hamburgers,
French fries and milkshakes a nationwide business.

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