JP2000172746A - System and device for electronic menu using information processing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To rationalize menu ordering, dinner setting on a table for food and drink and adjustment by aborting printed matter such as a menu book and a arranging an electronic terminal device instead in a store providing a special service to customers such as a restaurant. SOLUTION: A visiting customer looks at a menu shown on an input-output terminal 1 and inputs a desired menu through the terminal 1 by utilizing a touch panel provided in the screen of the input-output terminal. Inputted order data are outputted to a kitchen 6 through a central processing unit 3 in the store, cooking is performed based on the data in the kitchen 6 and cooked food and drink are set on the table. Also, the payment amount of the customer is simultaneously calculated according to the order data and is also preliminarily outputted to a counter 10. Thus, adjustment is smoothly performed when the customer performs the adjustment because calculation, etc., according to a slip are not required.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to an electronic menu system using an information processing system and an apparatus for implementing the system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a store generally called a family restaurant, a business method such as a franchise system or a directly-managed store system is employed, but in any case, each store forming such a group is the same. The system uses a trade name and provides a predetermined menu to the customer. For this reason, the customer can receive a uniform service regardless of the location of the store by selecting a store with a specific trade name.

As described above, stores having the same trade name basically provide the same service, so that customers can receive the service at any store with peace of mind, but at the same time, they will get bored. You can change the menu regularly,
Alternatively, the menu is partially changed depending on the region to improve the ability to attract customers.

[0004]

Here, when ordering food and drink, the customer looks at a list of food and drink (hereinafter referred to as "menu book") distributed by a clerk or arranged on a table. You have to order food and drink. For this reason, the menu book is full-colored to motivate customers to eat and drink, and advanced printing processing is performed to express fine parts, and the surface is processed with resin and has water resistance and abrasion resistance. ing. For this reason, menu book production costs are not inexpensive, and it is necessary to distribute this menu book to a large number of stores, at least in a number corresponding to the number of tables arranged in the stores. The burden is considerable.

[0005] In spite of the great expense required for the production and distribution of a menu book as described above, when the menu itself is changed, a new menu book is created. As a result, the conventional menu book is created. The menu book will have to be discarded. For this reason, the production and disposal of menu books imposes a constant economic burden. Further, when discarding a huge amount of menu books collected from each store, there is not only an economic burden but also a sufficient risk of pollution depending on the disposal method.
That is, the menu book suffers from high water resistance and abrasion resistance as described above, and if it is disposed of by landfill, decomposition becomes impossible or insufficient, and in incineration, toxic gas is generated by burning of the coating resin. Particularly, if the coating resin is a vinyl chloride resin, there is a high possibility that highly toxic dioxin is generated. In addition, there is a concern that toxic gas may be generated due to thermal decomposition of the chemical substances contained in the printing ink.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the conventional food and drink ordering system. That is, in the present invention, for example, in a store that provides food and drink, a means for displaying food and drink to be provided conventionally is a fixed medium called a menu book, whereas an image including a menu of food and drink to be provided is displayed. Means for displaying information and inputting / outputting electronic information are provided, and in-store central processing means for managing information input / output via this means, and corresponding to the information of the in-store central processing means, The present invention relates to an electronic menu system having means for producing ordered food and drink, means for adjusting the price of food and drink to be provided to customers, and an apparatus for implementing the method.

[0007]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS For example, in a store providing food and drink, an input / output terminal is arranged for each table. This terminal is, for example, a CRT or a liquid crystal display means embedded in a table or arranged at a predetermined position.
Image information including a menu is displayed on the T or the liquid crystal screen. In addition, a touch panel or the like provided on a screen is effective for inputting information such as food and drink orders in consideration of the user's convenience.

[0008] The image display means is configured to be able to display various kinds of information in addition to menus and the like. For example, various kinds of information suitable for the type of customers who visit the store, such as shopping guides, movie and theater guides, and information on recreational facilities and sports facilities, are provided. Also, by inputting information such as height, weight, and gender, various types of information can be provided, such as setting and displaying a diet menu corresponding to the input information from the menu. The input and output of these information are managed by a central processing unit in the shop. For example, when ordered menu information is entered, a menu to be provided to the kitchen is instructed based on this information, and the kitchen cooks the provided menu based on this information. . When the order menu is settled, the price can be calculated, so the settlement data is output to the counter.

[0009] In this manner, the information processing of the customer and the shop is performed in the shop via the in-store central processing unit, and the input / output information is stored in the in-store central processing unit. The stored data is periodically output to, for example, the headquarters that supervises each point,
From this information, the central processing unit of the headquarters performs various types of information processing, such as sales at each store, order tendency of food and drink. When the menu is changed, this information is output to the in-store central processing unit of each store. Before this, information such as the cooking recipe of the new menu is output. In this way, when the menu is changed, this information is immediately transmitted to each store, and furthermore, there is no problem such as production and disposal of the menu book.

[0010]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings. First, FIG. 1 shows an example of the configuration of an order system in one of a number of store groups forming a chain store with a headquarters at the center. Reference numeral 1 denotes an input / output terminal, which has a screen display unit that displays various kinds of information including the display of a menu provided in the store. A plurality of input / output terminals 1 are arranged in each store, for example, as indicated by reference numerals 1a to 1n. The screen display of the input / output terminal 1 may be of any type, such as a CRT or a liquid crystal, but it is not preferable that a complicated operation is required as long as the visitor operates. In particular, it is appropriate that the input means is based on operating a touch panel arranged on the screen. Usually, these input / output terminals 1 are arranged at least for each table. In addition, it is not preferable that the arranged input / output terminals be in the way of obstructing a meal or the like or fail due to spilled food or drink. Therefore, when the main body is arranged below the table so that the screen is positioned on the table surface, it is necessary to take care to cover the entire table with a transparent waterproof coating.

Each of the input / output terminals 1a to 1n has an I / O port 2
To the in-store central processing unit 3. The in-store central processing unit 3 is a device for managing input / output information, and the collected information is transmitted to each unit in the store, and the information desired by the customer is provided via the input / output terminals 1a to 1n. . The configuration shown in FIG. 1 shows a typical example in which the in-store central processing unit 3 performs information processing.

Reference numeral 4 denotes a storage medium, which is an in-store central processing unit 3
Is used as a database of information provided by, for example, in addition to menus, necessary information such as the various leisure information and diet menu information described above is stored. The in-store central processing unit 3 is in communication with a host computer (hereinafter, referred to as “central processing unit”) 5 of the headquarters via communication means such as a digital telephone line.

Next, each part of this configuration will be described together with its function, taking as an example the case of ordering a menu. The visitor is guided to a predetermined table by a clerk, and orders a menu using the input terminal 1 of each table. At this time, a picture of the menu and a price, or additionally, a display of calories and the like are displayed on the screen. Also, by pressing the page turning or page returning part displayed on the screen, as if turning the menu book, searching for the desired food and drink,
Order this. For example, when a portion on which desired food and drink is displayed is touched, the order number of the food and drink is displayed, and the order of the food and drink is performed by pressing a portion indicating the desired number of food and drink. In addition, a cancellation section is also displayed so that the order can be changed.

When the food and drink to be ordered and the number of foods to be ordered are determined in this way, the decision section displayed on the screen is pressed. Thereby, the input / output terminal 1 outputs the determined menu data to the in-store central processing unit 3. In-store central processing unit 3
Outputs menu data to be cooked to the kitchen 6 in accordance with the menu data output from each of the input / output terminals 1a to 1n. In the kitchen 6, cooking is performed based on this data, and Food and drink are distributed on each table 7 corresponding to the terminal. Further, the in-store central processing unit 3 calculates a billing amount corresponding to the menu data output from each input / output terminal 1, creates a billing statement 9 from the settlement data 8, and distributes the billing statement to customers along with a serving table. . The customer can confirm the payment amount from this statement. Further, the payment amount may be displayed on the input / output terminal 1 when the order is confirmed according to the customer's request.

On the other hand, the settlement data 8 is also output to the counter 10, so that when the customer finishes eating and drinking and performs the settlement, calculation for each menu by the register becomes unnecessary, and the settlement can be performed quickly. Becomes Further, for example, a printer 11 is arranged at a predetermined place in the store, and among the information displayed on the input / output terminal 1, information desired by the customer, such as registrar information and a new menu, is printed out, and a hard copy is printed out. It is also possible to provide services such as providing to The information collected by the in-store central processing unit 3 is output in real time or after a certain amount is accumulated to the head office central processing unit 5, which has a greater computing capability than the head office central processing unit 5 installed in the head office, and performs various analyzes.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of the menu ordering method. The customer guided to the predetermined table sequentially inputs desired menus by the input / output terminal 1 arranged on the table in the manner described above (Sa).
1). When the menu is directly input, when the input is completed (Sa2), the data of the input / output terminal 1 is transferred to the kitchen 6 via the in-store central processing unit 3 (Sa3).

On the other hand, when a diet simulation mode is set in the input / output terminal 1 (Sa4) in addition to directly inputting a menu, a menu corresponding to the simulation is displayed. More specifically, when this diet simulation mode is set, items for setting gender, weight, height, and the like are displayed on the screen of the input / output terminal 1. When these are set (Sa5), the required calories are displayed. You. Further, a combination of menus corresponding to the required calories is displayed as, for example, a "recommended menu" (Sa6), and the customer selects and sets a desired menu from among them (Sa7). In this case, it is also possible to change and set a part of the menu combination.

The menu set as described above is transferred to the kitchen 6 as described above, and cooking corresponding to the set menu is performed (Sa8), serving (Sa9) and billing details are created (Sa8). Sa10) and liquidation is performed later (Sa11).

The above is the most basic method of using the input / output terminal 1, but various other information can be obtained using the input / output terminal 1. For example, as described above, it is possible to obtain information such as shopping guides, movie and theater guides, tour facilities and sports facilities guides, and the like. In some cases, the input / output terminal 1 can be directly used by children, for example, by inputting software that can be used as a game machine.

In the in-store central processing unit 3 of each store, in addition to the ordered menu data and the like, various information such as the age and gender of the visitor and, in some cases, the weight (input of data by diet-new selection) are input. By processing and organizing this information, more advanced information can be obtained.

FIG. 3 shows a basic case where information output from each store is processed. That is, various kinds of information are input from the in-store central processing unit 3 of each store in real time or periodically in a badge system to the head office central processing unit installed in the head office (Sb1). These data are classified (Sb2) according to their contents, and analyzed for each type of data (Sb3). For example, by analyzing the order menu data, which is the most basic data, the amount of food consumed for the menu consumed by the order menu data can be determined. Therefore, a supplementary food is selected according to the amount of food consumed at each store ( Sb4), and deliver it to each store (Sb5).

Also, the types and access amounts of the service information accessed in various service information other than the menu are all analyzed (Sb6), the tendency is analyzed, and new service software is set if necessary (Sb7).
Then, the data is output to the in-store central processing unit 3 of each store (Sb8).

On the other hand, for example, it is necessary to change the menu of each store every season to maintain and expand the customer attracting power. In this case, the menu displayed on the input / output terminal 1 of each store in response to the menu change (Sb9). Although the data of the book is rewritten, creation of data to be displayed on the input / output terminal 1 centering on image information such as arrangement of a menu book (Sb
In addition to 10), a cooking recipe for the newly added menu is also created, and information is output so as not to be confused by cooking at the site of each store (Sb11). In particular, since the menu book data is digitized and directly output to each store, there is no need for the cost and labor of new printing and distribution of menu books as in the past, and of course the problem of discarding old menu books Does not occur.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to a restaurant constructed as a chain store, the present invention is not limited to the use of the present invention, but is limited to such a form. It is also possible to use in
In addition, it is not limited to restaurants, regardless of chain stores or individual stores.

[0025]

According to the present invention, as specifically described above,
Since an input / output terminal is used to display a service provided to a customer, such as a menu of food and drink, and the customer is configured to receive a desired service using the input / output terminal, expensive printed matter such as a menu book is used. There is no need to create and dispose of the printed matter, which not only has a small economic burden, but also does not cause pollution due to the disposal of printed matter.

The customer information obtained via the input / output terminal, such as an order menu, can be used as point-of-sale (POS) information or the like, or further processed to be important business information.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic menu device using an information processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure for setting a menu, serving a meal, and performing settlement using the apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of processing of information output from the in-store central processing unit of each store.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 input / output terminal 3 in-store central processing unit (in-store CPU) 4 storage means 5 headquarter central processing unit (head office CPU) 6 kitchen (service providing means)

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A method used in a store that provides a specific service, wherein information on a rewritable service is stored, and the content of the stored service is displayed via an input / output terminal; The user specifies a desired service from the content displayed on the input / output terminal, the specified service is transmitted to the service providing means via the in-store central processing unit, and the cost of the service is calculated, An electronic menu system using an information processing system, wherein the means for providing a service is configured to provide a user with a service corresponding to the information transmitted from the in-store central processing unit. 2. An in-store central processing unit having at least one input / output terminal disposed in a store that provides a specific service, wherein the input / output terminal is connected to the in-store central processing unit, and Has a function of displaying predetermined electronic information as an image and a function of inputting predetermined information based on the image display. The in-store central processing unit is provided with a storage unit, and the storage unit has at least The contents of the service to be provided in the store are stored, and the contents are configured to be displayed as images on the input / output terminal as electronic information. The in-store central processing unit includes at least the service An electronic menu device using an information processing system, wherein the electronic menu device is connected to a means for providing a menu. 3. The in-store central processing unit is connected to a clearing database that stores the billing amount for each service, calculates the billing amount for the service set by the input / output terminal, and outputs the calculated billing amount to a clearing unit such as a counter. An electronic menu device using the information processing system according to claim 2. 4. A store that provides a specific service is a restaurant that provides food and drink, and the input / output terminal is configured to display an image of at least a menu of food and drink to be provided in the electronic information, 4. The information processing system according to claim 2, wherein the means for providing is a kitchen for cooking an order menu set by the input / output terminal and a means for serving food and drink provided from the kitchen. Electronic menu device. 5. A storage means connected to the in-store central processing unit stores information other than information on services provided in the store, and the information is used as appropriate by the input / output terminal. An electronic menu device using the information processing system according to claim 2. 6. The in-store central processing unit is connected to a head office central processing unit arranged in a department managing the store, and information processed by the in-store central processing unit is output to the head office central processing unit, and the in-store central processing unit is processed. 3. The electronic menu device using the information processing system according to claim 2, wherein the device is configured to classify and process information output from each store.