JP2002259530A - Management system for order - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a management system for order capable of indicating expected waiting times for dishes to be ordered. SOLUTION: The system comprises a display means (37) to indicate a menu, a choosing means (37) to choose dishes from the menu, a storage means (33) to store standard cooking times and numbers of back orders of each dish and a calculating means (33) to calculate the expected waiting times chosen by the choosing means (37) according to the cooking times and the numbers corresponding to the dishes chosen by the choosing means (33).

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an order management system capable of accepting an order for a dish in a store such as a restaurant, a payment management system for managing a customer's payment status, and a vacant seat for managing a vacancy status in the store. This is an invention relating to a management system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the restaurant industry such as a restaurant, a clerk at a restaurant or the like usually goes to a seat of a customer and receives an order for a dish by face-to-face with the customer. In that case, the clerk of the restaurant or the like carries the portable terminal, and the clerk inputs the order contents of the dish from the portable terminal,
There is also a system that can check the order contents of a dish at a cash register or a kitchen.

[0003] In a fast food store or the like, there is also a system in which a customer goes to an order counter, informs a clerk of the order, and places an order. In such a conventional system, since a customer orders a dish and indirectly inputs the order using a portable terminal, a clerk is required to serve customers. If you are busy with such tasks, it is difficult to accept orders. In particular, the larger the restaurant, the more clerks must do other than serving customers, and if the number of clerks is not increased, they will not be able to serve customers at the appropriate time and will wait for customers. In some cases, increasing profits would make it unprofitable in view of labor costs.

In the conventional system, a clerk listens to an order directly from a customer and re-enters an order from a portable terminal. Therefore, an order error occurs. There was also a business risk of noticing. Furthermore, once the customer places an order, there is no information on when the ordered dish is completed, so there is a problem that the customer must spend an uneasy time before serving the meal. In particular, there has been a problem that, despite the orders of a plurality of customers, cooking is delayed or cooking is forgotten, and it is difficult for only one of the orders to be served. In addition, if the customer waits for a long time, the customer frequently inquires of the clerk, and as a result, there is a problem that the amount of work of the clerk increases.

[0005] In addition, when the number of clerks is reduced due to reduction of labor costs, the number of times of looking around the seats is reduced, and customers who leave without paying, and malicious items that waste or damage store equipment are reduced. There was also a problem that the possibility of overlooking the act increased. Further, in a system in which a customer places an order from a seat without using a clerk, such a problem is expected to increase because the number of times the clerk goes to the seat further decreases.

When a customer tries to enter a store such as a restaurant, there are many situations in which a long line is already waiting for a plurality of other customers to enter the store. Even if many customers are waiting to enter the store, it may be possible to enter the store early depending on the situation, but even if only a few people are waiting, there is a possibility that they will be waiting for a long time before entering the store. As described above, there is a problem that the customer cannot know how long the customer can enter the store.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention makes it possible to display the expected waiting time of a dish to be ordered when placing an order, thereby freeing the clerk from order receiving work and enabling the customer to place an order. The purpose is to provide an order management system. It is another object of the present invention to provide a payment management system for managing a customer's fee payment.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a vacant seat management system capable of displaying an estimated vacant seating time until a vacant seat is opened in a store.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, in an order management system for managing food orders according to the present invention, a display means for displaying a menu, and a food is selected from the menu. Selection means, storage means for storing the standard cooking time and the remaining order number of various dishes, and prediction of the dish selected by the selection means from the standard cooking time and the remaining order number corresponding to the dish selected by the selection means. Calculating means for calculating the waiting time.

[0010] Preferably, the estimated waiting time is displayed on the display means. Further, there is provided order receiving means for receiving the order of the dish selected by the selecting means, and input means for inputting that the cooking of the dish whose order has been received is completed. Preferably, it is obtained from the reception by the means and the input by the input means.

Further, there is provided order receiving means for receiving an order for the dish selected by the selecting means, and input means for inputting that the serving of the dish for which the order has been received has been completed. It is preferably obtained from the reception by the order receiving means and the input by the input means. Further, it is preferable that the display means, the selection means, and the order receiving means are provided near the seat of the customer.

Further, the expected waiting time is preferably constituted by an expected cooking time required for cooking the dish and an expected serving time required for serving the cooked dish to the customer. Further, it is preferable that the remaining order number is obtained for each cooking appliance in which the dish selected by the selection means is cooked. This is for calculating the expected cooking time assuming that the rate-limiting step of the cooking time is in the capacity of the cooking appliance that cooks the dish.

Further, it is preferable that the expected serving time is different between the congestion and the normal time, and the congestion and the normal time are preferably determined based on the number of remaining orders. In addition, if there is more than one order remaining number, it is determined whether it is congested or not.
It is preferable to set in advance for each store. In order to achieve the above object, in a payment management system for managing a customer's payment status according to the present invention, an order receiving unit for receiving an order for a dish, and serving or cooking of the dish for which the order has been received is completed. Order completion input means for inputting that the order has been made, payment completion input means for inputting the completion of payment of the dish for which the order has been received, and serving or cooking completion input for the dish for which the order has been received by the order completion input means. After that, if there is no input of payment completion by the payment completion means even after a predetermined time has passed, a warning means for giving a warning is provided.

[0014] Further, it is preferable that the warning means temporarily interrupts the warning when the order of the dish is received again after the completion of the cooking or the completion of the cooking of the dish for which the order has been received by the completion input means. Furthermore, it is preferable that the warning unit temporarily suspends the warning when there is a response from the customer to the order input unit after the completion of the serving or the completion of cooking of the dish for which the order has been received by the order completion input unit.

In order to achieve the above object, in the vacancy management system for managing vacancies according to the present invention, an order receiving means for receiving an order for cooking, and an estimated waiting time of the order received by the order receiving means are provided. It is characterized by having expected waiting time calculating means for calculating, and expected vacant time calculating means for calculating the time when a customer who has received a dish by the order receiving means leaves the seat using the expected waiting time.

It is preferable that the expected vacancy time calculating means calculates the expected vacancy time using the expected waiting time and the standard eating and drinking time. In order to achieve the above object, in the vacancy management system for managing vacancies according to the present invention,
Order receiving means for receiving an order for a dish, order completion input means for inputting that the serving or cooking of the ordered dish has been completed, and a customer who has completed the serving or cooking of the dish by the order completion input means are separated. A predicted vacancy time calculating means for calculating the seating time using the standard eating and drinking time.

Further, it is preferable that the vacant seat management system has display means for displaying the estimated vacant seat time.

[0018]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An outline of a system configuration commonly used in an order management system, a payment management system and a vacancy management system according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 1, a headquarters system 20 and a store system 30 are closed or open network 1 such as LAN, WAN, Internet, etc.
Connected to 0. FIG. 1 shows a situation where one store system is connected to the network 10, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a plurality of store systems are preferably connected.

The headquarters system 20 includes a router 21 and a bus 2
2 and the headquarters server 23, etc., and are configured to transmit and receive data to and from the store system, manage received data, and the like. The store system 30 includes a router 31, a bus 32, a store server 33, and a kitchen printer 3.
4, a kitchen terminal 35, a cash register terminal 36, a customer terminal 37 installed near the seat of the customer, and an entrance terminal 38 provided at the entrance of the store. Here, the store server 33 manages the transmission and reception of data between the kitchen printer 34, the kitchen terminal 35, the cashier terminal 36, the customer terminal 37, and the entrance terminal 38, and further manages the transmission and reception of data with the headquarters server 23. It is configured to be able to. When the customer inputs a food order from each customer terminal 37, the contents of the food received from the kitchen printer are printed out, and a cook waiting in the kitchen starts cooking along the printout.

The entrance terminal 38 can be used to check the vacancy status of the store. FIG. 2 shows a customer terminal 3 installed near a seat of a customer in a store.
7 shows an example. The customer terminal 37 is a liquid crystal display 1
01 and a microphone for inputting and outputting audio and a speaker 102, and are fixed to the table 200 by a fixing device 103. A transparent conductive sheet (touch panel) is arranged on the surface of the liquid crystal display 101, and is configured such that a predetermined input is made when a customer touches the screen. By selecting a menu displayed on the liquid crystal display by the touch panel, the customer can independently order a favorite dish without being directly ordered from a clerk while in the seat.
Note that the input of various data (such as menu selection and order) from the customer terminal 37 may be performed by a keyboard, a mouse, a voice input method, or the like without using a touch panel. Further, the customer terminal 37 is not limited to being fixed to a table, and may be hung on a wall or embedded in a table. In short, it suffices if it is provided at a position where the customer can handle it.

The outline of the operation procedure of the order management system according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. First, when the customer takes a seat, the customer terminal 37 installed on the table arranged near the customer's seat is turned on, and the initial screen (8 in FIG. 8) stored in the storage unit of the store server 33 in advance.
00) is transmitted to the customer terminal 37 and displayed on the liquid crystal display 101. At the same time, vacancy status data 130 of a vacancy database (hereinafter referred to as “vacancy DB”) described later.
2 is changed from “empty” to “in use”. Further, when the customer selects a meal (801) from the initial screen 800, a menu screen (810 in FIG. 8) is displayed (step 301). The display of the initial screen 800 on the customer terminal 37 is as follows.
It may be performed when instructing a customer to a table at a store cash register, handing over a predetermined key to the customer at the store cash register, using a handed key, or detecting the presence of the customer at the table For this purpose, a sensor may be provided, and the sensor may detect the customer's seating. further,
The clerk who guided the seat may turn on the customer terminal 37.

Next, the customer selects a menu from the menu screen 810 using the touch panel of the customer terminal 37 (step 302). The state where the customer has selected the menu is shown at 810 in FIG. Here, menus 811, 8
12 and 813 are displayed on the liquid crystal display 101. The menu can be scrolled by touching scroll buttons 815 and 816. The scroll button 81
5 and 816 may be switched to another menu screen before and after. Here, the customer selects Menu 8
It is assumed that 12 “Japanese hamburgers” have been selected. When the customer touches the dish 812, a border 81
4 is displayed so that the selected dish is highlighted. The selection of the dish may be performed by character input. For example, the selection may be made by directly inputting “Japanese style hamburger” from a keyboard. The menu screen for making a selection may be configured to display a photo or a moving image.

Next, the customer terminal 37 transmits the selected dish to the shop server 33, and the shop server 33 calculates an expected waiting time until the selected dish is served (step 303). . Details of the calculation will be described later. Next, the store server 33 transmits the calculation result of the expected waiting time and the like to the customer terminal 37, and the customer terminal 37 displays the received expected waiting time and the like on the liquid crystal display 101 (step 304). A state in which the expected waiting time and the like are displayed is shown by 820 in FIG. Here, the dishes 821 selected in 810 of FIG.
Reference numeral 3 denotes a state displayed on the liquid crystal display 101.

Next, when the customer places an order for the dish, the customer places an order for the dish by touching the button 824 shown at 820 in FIG. Thereby, an order is received (step 305). At 820 in FIG. 8,
The state where the button 824 is touched is shown. The customer orders a desired dish by repeating such an operation.

Although 810 and 820 in FIG. 8 show a case where a dish is selected and ordered for each item, a plurality of dishes may be selected and ordered at a time. In addition, when the expected waiting time is longer than expected and the user wants to change to another dish, the user can return to the menu image 810 in FIG. 8 by touching the button 825. I have.

Next, the contents of the dish for which the order has been received are transmitted to the store server 33 and registered in an order database (hereinafter, referred to as “order DB”) stored in a storage unit such as the store server (step 306). FIG. 5 shows an example of the order DB. In the order DB shown in FIG. Data 50
1, table No. Data 502, dish name data 50
3, price data 504, kitchen printer output completion data 505, order processing completion data 506, payment processing completion data 507, and transmission completion data 508 to the headquarters server. . Note that the order DB shown in FIG. 5 is an example, and the present invention is not limited to this. Here, the printer output completion presence / absence data 505 is “completed” when a printout describing the contents of the dish for which the order has been received is output from the kitchen printer 34, and “not completed” otherwise.
Is the item to which the data is input. The data 506 indicating whether or not the order processing has been completed is an item in which data of “completed” is input when the cooking of the dish for which the order has been received is completed or when the serving is completed, and “uncompleted” otherwise. is there. The payment completion data 507 is stored in the cashier terminal 36.
If the payment of the dish for which the order has been received is completed, the item is “completed”, and if not, data of “not yet” is input. The transmission completion status data 508 to the headquarters server is “completed” when the data on the dish for which the order has been received has been transmitted to the headquarters server, and “uncompleted” otherwise. Item.

Next, the contents of the dish for which the order has been received are transmitted to the store server 33, and a cooking appliance database (hereinafter, "cooking appliance DB") stored in a storage unit of the store server 33 or the like.
(Step 307). Cooking equipment D
The registration to B is performed to count the number of remaining orders for each cooking appliance for cooking the dish whose order has been received. Cooking equipment of the dish for which the order has been received is stored in a single item database (hereinafter, referred to as “single item D”) stored in a storage unit such as the store server 33.
B ”).

FIG. 6 shows an example of the cooking appliance DB. The cooking appliance DB shown in FIG. 6 includes data items of cooking appliance data 601, parallel processable number (A) data 602, and remaining order number data 603 described above. In addition,
The cooking appliance DB shown in FIG. 6 is an example, and is not limited to this. Here, the number of parallel processes (A)
Is data representing how many orders the corresponding cooking appliance can process at one time. For example, in FIG. 6, a "microwave oven" can process four orders at a time, i.e., has four cooking portions. The remaining order data 603 is added for each cooking appliance when the order is received, and is subtracted when the cooking of the dish for which the order is received is completed or when the serving to the customer is completed. It is counted and always represents the remaining order number of the dish that has received the order. Here, the subtraction of the remaining order number may be performed by the cook inputting the completion of cooking of the dish from the kitchen terminal 35 and according to the input, or when the serving is completed, the kitchen is notified. It may be input from the terminal 35 and performed in accordance with the input. In addition, "when the serving is completed" means that the clerk is ready to carry the dishes to the customer's seat with a knife, fork, spoon, chopsticks, etc., or when the clerk has finished arranging the dishes on the customer's seat. To tell. In addition, when the serving is completed, not only the input to the kitchen terminal 35 but also the clerk may input to that effect from the mobile terminal connected to the store server 33 in the store 30. Further, after the clerk finishes arranging the dishes on the customer's seat, the clerk or the customer may input from the customer terminal at that location that the serving has been completed.

FIG. 7 shows an example of the single item DB. The single item DB illustrated in FIG. 7 includes data items of single item name data 601, cooking time data 702, and cooking device data 703. The single item DB shown in FIG.
This is an example, and the present invention is not limited to this. Here, the cooking time data 702 is data indicating the cooking time (minutes) required to cook the dish in a normal state.

Next, the store server transmits the dish contents to the kitchen printer 34 in order to print out the ordered dish contents from the kitchen printer 34 (step 308). The cook waiting in the kitchen proceeds with cooking based on the printout from the kitchen printer 34. Upon receiving the printout end signal from the kitchen printer 34, the store server 33 changes the printer output completion data 505 of the order DB from "not" to "completed".
Rewrite to

Thereafter, in the kitchen, cooking of the food according to the content of the food printed out from the kitchen printer 34 is completed, and the clerk prepares to carry the food to the customer's seat, and heads to the seat. Here, when the cook or clerk completes the cooking or serving, the kitchen terminal 35
An input to that effect is made for each dish. Then, the store server 33
Accepts the completion of the order processing (step 309), and rewrites the order processing completion presence / absence data 506 in the order DB from “not yet” to “completed”. The store server 33 may transmit the completion of the order processing to the headquarters server 23 in synchronization with the rewriting of the data. By doing so, it becomes possible for the headquarters server 23 to manage the inventory of materials or commodities (beer etc.) used for cooking.

Thereafter, when the customer finishes the meal and performs the settlement, the customer selects the settlement (802) from the initial screen 800. Then, the total price of the dishes ordered so far is 83
1 is displayed on the confirmation screen (830 in FIG. 8). If there is no problem with the contents of the confirmation screen 830, click the button 8 on the screen.
32, after which the customer will pay at the cash register. During this time, data on the price of the ordered food is stored in the cashier terminal 36 from the order DB managed by the store server 33.
Is transmitted to the cashier terminal 36, on the spot, it is possible to confirm data on the price of the dish ordered by the customer. When payment of the fee is completed by the customer at the cashier terminal 36, data indicating that the payment has been completed is input. Then, the store server 33 accepts the completion of the payment process (step 310), and rewrites the payment process completion data 507 of the order DB from “not yet” to “completed”.

Subsequently, the store server 33 transmits data relating to the dish for which payment processing has been completed to the headquarters server 23 via the network 10 (step 311), and ends a series of procedures. At that time, the store server 33 stores the order D
The transmission completion data 508 to the headquarters server of B is
Rewrite from "not" to "completed". The transmission of the data to the headquarters server may be performed each time the payment processing is completed, or may be collectively performed once a day or the like.

In this way, the customer can place an order using the customer terminal 37 provided near the seat without directly instructing the clerk. At that time, the customer can confirm the expected waiting time. It becomes possible. Also, according to the procedure shown in FIG. 3 described above, the vacant seat database (hereinafter “vacant seat“ D
B "is created for each store table. FIG. 13 shows an example of the vacant seat DB. In the vacant seat DB shown in FIG. Data 1301, vacancy status data 1
302, order reception data 1303, final order reception time data 1304, payment processing data 1307, and estimated vacancy time data 1308. Note that the vacant seat DB shown in FIG. 13 is an example, and the present invention is not limited to this. Here, the final order reception time data 1304 is data indicating the time of the last order from the customer terminal 37 provided in the table, and is automatically stored by the customer terminal 37 or the store server 33. The last order processing time data 1307 is
The data indicating the last time the order processing was completed for the dish ordered from the customer terminal 37 provided in the table, and is automatically stored by the customer terminal 37 or the store server 33. The method of obtaining the estimated vacant seat time data 1308 will be described later.

Next, the procedure for calculating the expected waiting time will be described with reference to FIG. In the procedure shown in FIG. 4, it is assumed that the CPU of the shop server 33 performs processing in accordance with a program stored in advance in the shop server 33 that has received the data of the selected dish from the customer terminal 37. First, cooking time data 702 and cooking appliance data 703 are extracted from the single item DB for the selected dish (step 401).

Next, the parallel processing number (A) data 602 and the remaining order number data 603 of the cooking appliances extracted in step 401 are extracted from the cooking appliance DB. Next, it is determined whether or not the remaining order number data 603 is larger than the parallel processable number (A) (step 403). Step 403
If the remaining order number data 603 is equal to or less than the parallel processable number (A) data 602, the estimated cooking time = cooking time data 702 is set (step 404), and the remaining order number data 603 is set to the parallel processable number (step 404). A) If the data is larger than the data 602, the estimated cooking time = the cooking time data 702 × (the number of remaining order data 603—the number of parallel processable (A) data 60
2) is set (step 405).

Next, from the order DB, the number of all orders (ie, the total number of remaining orders) for which the printer output completion data 505 is “completed” and the order processing completion data 506 is “not yet completed” is obtained. Extract (step 406). Next, the total number of remaining orders is compared with a predetermined constant C (step 407). The constant C is a value determined for each store, and is data indicating whether the state of the store at that time is a normal state or a congested state. For example, assuming that C = 50, when the total number of remaining orders is more than 50, it can be regarded as congestion, and in other cases, it can be regarded as normal.

Next, when the total order number is equal to or less than C, the expected waiting time = estimated cooking time + the normal expected serving time is set (step 408). , The expected waiting time = the expected cooking time + the expected serving time at the time of congestion is set (step 409). The expected serving time during normal times indicates the average time from when cooking is completed during normal times to when the forks, knives, chopsticks, etc. are lined up on the customer's seat with the forks, knives or chopsticks, etc. It has been set. The estimated serving time during congestion refers to the average time from completion of cooking during congestion to arranging forks, knives, chopsticks, etc., and arranging food on the customer's seat, here 7 minutes. It is assumed that is set to In the case of congestion, places for preparation are crowded, and clerks who serve the table frequently receive inquiries and the like from customers.

Next, in order to display the expected waiting time obtained by the calculation on the liquid crystal display of the customer terminal 37, the expected waiting time data and the like are transmitted to the customer terminal 37 (step 41).
0), end the series of procedures. Here, a case where the customer selects “Japanese style hamburger” on the touch panel of the customer terminal 37 will be described as an example. Data indicating that the cooking time of “Japanese style hamburger” is 4 minutes and the cooking appliance is “microwave oven” is extracted from the single item DB. Next, from the cooking appliance DB, data indicating that the number of possible parallel processes of the "microwave oven" is "4" and the remaining order number at that time is "10" is extracted. As described above, the remaining order data 603 is data indicating the remaining order number of each cooking appliance at that time, and is incremented by one when an order is received, and the completion of cooking or serving at the kitchen terminal 35 is completed. Is input, 1 is to be subtracted. In this case, the remaining order quantity is 25,
It is assumed that C is set to 50.

Then, the remaining order number of the “microwave oven” is “1”.
Since “0” is larger than “4”, the estimated cooking time of “Japanese style hamburger” is 4 × (10−4) = 24.
Set to minutes. Further, since the total number of remaining orders 25 is equal to or less than C (50), the waiting time is calculated as 24 minutes + the normal expected serving time (3 minutes) = 27 minutes, and 8 in the screen 820 in FIG.
23, "expected waiting time 27 minutes" is displayed.

The calculation of the expected waiting time is not limited to the procedure shown in FIG. 4, but may be further modified by the size of the kitchen, the skill of the chef, the length of cooking time by a combination of a plurality of products, and the normal and congested times. The determination may be made in consideration of a change in the cooking time between the time and the like. The outline of the operation procedure of the payment management system according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The payment management system is a system that operates in parallel with the above-described order management system, checks a table in which payment is not completed even after a predetermined time has elapsed after completion of an order, and prompts the store to issue a warning.

First, the store server 33 determines whether or not an order completion has been received (step 901). When the order completion is received, the first timer is started (step 902), and waits until the timer of the first timer is up (step 903). The tie-up time of the first timer can be arbitrarily determined for each store, but is assumed to be a time required for a normal customer to finish eating a meal and leave the seat. For example, the dinner time zone may be changed according to the time zone, such as 60 minutes, and the lunch time zone may be 30 minutes.

Next, the store server 33 determines whether or not payment completion has been received (step 904). If payment completion has been received, this procedure ends. Next, if payment completion has not been received, the store server 33 determines whether a new order has been received (step 905). If a new order has been received, the process returns to step 901.

Next, when a new order has not been received, the store server 33 displays a caution display on the kitchen terminal 35 and the cashier terminal 36, and sends a clerk to a table where dishes for which payment completion has not been received exist. (Step 906). Further, the customer terminal 37 that has received an order for a dish for which payment completion has not been received for the subject.
Is displayed appropriately (step 907). The display prompts for a drink such as water, tea, or the like. If the customer is in the seat, the customer terminal 3 will be displayed.
It is preferable that the display is such that the user touches the touch panel 7.

Thereafter, the store server 33 starts the second timer (step 908), and waits for the second timer up time (step 909). The tie-up time of the second timer can be arbitrarily determined for each store, but is shorter than the first timer-up time, and
It is preferable to set the quantile. Next, the store server 33
Determines whether payment completion has been accepted (step 910). If payment completion has been received, this procedure ends.

Next, if payment completion has not been received, the store server 33 determines whether a new order has been received (step 911). If a new order has been received, the process returns to step 901. Next, when a new order has not been received, the store server 33 determines whether or not any input has been made from the touch panel of the customer terminal 37 (step 91).
2). If there is any reaction, it can be confirmed that the customer is present in the seat, and the process returns to step 908 again.

Next, when there is no response to the customer terminal 37, the store server 33 displays a warning on the kitchen terminal 35 and the cashier terminal 36 (step 913), and ends this procedure. In response to the warning, the clerk goes to the seat,
You will check the situation. Thus, according to the payment management system according to the present invention, after receiving the order completion, the first
If payment completion is not received even after the predetermined time (first timer up time) has elapsed, a warning display is displayed, and payment completion reception is performed even after the second predetermined time (second timer up time) has elapsed. If this is not done, a warning may be issued indicating that a malfunction may have occurred, and a customer who leaves without paying, or a malicious act that wastes or damages equipment in the store, is displayed. It has become possible to prevent or detect it early.

It should be noted that the warning display may be immediately performed without performing the warning display in step 906. further,
When there is an order for a plurality of dishes from one customer terminal 37, it is preferable to start the first timer from the time when the order completion is finally received. The outline of the operation procedure of the vacant seat management system according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The vacancy management system is a system that operates in parallel with the order management system described above, and displays an estimated vacancy waiting time when a customer comes to the store.

First, the customer who visits the store enters the entrance terminal 3
On the initial screen 8 (1100 in FIG. 11), the program is started by selecting the button 1101 on the touch panel of the entrance terminal 38 in order to confirm the vacancy status, and the store server 33 starts the program for confirming the number of people (FIG. 11). 11 of 1110) is transmitted to the entrance terminal 38 and displayed (step 1001). When one of the buttons 1111 to 1113 on the number confirmation screen 1110 is selected, the required number of tables is determined according to the selected button (step 1002). For example, if the button 1111 is selected, the required table is one, and if the button 1112 is selected, the required table is two. Here, when the button 1113 is selected, a call is made to the clerk, and individual handling is performed. Here, an example is shown in which one table is allocated for every four persons, but this is an example, and the present invention is not limited to this.

Next, the store server 33 uses the vacancy status data 1302 of the vacancy DB shown in FIG. 13 to determine whether or not there is a required number of vacancy tables determined in step 1002 (see FIG. 13). Step 1003). If there is a vacant seat, a guidance screen (FIG.
1 1130) is transmitted to the entrance terminal 38 and displayed (step 1004). When the button 1131 of the guidance screen 1130 is selected, the fact that the customer has come to the cashier terminal 36 or the kitchen terminal 35 is displayed.

If there is no vacant seat table, the store server 33 sends a waiting list of waiting customers from WaitingList (not shown).
It is determined whether it is registered in the List (step 10
05). For example, it is assumed that there are already four customers waiting for entry to three hanging tables. Next, the store server 33 determines the expected vacancy time of the table that becomes the next vacant seat of the customer already registered in the Waiting List based on the estimated vacancy time data 1308 of the vacancy DB (step (1006)). Then, the expected vacancy time data 1308 of the fourth vacant table is confirmed.

Next, the store server 33 executes step 100
A registration screen (1120 in FIG. 11) is created based on the data determined in steps 5 and 1006, transmitted to the entrance terminal 38, and displayed. As shown at 1120 in FIG.
It is displayed at 1121 that three sets of customers are currently waiting for entry, and at 1122 that the expected waiting time is 5 minutes. If the customer who has checked the registration screen 1120 wishes to register, the user selects the button 1123,
When the button 1123 is selected (step 1008),
Additional registration is made in the Waiting List (not shown) (step 1009), and a series of procedures ends. If the customer does not wish to register, the button 1124 is selected. When the button 1124 is selected, a series of processing is completed.

Next, the procedure for calculating the estimated vacant seat time will be described with reference to FIG. The calculation procedure shown in FIG.
It is assumed that the process is executed by the store server 33 at a predetermined timing, and the result is stored for each table in the estimated vacant seat time data 1308 of the vacant seat DB shown in FIG.
First, the store server 33 determines whether there is a vacant seat based on the vacancy status data 1302 of the vacant seat DB (step 1201). If the seat is vacant, the estimated vacant seat time of the table is 0 minutes later (step 1202).
End a series of procedures.

If there is no vacant seat, the store server 33 determines whether or not the order reception has been completed based on the order reception data 1303 in the vacancy DB (step 1202).
If the order has not been received, the expected vacant seat time of the table is set to a predetermined first predetermined time (A) later (step 1203). A is a time required for an ordinary customer to select a menu, carry a dish, eat a dish, and then leave the seat, and is determined by statistics or the like for each store. Here, A is set to 90 minutes.

If the order reception has been completed, the store server 33 determines whether or not the order processing has been completed based on the order processing data 1305 in the vacant seat DB (step 1204). If the order processing has not been completed, the estimated vacancy time is calculated using the final order reception time data 130 in the vacancy DB.
4 as the total time after the longest expected waiting time and a second predetermined time (B) which is predetermined (step 12).
05). That is, it is expected that the seat will be vacant after the longest expected waiting time + B minutes from the last order reception time. Here, the longest expected waiting time refers to the expected waiting time of the dish obtained by the procedure of FIG. 4, and when there are a plurality of dishes ordered in the table, it is the longest of them. B is a standard eating and drinking time, which corresponds to a time required for a customer to eat a dish after the dish has been delivered and then leave the seat, and is determined by statistics or the like for each store. .
Here, B = 60 minutes is set.

If the order processing has been completed, the store server 33 determines whether the payment processing has been completed based on the payment processing data 1307 in the vacant seat DB (step 1206). If the payment processing has not been completed, the estimated vacant seat time is set to B minutes later based on the final order processing completion time data 1306 in the vacant seat DB (step 1207). That is, it is expected that the seat will be vacant after B minutes from the final order processing completion time.

If the payment process has been completed, the store server 33 sets the estimated vacant seat time to be a predetermined C minutes later (step 1208), and ends a series of procedures. C
Is the time required to clear the tableware and the like left on the table, and is determined for each store by statistics and the like. Here, C is set to 5 minutes. In addition, the clerk who cleared the tableware etc. of the table inputs from the kitchen terminal 35 that the table is empty, and in response to the input, the vacancy status data 1302 of the vacancy DB changes from “in use” to “empty”. Is changed to.

Here, the estimated vacant seat time is displayed for each table of four seats, but the estimated vacant seat time is calculated in accordance with two or six seats according to the store. Is also good. In addition, it is preferable to consider the smoking and non-smoking seats, the presence or absence of a chair for children, and the like in the calculation.
Lastly, a case where another service is developed using the customer terminal 37 will be described. The customer terminal 37 is a store server 3
8, the initial screen (80 in FIG. 8)
In step 0), when the user selects the regional information 803, data on festivals and sales guidance in the local shopping street is displayed (the store server 33 receives and stores the regional information in advance via the network 10), and connects to the Internet 804. When selected, it is configured so that the user can connect to the Internet and enjoy the time from the completion of order reception to the serving of meals. In addition, from the initial screen etc., it is used to introduce today's recommended menu of the store, display the nutritional balance of the ordered dishes, call the clerk for customer complaints and special requests from individual customers Or play a game.

[0059]

As described above, in the order management system according to the present invention, when an order is placed, the expected waiting time is displayed, so that when the customer is in a hurry, the customer may wait for a long time. There is the merit that it is not necessary to order the expected dishes. Further, in the order management system according to the present invention, since the customer can place an order directly using the customer terminal while sitting at the seat, the clerk can be released from the order listening business, and furthermore, the store clerk can This makes it possible to reduce labor costs.

Further, in the order management system according to the present invention, since the customer can directly place an order using the customer terminal while sitting in the seat, it is difficult for the clerk to grasp the order even when trying to place the order. Can be avoided. Thus, according to the payment management system according to the present invention, after receiving the order completion,
If the payment completion is not received even after the first predetermined time has elapsed, a warning display is displayed. If the payment completion is not received even after the second predetermined time has elapsed, a problem has occurred. As a warning, it is possible to prevent or early detect a customer who leaves without paying, or a malicious act that wastes or damages equipment in the store, by displaying a warning. Is what you do.

As described above, according to the vacant seat management system according to the present invention, it is possible for the customer to know how long the customer can enter the store.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of a system configuration.

FIG. 2 shows an overview of a customer terminal.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the outline of the operation of the order management system according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a procedure for calculating an expected waiting time.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of an order DB.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a cooking appliance DB.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a single item DB.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen on a customer terminal.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the outline of the operation of the payment management system according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the outline of the operation of the vacant seat management system according to the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen on the entrance terminal.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a procedure for calculating an estimated vacancy time.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an empty seat DB.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Network 20 ... Headquarters system 23 ... Headquarters server 30 ... Store system 33 ... Store server 34 ... Kitchen printer 35 ... Kitchen terminal 36 ... Cash register terminal 37 ... Customer terminal 38 ... Entrance terminal

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Hitoshi Yamaguchi 2-2-2-20 Higashishinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo Japan Light Metal Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 3E042 AA04 CD04 CE07 EA01

Claims (16)

[Claims] 1. An order management system for managing an order of food, comprising: display means for displaying a menu; selection means for selecting a food from the menu; Storage means for storing the number of dishes, and calculating means for calculating an expected waiting time of the dish selected by the selecting means from the standard cooking time corresponding to the dish selected by the selecting means and the remaining order number. An order management system characterized by the following. 2. The order management system according to claim 1, wherein the estimated waiting time is displayed on the display. 3. An order receiving means for receiving an order for the dish selected by the selecting means, and an input means for inputting that cooking of the dish for which the order has been received is completed, The order management system according to claim 1, wherein the remaining order number is obtained from reception by the order reception unit and input from the input unit. 4. An order receiving means for receiving an order for the dish selected by the selecting means, and an input means for inputting that the serving of the dish for which the order has been received is completed, The order management system according to claim 1, wherein the remaining order number is obtained from reception by the order reception unit and input from the input unit. 5. The order management system according to claim 1, wherein the display unit, the selection unit, and the order reception unit are provided near a customer's seat. 6. The estimated waiting time includes an estimated cooking time required for cooking a dish and an estimated serving time required for serving a cooked dish to a customer.
5. The order management system according to any one of 5. 7. The order management system according to claim 1, wherein the remaining order number is obtained for each cooking appliance in which the dish selected by the selection unit is cooked. 8. The order management system according to claim 1, wherein the expected serving time is different between a congestion time and a normal time. 9. The order management system according to claim 8, wherein the congestion and the normal time are determined based on the number of remaining orders. 10. A payment management system for managing a customer's payment status, comprising: an order receiving means for receiving an order for a dish; and inputting that the serving or cooking of the dish for which the order has been received has been completed. Order completion input means for inputting, payment completion input means for inputting the completion of payment for the dish for which the order has been received, and a predetermined order after inputting the serving or cooking completion of the dish for which the order has been received by the order completion input means. And a warning means for giving a warning when there is no input of the completion of payment by the payment completion means even after the time elapses. 11. The warning means temporarily suspends the warning if the order of the food is received again after the order completion or the completion of the cooking of the food for which the order is received is input by the order completion input means. Payment management system described in. 12. The warning means, if a response from a customer is received by the order input means after the order completion input means has provided a meal or a completion of cooking of the dish for which the order has been received, and once issued a warning. 11. The payment management system according to claim 10, wherein the payment management system is suspended. 13. A vacant seat management system for managing vacant seats, comprising: order receiving means for receiving an order for a dish; and expected waiting time calculating means for calculating an expected waiting time for the order received by said order receiving means. A vacant seat management system for calculating a vacant seat time calculating unit that calculates a time when a customer who has received a dish by the order receiving unit leaves the seat using the expected waiting time. 14. The vacancy management system according to claim 13, wherein the expected vacancy time calculation means calculates the expected vacancy time using the expected waiting time and the standard eating and drinking time. 15. A vacant seat management system for managing vacant seats, comprising: an order receiving means for receiving an order for a dish; and an order completion input for inputting that the serving or cooking of the dish for which the order has been received has been completed. Means, and a predicted vacancy time calculating means for calculating a time at which a customer who has finished cooking or cooking by the order completion input means leaves the seat using standard eating and drinking time. 16. The vacancy management system according to claim 13, further comprising display means for displaying said estimated vacancy time.