JP2024012715A - Order support system, order support method, and order support program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an order support system configured to properly provide food and drink to a user while improving work efficiency of a kitchen in a facility, an order support method, and an order support program.

SOLUTION: In an order support system 1, a control unit of an order support apparatus includes: a reception processing unit 212 which receives an order of food and drink for each table of a facility which provides the food and drink; a calculation processing unit 213 which calculates a difference of time when each of ordered food and drink is provided for each table; a determination processing unit 214 which determines whether time differences for a first table and a second table for food and drink included in a first order corresponding to the first table and food and drink included in a second order corresponding to the second table, which are cooked at a time, fall within a set time or not; and an output processing unit 215 which outputs order information including the first order and the second order when the time differences for the first table and the second table fall within the set time.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

COPYRIGHT: (C)2024,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to an ordering support system, an ordering support method, and an ordering support program that accept orders for food and drinks that can be provided at a facility.

In facilities such as restaurants, for example, when the customer service staff receives an order from a user, the order details are transmitted to the kitchen, the kitchen staff cooks the food according to the order, and the customer service staff uses the cooked food. Serve meals to people. 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a technology has been proposed that supports kitchen staff by displaying an image of ordered food in the kitchen of a restaurant (for example, see Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-128979

Here, in a facility, from the viewpoint of work efficiency of cooking work in the kitchen, when multiple users order the same menu, it is desirable that the kitchen staff cook the menus together. However, when trying to improve work efficiency in the kitchen, problems arise such as delays in serving food and drinks to users and large time differences in the timing at which food and drinks are served at the same table. As described above, it is difficult to appropriately provide food and drink to users while improving the work efficiency of the kitchen.

An object of the present invention is to provide an order support system, an order support method, and an order support program that can appropriately provide food and drinks to users while improving the work efficiency of a kitchen in a facility. be.

The order support system according to the present invention includes a reception processing unit that receives orders for food and drink corresponding to a table of a facility that provides food and drink, and a reception processing unit that receives orders for food and drink corresponding to a table of a facility that provides food and drink; , a calculation processing unit that calculates a time difference that is the elapsed time from the time when the first food and drink out of a plurality of food and drink items included in one order at the table is provided to the time when the last food and drink is provided; If the time difference is within a set time, the order information for the plurality of food and drink products is output together, and when the time difference is not within the set time, the order information for the plurality of food and drink products is output separately. and an output processing section.

The order support method according to the present invention includes a reception step of receiving an order for food and drink corresponding to a table of a facility that provides food and drink, and a step of receiving a food and drink order based on the cooking time of a plurality of food and drink items included in one order at the table. a calculation step of calculating a time difference that is an elapsed time from the time when the first food and drink is served to the time when the last food and drink is served among a plurality of food and drink items included in one order at the table; and the time difference. outputting the order information for the plurality of food and drink items together when the time difference is within the set time, and outputting the order information for the plurality of food and drink items separately when the time difference is not within the set time period. This is a method in which one or more processors execute the following.

The order support program according to the present invention includes a reception step of accepting an order for food and drink corresponding to a table of a facility that provides food and drink, and a step of receiving an order for food and drink corresponding to a table of a facility that provides food and drink, based on the cooking time of a plurality of food and drink items included in one order at the table, a calculation step of calculating a time difference that is an elapsed time from the time when the first food and drink is served to the time when the last food and drink is served among a plurality of food and drink items included in one order at the table; and the time difference. outputting the order information for the plurality of food and drink items together when the time difference is within the set time, and outputting the order information for the plurality of food and drink items separately when the time difference is not within the set time period. This is a program for causing one or more processors to execute the following.

According to the present invention, there are provided an order support system, an order support method, and an order support program that can appropriately provide food and drinks to users while improving the work efficiency of a kitchen in a facility.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an order support system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of product information used in the order support system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of order reception information used in the order support system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of cooking time information used in the order support system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of order reception information used in the order support system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of order reception information used in the order support system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of setting information used in the order support system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a display example in the order support system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a display example in the order support system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a display example in the order support system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of an order form in the order support system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of order support processing executed by the order support system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings to provide an understanding of the present invention. Note that the following embodiments are examples of embodying the present invention, and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention.

[Order support system 1]
As shown in FIG. 1, an order support system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an order support device 2, an order terminal 3, and a kitchen terminal 4. The order support device 2, order terminal 3, and kitchen terminal 4 can communicate via a communication network N1 such as the Internet, LAN, WAN, or public telephone line. Note that a plurality of each of the order support device 2, order terminal 3, and kitchen terminal 4 may be provided.

The order terminal 3 is installed, for example, at each table (seat, room) of a facility that can provide food and drink, such as a restaurant or a karaoke parlor. The order terminal 3 is an operation terminal (self-order terminal, table top terminal, etc.) that can be operated by a facility user to order desired food and drink. Note that the order terminal 3 may be an operation terminal (facility terminal) operated by a customer service staff of the facility, and may be an operation terminal (such as a handy terminal) through which the customer service staff inputs an order received from a user. Further, the order terminal 3 may be a user terminal (such as a smartphone) owned by the user, and may be an operating terminal through which the user accesses the website of the facility and inputs an order for the desired food or drink. . That is, the order terminal 3 includes various operation terminals capable of receiving food and drink orders from users.

The order support device 2 receives orders from the order terminal 3 and outputs order information to the kitchen terminal 4. The order support device 2 may be installed in the facility or outside the facility, and may perform data communication with the order terminal 3 and the kitchen terminal 4 via the communication network N1.

Like the ordering terminal 3, the kitchen terminal 4 is installed at a facility that can provide food and drink, such as a restaurant or a karaoke parlor. The kitchen terminal 4 acquires order information from the order support device 2 and outputs (prints or displays) an order form on which the order information is displayed.

In the present embodiment, the order support device 2 alone corresponds to the order support system according to the present invention; however, the order support system according to the present invention includes one or more of the order support device 2, order terminal 3, and kitchen terminal It may include the following components. For example, when multiple components among the order support device 2, order terminal 3, and kitchen terminal 4 work together to share and execute various order support processes (see FIG. 12), which will be described later, It is possible to consider a system including a plurality of components that executes the order support system according to the present invention. For example, the order support system according to the present invention may be configured by the order support device 2 and the kitchen terminal 4.

In the following, an order terminal 3 is installed at each table of a restaurant that provides food and drinks, one or more users using each table input an order into the order terminal 3, and the order support device 2 An example of a configuration in which an order is acquired from the kitchen terminal 4 and the order information is output from the kitchen terminal 4 will be described. The restaurant is an example of the facility of the present invention.

[Order support device 2]
As shown in FIG. 1, the order support device 2 includes a control section 21, a storage section 22, an operation display section 23, a communication I/F 24, and the like. The order support device 2 may be, for example, an information processing device such as a tablet terminal or a personal computer. Furthermore, various processes executed by the order support device 2 may be executed in a distributed manner by one or more processors.

The communication I/F 24 connects the order support device 2 to the communication network N1 by wire or wirelessly, and communicates with external devices such as the order terminal 3 and the kitchen terminal 4 via the communication network N1 according to a predetermined communication protocol. It is a communication interface for executing data communication.

The operation display unit 23 is a user interface that includes a display unit such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display that displays various information, and an operation unit such as a mouse, keyboard, or touch panel that receives operations.

The storage unit 22 is a nonvolatile storage unit such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive) that stores various information. Specifically, the storage unit 22 includes product information D1, order reception information D2, cooking time information D3, and setting information D4. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of product information D1, FIGS. 3, 5, and 6 are diagrams showing an example of order reception information D2, and FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of cooking time information D3. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the setting information D4.

Product information D1 is information (menu information) regarding products (food and drink) that can be provided at the restaurant. As shown in FIG. 2, the product information D1 includes information such as a product ID, product name, price, image, and cooking time. The product ID is identification information of food and drink. The product name is the name of the food or drink. The image is a photograph or illustration representing the food or drink. Note that in this embodiment, for convenience, the image is expressed by an image name.

Furthermore, information on a plurality of products is registered in the product information D1 for each menu category (genre). For example, the food and drinks with product ID "A..." are included in the "set meal menu" category, and the products with product ID "B..." are included in the "one-item (a la carte) menu" category. The product with product ID "C..." is a product included in the "dessert menu" category, and the product with product ID "D..." is a product included in the "drink menu" category. be. Each category includes a plurality of specific foods and drinks. For example, the "set meal menu" includes "daily set meal," "sashimi set meal," "boiled fish set meal," and the like.

The cooking time is the time required from the start to the end of cooking (preparation) of food and drink. For food and drinks such as drink menus and dessert menus that do not require time to cook and prepare, the cooking time may not be registered.

The product information D1 is registered in advance by the manager of the restaurant, and is updated as necessary. For example, a manager of a restaurant can access the menu registration page managed by the order support device 2 to register and edit product information D1.

The order reception information D2 is information regarding orders received from users via the order terminal 3. As shown in FIG. 3, the order reception information D2 includes information such as table number, number of users, order number, ordered products, number of orders, and difference in provision time. The table number is identification information that identifies the table that accepted the order. The number of users is the number of users who use the table. The information on the number of users is included in the information obtained from the order terminal 3. Note that the information on the number of users may be included in information acquired from a facility terminal (not shown) operated by a restaurant staff member, a management terminal (not shown) that manages reservations, or the like. For example, when customer service staff ask the number of users of a restaurant when guiding them to a table, they enter the table number and number of users into the facility terminal. Upon acquiring the table number and number of users from the facility terminal, the control unit 21 registers the table number and the number of users in association with each other in the order reception information D2. In addition, if a user registers the number of users when making a reservation for a restaurant, the facility terminal obtains user information (user name, number of users, etc.) from the management terminal, and uses that user information and usage information. The table number of the table assigned to the person is associated with each other. Upon acquiring the table number and number of users from the facility terminal, the control unit 21 registers the table number and the number of users in association with each other in the order reception information D2.

The order number is identification information that identifies the user's order. The control unit 21 registers numbers (order numbers) in the order reception information D2, for example, in the order in which orders are received from users, that is, in the order in which orders are received from the order terminals 3. The ordered product is information indicating the contents of the order. The product name of the product (food and drink) selected by the user from among the product names included in the product information D1 is registered in the ordered product. Each ordered product is associated with the order number.

The number of orders is information indicating the number of orders for each food and beverage item. For example, when the control unit 21 receives an order for two "daily set meals" on the table with table number "3", it registers "2" as the number of orders corresponding to the "daily set meals". After that, when the control unit 21 receives one order each for "Sashimi set meal", "Daily set meal", "Beer", and "Oolong tea" at the table with table number "2", the control unit 21 increases the number of orders for each ordered product. Register "1". If multiple items of the same type are accepted in the same table, the total number of orders is registered as the number of orders for the ordered item.

The serving time difference is information indicating the time difference in which a plurality of ordered foods and drinks are provided for each table. The serving time difference is the time (time) when the first food and drink out of multiple food and drink items included in one order at the table is provided to the user and the time (time) when the last food and drink is provided to the user. This corresponds to the elapsed time. The serving time difference is calculated based on the cooking time for each food/drink (see FIG. 2) and the cooking time when multiple food/drinks are cooked at once (see FIG. 4). Further, the serving time difference is calculated based on the cooking time of a plurality of drinks included in one order at the table. Further, the serving time difference may be calculated by excluding a specific food and drink from among a plurality of food and drink items included in one order at a table. The specific food or drink is, for example, a dessert menu, a drink menu, or the like.

The control unit 21 registers order reception information D2 every time it receives an order from the order terminal 3. The order reception information D2 indicates information at the current time and is updated in real time. Note that the order reception information D2 may be used for accounting processing regarding the usage fee of the user. Further, the order reception information D2 may be deleted when the accounting process is completed.

The cooking time information D3 is information regarding the cooking time when multiple foods and drinks are cooked at once. For example, in FIG. 4, "Ts11" represents the cooking time when two "daily set meals" are cooked together, and "Ts12" represents the cooking time when two "daily set meals" and "sashimi set meals" are cooked together. represents time. Each cooking time is set based on the cooking time of each food and drink in the product information D1. That is, each cooking time in the cooking time information D3 is a cooking time corresponding to a combination of multiple food and drink orders. In addition, here, the cooking time for a combination of two food items is shown, but the cooking time for a combination of three or more food items is the cooking time for each food item registered in the product information D1, and the cooking time for a combination of three or more food items. It is calculated based on the cooking time registered in the time information D3.

Here, the provision time difference shown in the order reception information D2 of FIG. 3 may be a time difference when food and drinks included in each order corresponding to a plurality of tables are cooked all at once. For example, if a second order for table number "2" is received after receiving the first order for table number "3" and before outputting the order information of the first order to the kitchen terminal 4, the control The unit 21 calculates the serving time difference corresponding to each table when the first ordered food and the second ordered food are cooked together, and registers it in the order reception information D2. "ta3" shown in the order reception information D2 in FIG. 5 is a case where the first order of food and drink corresponding to table number "3" and the second order of food and drink corresponding to table number "2" are cooked together. "ta2" indicates the serving time difference corresponding to the table number "3", and "ta2" is the serving time difference corresponding to the table number "2" when the food and drink of the first order and the food and drink of the second order are cooked together. It shows the time difference.

For example, after receiving the first order corresponding to table number "3" and before outputting the order information of the first order to the kitchen terminal 4, the second order of table number "2" and the order information of table number "4" are received. When the control unit 21 receives the third order, the control unit 21 controls the provision of food corresponding to each table when the food and drink of the first order, the food and drink of the second order, and the food and drink of the third order are cooked all at once. The time difference is calculated and registered in the order reception information D2. "tc3" shown in the order reception information D2 in FIG. 6 corresponds to the table number "3" when the first ordered food, the second ordered food and drink, and the third ordered food and drink are cooked all at once. Indicates the serving time difference, and "tc2" indicates the serving time difference corresponding to the table number "2" when the first ordered food, the second ordered food, and the third ordered food and drink are cooked all at once. , "tc4" indicates the serving time difference corresponding to the table number "4" when the first ordered food, the second ordered food, and the third ordered food are cooked all at once. In this way, the control unit 21 calculates the provision time difference (see FIG. 3) corresponding to the table each time it receives an order corresponding to the table, and further calculates the provision time difference corresponding to each table each time an order is accumulated. (See FIGS. 5 and 6).

The setting information D4 is information on a setting time (threshold value) that defines conditions for outputting order information corresponding to an order received from a user to the kitchen terminal 4. That is, the control unit 21 outputs the order information to the kitchen terminal 4 when the provision time difference is within the set time. The set time is set by the control unit 21 according to predetermined conditions when the control unit 21 receives an order from a user. Specifically, the set time is set for each table corresponding to the received order. For example, the set time for a table with a large number of users is set to a longer time than the set time for a table with a small number of users. Further, the set time may be set based on the cooking order of the food and drink. For example, an order for a table includes hot foods such as hot pot dishes and cold foods such as salads, and the cooking order is set such that cold foods are cooked first and hot foods are cooked later. If so, the set time is set to a short time (for example, "5 minutes"). On the other hand, if the cooking order is set such that hot foods are cooked first and cold foods are cooked later, the set time is set to a longer time (for example, 10 minutes) than in the former case. be done.

In this way, when the control unit 21 receives an order from a user of a table, the control unit 21 responds to the table based on information such as the number of users at the table, the content or type of food and drinks included in the order, and the order of cooking. The set time is set and registered in the setting information D4. In addition, the control unit 21 controls each table based on information such as the time period when the order is received (lunch time, dinner time, busy time period, off-peak time period, etc.), the busy state of the kitchen, the crowded state of the restaurant, etc. The set time may be set. Further, as the set time, a time common to each table may be set in advance.

In addition, as another embodiment, part or all of the information such as product information D1, order reception information D2, cooking time information D3, and setting information D4 can be accessed from the order terminal 3 or the order support device 2. It may be stored on the server. In this case, the control unit 21 of the order support device 2 may acquire the information from the order terminal 3 or the server and execute various processes such as an order support process (see FIG. 12) to be described later.

The storage unit 22 also stores data such as the top screen (see Figure 8), menu screen (see Figure 9), order screen (see Figure 10), and checkout screen (not shown) displayed on the order terminal 3. be done.

Furthermore, the storage unit 22 stores control programs such as an order support program for causing the control unit 21 to execute order support processing (see FIG. 12), which will be described later. For example, the order support program is non-temporarily recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a USB, a CD, or a DVD, and the order support program is stored in a USB drive, a CD drive, or a DVD drive that is electrically connected to the order support device 2. It is read by a reading device (not shown) such as and stored in the storage unit 22. Further, the order support program may be downloaded from a server accessible from the order support device 2 and stored in the storage unit 22.

The control unit 21 includes control devices such as a CPU, ROM, and RAM. The CPU is a processor that executes various types of arithmetic processing. The ROM is a non-volatile storage unit that stores in advance control programs such as a BIOS and an OS for causing the CPU to execute various arithmetic processes. The RAM is a volatile or nonvolatile storage unit that stores various information, and is used as a temporary storage memory (work area) for various processes executed by the CPU. The control unit 21 controls the order support device 2 by executing various control programs stored in the ROM or the storage unit 22 in advance on the CPU.

By the way, in a restaurant, from the viewpoint of cooking efficiency in the kitchen, when multiple users order the same menu, it is desirable for the kitchen staff to cook the menus all at once. However, when trying to improve work efficiency in the kitchen, problems arise such as delays in serving food and drinks to users and large time differences in the timing at which food and drinks are served at the same table. As described above, it is difficult to appropriately provide food and drink to users while improving the work efficiency of the kitchen. In contrast, with the order support device 2 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to appropriately provide food and drinks to users while improving the work efficiency of the kitchen in a restaurant.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. Contains a processing section. Note that the control unit 21 executes various processes according to the order support program using the CPU, thereby controlling the acquisition processing unit 211, the reception processing unit 212, the calculation processing unit 213, the determination processing unit 214, and the output processing unit 215. , and functions as a setting processing unit 216. Furthermore, some or all of the processing units included in the control unit 21 may be configured with electronic circuits. Note that the order support program may be a program for causing a plurality of processors to function as the various processing units.

The acquisition processing unit 211 acquires information on the number of users using the restaurant (number of users) and information on the table number of the table used by the users. For example, when a customer service staff asks the number of users of a restaurant when guiding them to a predetermined table, the customer inputs the table number and number of users into the facility terminal. The acquisition processing unit 211 acquires information such as the table number and the number of users from the facility terminal. In addition, if a user registers the number of users when making a reservation for a restaurant, the facility terminal obtains user information (user name, number of users, etc.) from the management terminal, and uses that user information and usage information. The table number of the table to be assigned to the person is associated with each other and registered in the reservation management ledger. The acquisition processing unit 211 acquires information such as the table number and the number of users from the reservation management ledger. Upon acquiring the table number and number of users, the acquisition processing unit 211 registers the table number and the number of users in association with each other in the order reception information D2 (see FIG. 3).

When the table number and number of users corresponding to the table are registered in the order reception information D2, the control unit 21 permits acceptance of orders from the users of the table. For example, the control unit 21 causes the order terminal 3 to display a top screen shown in FIG. 8 or the like. The control unit 21 displays a top page corresponding to the top screen (see FIG. 8), a menu page corresponding to the menu screen (see FIG. 9), an order page corresponding to the order screen (see FIG. 10), and a checkout screen (not shown). Each page can be displayed on the order terminal 3 by generating corresponding accounting pages and transmitting information on these pages to the order terminal 3.

On the top screen shown in FIG. 8, menu buttons M1 for each category (“set meal,” “one dish (a la carte),” “dessert,” and “drink”) are displayed. On the menu screen shown in FIG. 9, information on specific foods and drinks included in the categories on the top screen shown in FIG. 8 is displayed. For example, the menu screen for "set meal menu" (see FIG. 9) displays information such as "daily set meal," "sashimi set meal," "boiled fish set meal," and "...". In the menu screen, if a plurality of foods and drinks cannot fit on one page, they are displayed over a plurality of pages. For example, when the user selects "Next" on the menu screen, the next page menu screen is displayed.

The menu screen shown in FIG. 9 also displays the menu button M1 on the top screen shown in FIG. Ru. The image M3 represents an image of food and drink, and also functions as a selection button for the user to select food and drink. The menu screen also includes a favorite page button M5 for moving to the favorite page, an order page button M6 for moving to the order screen (see FIG. 10), and a checkout button M7 for moving to the checkout screen. included.

Further, on the order screen shown in FIG. 10, a list of food and drinks selected by the user on the menu screen is displayed. The order screen includes an order confirmation button M8 for confirming an order for the listed food and drinks. On the order screen, the user presses the order confirmation button M8 to confirm the order for the selected food or drink, change the quantity of the selected food or drink, or perform operations to delete the selected food or drink.

In this way, when ordering food and drink using the order terminal 3, the user selects the desired food and drink on the menu screen, and performs an operation to confirm the order of the selected food and drink on the order screen. .

The reception processing unit 212 receives operations from users on various screens displayed on the order terminal 3. For example, the reception processing unit 212 accepts a user's selection operation (touch operation, etc.) on each screen shown in FIGS. 8 to 10. The reception processing unit 212 may accept a user's food and drink order from a mobile terminal (for example, a smartphone) owned by the user, or may accept a user's food and drink order from a mobile terminal (for example, a handy terminal) owned by a staff member of the facility. Orders for goods may be accepted, or orders for food and drink from users may be accepted from self-order terminals (table-top terminals) installed on tables in the facility. The reception processing section 212 is an example of the reception processing section of the present invention.

For example, when the user selects "set meal menu" on the top screen shown in FIG. 8, the reception processing unit 212 accepts the category selection operation. In this case, the control unit 21 causes the order terminal 3 to display a menu screen shown in FIG. 9 in accordance with the category selection operation. Further, for example, when the user selects "daily set meal" on the menu screen shown in FIG. 9, the reception processing unit 212 accepts the product selection operation. Further, for example, when the user performs an operation to confirm the order (pressing the order confirmation button M8) on the order screen shown in FIG. 10, the reception processing unit 212 accepts the order confirmation operation. Here, when the order confirmation operation by the user is received, the reception processing unit 212 accepts the order from the user. For example, for a table of a user group including multiple users, if each user in the user group selects food and drinks and then performs an order confirmation operation, the reception processing unit 212 Accept group orders. Note that when each user in the user group individually performs a product selection operation and an order confirmation operation, the reception processing unit 212 receives the order for each user. That is, one order received by the reception processing unit 212 may include one food item for one user, or may include multiple food items for one or more users.

Further, when receiving an order from a user, the reception processing unit 212 registers the order number and information on the ordered product in the order reception information D2 (see FIG. 3) in association with the table number of the table used by the user. do. Note that each order terminal 3 is associated with a table number in advance, and the order that the reception processing unit 212 receives from the order terminal 3 includes table number information. Therefore, the reception processing unit 212 can grasp the table number corresponding to each order.

The setting processing unit 216 sets the setting time according to predetermined conditions. Specifically, the setting processing unit 216 sets the setting time for each table corresponding to the order received from the user. Note that the set time is the time from when the first food and drink is provided to the user until the last food and drink is provided to the user when multiple food and drink items are ordered together at the table, Generally, the waiting time is set to a time at which users do not feel dissatisfied with the waiting time. For example, the setting processing unit 216 sets the set time for a table with a large number of users to a longer time than the set time for a table with a small number of users. Further, the setting processing unit 216 may set the setting time based on the content, type, cooking time, etc. of each of the plurality of drinks included in the order corresponding to the table. Furthermore, the setting processing unit 216 may set the set time based on the cooking order of the food and drinks included in the order corresponding to the table. For example, an order for a table includes hot foods such as hot pot dishes and cold foods such as salads, and the cooking order is set such that cold foods are cooked first and hot foods are cooked later. If so, the setting processing unit 216 sets the setting time to a short time (for example, "5 minutes"). On the other hand, if the cooking order is set such that hot foods are cooked first and cold foods are cooked later, the setting processing unit 216 changes the setting time to a long time (for example, "10 minutes"). Set.

In this way, when the reception processing section 212 receives an order corresponding to a table, the setting processing section 216 performs the following operations based on information such as the number of users of the table, the content or type of food and drinks included in the order, and the order of cooking. The setting time corresponding to the table is set and registered in the setting information D4 (see FIG. 7). As described above, the setting processing unit 216 uses information such as the time period when the order is received (lunch time, dinner time, busy time period, off-peak time period, etc.), the busy state of the kitchen, the crowded state of the restaurant, etc. , the setting time may be set for each table.

The calculation processing unit 213 calculates the serving time difference (corresponding to the time difference in the present invention) in which the plurality of ordered foods and drinks are provided for each table from which the reception processing unit 212 has received the order. Specifically, the calculation processing unit 213 calculates the number of drinks included in one order at the table, from the time when the first food and drink is provided to the user to the time when the last food and drink is provided to the user. The elapsed time up to that point is calculated as the provision time difference. Note that the elapsed time is the cooking completion time of the food and drink that is the first to finish (complete) cooking among the plurality of drinks included in the order at the table, and the cooking completion time of the food and drink that is the last to finish cooking of the plurality of drinks and drinks included in the order at the table. It can be expressed as the difference from the cooking completion time of the food and drink. The calculation processing unit 213 calculates the serving time difference based on the cooking time for each food and drink (see FIG. 2) and the cooking time when a plurality of food and drinks are cooked at once (see FIG. 4). Further, the calculation processing unit 213 calculates the serving time difference based on the cooking time of a plurality of drinks included in one order at the table. Further, the calculation processing unit 213 may calculate the serving time difference by excluding a specific food or drink, such as a dessert menu or a drink menu, from among a plurality of food or drink items included in one order at the table. The calculation processing unit 213 registers the calculated provision time difference in the order reception information D2 (see FIG. 3).

Further, the calculation processing unit 213 calculates the serving time difference when food and drinks included in each order corresponding to a plurality of tables are cooked all at once. As described above, for example, after the reception processing unit 212 receives the first order corresponding to table number “3” and before the output processing unit 215 outputs the order information F1 of the first order to the kitchen terminal 4, When the reception processing unit 212 further receives a second order for table number “2”, the calculation processing unit 213 calculates the number of orders for each table when the food and drink of the first order and the food and drink of the second order are to be cooked together. The provision time difference corresponding to is calculated and registered in the order reception information D2 (see FIG. 5). For example, after the reception processing unit 212 receives the first order corresponding to table number “3” and before the output processing unit 215 outputs the order information F1 of the first order to the kitchen terminal 4, the reception processing unit 212 further receives a second order from table number “2” and a third order from table number “4”, the calculation processing unit 213 calculates the order of food and drink for the first order, food and drink for the second order, and third order for the table number “4”. The serving time difference corresponding to each table when the ordered food and drinks are cooked together is calculated and registered in the order reception information D2 (see FIG. 6). The calculation processing unit 213 is an example of a calculation processing unit of the present invention.

The determination processing unit 214 determines whether or not the serving time difference corresponding to each table is within the set time when a plurality of drinks included in each order corresponding to a plurality of tables are cooked at once. . For example, the determination processing unit 214 determines whether food and drinks included in the first order corresponding to table number "3" and food and drinks included in the second order corresponding to table number "2" are to be cooked together. Whether or not the serving time difference "ta3" (see FIG. 5) corresponding to the number "3" is within the set time "T3" (see FIG. 7), and whether or not the food and drink of the first order and the second order are It is determined whether the serving time difference "ta2" (see FIG. 5) corresponding to the table number "2" when cooking items in batches is within the set time "T2" (see FIG. 7). The determination processing section 214 is an example of the determination processing section of the present invention.

The output processing unit 215 outputs the order information (order information F1) received by the reception processing unit 212 to the kitchen terminal 4. Specifically, the output processing unit 215 outputs order information F1 including the order details of the food and drink ordered by the user, the table number of the table used by the user, and the order number to the kitchen terminal 4. . The order information F1 may include the order date and time (reception date and time). That is, the output processing unit 215 may display the order information and the reception time when the reception processing unit 212 received the order on the order form. Further, the output processing unit 215 causes the kitchen terminal 4 to output (print or display) an order form including the order details, the table number, and the order number. The output processing section 215 is an example of an output processing section of the present invention.

Here, the output processing section 215 outputs the order information F1 of the order when a predetermined period of time has passed since the reception processing section 212 accepted the order. For example, the output processing unit 215 outputs the order information F1 of the order to the kitchen terminal 4 when a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the reception processing unit 212 accepted the order with table number “3”. Thereby, each piece of order information F1 is stocked in the order support device 2 for a predetermined period of time. Therefore, for example, if the order support device 2 receives an order for table number "2" before a predetermined time has elapsed after receiving an order for table number "3", it is possible to accumulate information on these orders. become. Then, when the order information F1 of multiple tables is accumulated, the calculation processing unit 213 calculates each serving time difference corresponding to each table when multiple drinks included in these orders are cooked at once (Fig. 5, see FIG. 6), the determination processing unit 214 determines whether each provision time difference is within the set time (see FIG. 7). As another embodiment, the output processing unit 215 may output the order information F1 of the order received by the reception processing unit 212 when the number of food and drink orders included in the order exceeds a predetermined number.

The output processing unit 215 outputs the orders when the difference in serving time corresponding to each table is within the set time when a plurality of food items included in each order corresponding to a plurality of tables are cooked at once. order information F1 including the order information is output to the kitchen terminal 4. For example, it corresponds to table number "3" when food and drink included in the first order corresponding to table number "3" and food and drink included in the second order corresponding to table number "2" are cooked together. The table number when the serving time difference "ta3" (see FIG. 5) is within the set time "T3" (see FIG. 7) and the food and drinks of the first order and the second order are cooked together. When the provision time difference "ta2" (see FIG. 5) corresponding to "2" is within the set time "T2" (see FIG. 7), the output processing unit 215 outputs the order information corresponding to table number "3". F1 and order information F1 corresponding to table number "2" are output together to the kitchen terminal 4.

Also, for example, food and drink included in the first order corresponding to table number "3", food and drink included in the second order corresponding to table number "2", and food and drink included in the third order corresponding to table number "4". The serving time difference "tc3" (see FIG. 6) corresponding to the table number "3" when cooking food and drinks together is within the set time "T3" (see FIG. 7), and the first The serving time difference "tc2" (see FIG. 6) corresponding to the table number "2" when the food and drinks of the order, the second order, and the third order are cooked all at once is the set time "T2" (see FIG. 7). Furthermore, the serving time difference "tc4" corresponding to the table number "4" when the food and drinks of the first order, the second order, and the third order are cooked together (see FIG. 6). ) within the set time "T4" (see FIG. 7), the output processing unit 215 outputs the order information F1 corresponding to the table number "3", the order information F1 corresponding to the table number "2", and the table The order information F1 corresponding to number "4" is output together to the kitchen terminal 4.

Note that, for example, if the reception processing unit 212 does not receive an order for another table within a predetermined period of time after receiving an order for table number “3,” the output processing unit 215 Only the order information F1 corresponding to the order "3" is output to the kitchen terminal 4. Further, the output processing unit 215 outputs the following information when the difference in serving time corresponding to each table is not within the set time when multiple food items included in each order corresponding to multiple tables are cooked at once. Order information for each of the plurality of orders is output separately to the kitchen terminal 4.

In this way, the control unit 21 adjusts one or more pieces of order information so that the time (waiting time) for providing food and drink to users will not be delayed due to the provision time difference calculated for each table exceeding the set time. Output F1. Further, the control unit 21 outputs the order information F1 of a plurality of tables together to the kitchen terminal 4 so that the work efficiency of the kitchen is improved while taking into account the waiting time of the users.

[Order terminal 3]
As shown in FIG. 1, the order terminal 3 includes a control section 31, a storage section 32, an operation display section 33, a communication I/F 34, and the like. The order terminal 3 is, for example, a self-order terminal installed at each table in a restaurant.

The communication I/F 34 connects the order terminal 3 to the communication network N1 by wire or wirelessly, and communicates with external devices such as the order support device 2 and the kitchen terminal 4 via the communication network N1 according to a predetermined communication protocol. It is a communication interface for executing data communication.

The operation display unit 33 is a user interface that includes a display unit such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display that displays various information, and an operation unit such as a mouse, keyboard, or touch panel that receives operations. The operation display unit 33 includes a top screen (see FIG. 8), a menu screen (see FIG. 9), an order screen (see FIG. 10), which accepts food and drink order operations from users, and an accounting screen that accepts checkout operations from users. (not shown), etc. The operation display section 33 is composed of, for example, a touch panel, and receives touch operations from the user.

The storage unit 32 is a nonvolatile storage unit such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), or a flash memory that stores various information. For example, the storage unit 32 stores a control program such as a browser program. Specifically, the browser program is a control program for causing the control unit 31 to execute communication processing with an external device such as the order support device 2 according to a communication protocol such as HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol).

The control unit 31 includes control devices such as a CPU, ROM, and RAM. The CPU is a processor that executes various types of arithmetic processing. The ROM is a nonvolatile storage unit in which control programs such as a BIOS and an OS for causing the CPU to execute various processes are stored in advance. The RAM is a volatile or nonvolatile storage unit that stores various information, and is used as a temporary storage memory (work area) for various processes executed by the CPU. The control unit 31 controls the order terminal 3 by executing various control programs stored in the ROM or the storage unit 32 in advance on the CPU.

Specifically, the control unit 31 functions as a browser processing unit 311 by executing various processes according to the browser program stored in the storage unit 32. The browser processing unit 311 causes the operation display unit 33 to display various information (top screen, menu screen, order screen, checkout screen, etc.) provided from the order support device 2 via the communication network N1, and makes the operation display unit 33 It is possible to execute a browser process for inputting operations into the order support device 2. Note that a part or all of the processing units included in the control unit 31 may be composed of electronic circuits.

[Kitchen terminal 4]
As shown in FIG. 1, the kitchen terminal 4 includes a control section 41, a storage section 42, an operation display section 43, a communication I/F 44, and the like. The kitchen terminal 4 is, for example, an information processing device such as a printer device, a tablet terminal, or a personal computer. Note that the kitchen terminal 4 may further include the same functions as the order support device 2, or may be an information processing device integrated with the order support device 2. Here, it is assumed that the kitchen terminal 4 is a printer device installed in the kitchen of a restaurant.

The communication I/F 44 connects the kitchen terminal 4 to the communication network N1 by wire or wirelessly, and communicates with external devices such as the order support device 2 and the order terminal 3 via the communication network N1 according to a predetermined communication protocol. It is a communication interface for executing data communication.

The operation display unit 43 is a user interface that includes a display unit such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display that displays information such as various web pages, and an operation unit such as a mouse, keyboard, or touch panel that receives operations. .

The storage unit 42 is a nonvolatile storage unit such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), or a flash memory that stores various information. For example, the storage unit 42 stores control programs for transmitting and receiving various information between the order support device 2 and the order terminal 3. For example, the control program is non-temporarily recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD or DVD, and is installed in a reading device (not shown) such as a CD drive or a DVD drive that is electrically connected to the kitchen terminal 4. ) and stored in the storage unit 42. Further, the storage unit 42 may store a control program such as an order support program for causing the control unit 41 to execute an order support process (see FIG. 12), which will be described later.

The control unit 41 includes control devices such as a CPU, ROM, and RAM. The CPU is a processor that executes various types of arithmetic processing. The ROM is a nonvolatile storage section in which control programs such as a BIOS and an OS for causing the CPU to execute various arithmetic operations are stored in advance. The RAM is a volatile or nonvolatile storage unit that stores various information, and is used as a temporary storage memory (work area) for various processes executed by the CPU. The control unit 41 controls the kitchen terminal 4 by executing various control programs stored in advance in the ROM or storage unit 42 on the CPU.

Specifically, the control unit 41 includes various processing units such as an acquisition processing unit 411 and an output processing unit 412, as shown in FIG. The control unit 41 functions as the various processing units by causing the CPU to execute various processes according to the control program. Further, a part or all of the processing section may be constituted by an electronic circuit. Note that the control program may be a program for causing a plurality of processors to function as the processing units.

The acquisition processing unit 411 acquires order information F1 output from the order support device 2. For example, when the order support device 2 outputs the order information F1 corresponding to the table number "3" and the order information F1 corresponding to the table number "2" together (see FIG. 5), the acquisition processing unit 411 Order information F1 for table numbers "3" and "2" is acquired. For example, if the order support device 2 collectively outputs order information F1 corresponding to table number "3", order information F1 corresponding to table number "2", and order information F1 corresponding to table number "4" (See FIG. 6), the acquisition processing unit 411 acquires the order information F1 of table numbers "3", "2", and "4".

The output processing unit 412 outputs the information acquired by the acquisition processing unit 411 to the outside. Specifically, the output processing unit 412 outputs the order information F1 acquired by the acquisition processing unit 411 to the outside. For example, a roll paper is set in the kitchen terminal 4, and includes a transport unit (not shown) that transports the roll paper, an image forming unit (not shown) that forms an image on the roll paper, and a cutter that cuts the roll paper at a predetermined position. A cutting section (not shown) and the like are provided.

For example, as shown in FIG. 11, when the order information F1 is acquired by the acquisition processing unit 411, the output processing unit 412 causes the image forming unit to print the order information F1 on the order form T1 (black and white printing). Let it run. Specifically, each time the image data corresponding to the order information F1 is input, the output processing unit 412 performs a printing process of forming (black and white printing) an image of the order contents according to the image data on the roll paper. The forming unit executes the cutting process, and then the cutting unit executes a cutting process of cutting the roll paper at a predetermined position, and discharges the paper to the outside. As a result, one order form T1 is created for each order.

FIG. 11 corresponds to the order information F1 shown in FIG. The order form T1 of each order information F1 of `` is outputted at once.

When the kitchen staff receives the order form T1, they prepare the food and drink according to the order. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, when the kitchen staff obtains the order forms T1 for "daily set meals" for table numbers "3" and "2", they prepare a total of three "daily set meals", and the customer service staff: Two "daily set meals" are served to the users at table number "3", and one "daily set meal" is served to the users at table number "2". Further, when the kitchen staff obtains the order form T1 for the "sashimi set meal", the kitchen staff prepares the "sashimi set meal", and the customer service staff serves the "sashimi set meal" to the user at table number "2". Further, when the kitchen staff obtains the order form T1 for "beer" and "oolong tea," they prepare these, and the customer service staff serves "beer" and "oolong tea" to the user at table number "2." In this way, the kitchen staff can prepare the same order (food and drink) all at once, and the customer service staff can serve the food and drink at once.

Each order form T1 includes the date and time when the order was received (reception date and time, order date and time). As a result, kitchen staff can understand the elapsed time from the time each customer actually placed an order (time of order confirmation), so they can adjust priorities for cooking and preparing the ordered food and drinks. It becomes possible to do so.

[Order support processing]
Next, the order support processing executed in the order support system 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 12. Specifically, in this embodiment, the order support process is executed by the control unit 21 of the order support device 2. Further, the control unit 21 can execute order support processing in parallel for each order terminal 3 in response to access from each order terminal 3. Note that the control unit 21 may terminate the order support process midway through a predetermined operation of the order terminal 3.

Note that the present invention can be regarded as an invention of an order support method that executes one or more steps included in the order support process. Furthermore, one or more steps included in the order support processing described here may be omitted as appropriate. Note that each step in the order support process may be executed in a different order as long as similar effects are produced. Further, although the case where each step in the order support process is executed by the control unit 21 will be described as an example, an order support method in which each step in the order support process is executed in a distributed manner by a plurality of processors. Other embodiments are also possible.

In step S11, the control unit 21 acquires the number of users who have visited the restaurant (number of users) and the table number of the table used by the users. For example, when the staff of a restaurant registers information indicating that a user has visited the restaurant, the control unit 21 acquires the number of users and table number corresponding to the user from the facility terminal (reservation management ledger).

Next, in step S12, the control unit 21 causes the order terminal 3 to display an order reception screen (top screen, menu screen, etc.) for accepting orders for food and drinks provided by the restaurant. For example, the control unit 21 causes the top screen shown in FIG. 8 to be displayed on the order terminal 3 installed at the table with the table number used by the user. Further, the control unit 21 causes the order terminal 3 to display a menu screen shown in FIG. 9 when any menu button M1 is selected on the top screen shown in FIG.

Next, in step S13, the control unit 21 determines whether or not the user's order has been accepted via the order terminal 3. If the control unit 21 determines that the user's order has been accepted (S13: Yes), the process moves to step S14. The control unit 21 waits until the user's order is received (S13: No). For example, when a user of the table with table number "3" selects and orders two "daily set meals" using the order terminal 3 (order confirmation operation), the control unit 21 accept. Further, the control unit 21 associates the order number corresponding to the user's order, the ordered product "Daily Set Meal", and the information of the number of orders "2" with the table number "3", order reception information D2 (see FIG. 3). ). Step S13 is an example of a reception step of the present invention.

In step S14, the control unit 21 starts measuring the elapsed time from the time when the order is received. For example, when a user of table number "3" performs an order confirmation operation for two "daily set meals", the control unit 21 accepts the order and starts measuring the elapsed time. Note that the control unit 21 may register information on the measured elapsed time in the order reception information D2 (see FIG. 3) in association with the table number "3".

Next, in step S15, the control unit 21 sets the set time for the table corresponding to the received order. Specifically, the control unit 21 sets the set time based on the number of users using the table, the content and type of food and drinks included in the order for the table, cooking time, cooking order, and the like. The control unit 21 also controls the control unit for each table based on information such as the time of day when the order is received (lunch time, dinner time, busy time, off-peak time, etc.), the busy status of the kitchen, and the crowded status of restaurants. The set time may be set. For example, the control unit 21 sets the set time "T3" corresponding to table number "3". The control unit 21 registers the information on the set time "T3" in the setting information D4 (see FIG. 7) in association with the table number "3". Note that the control unit 21 may preset the set time common to each table.

Next, in step S16, the control unit 21 calculates the provision time difference corresponding to the accepted order table. For example, the control unit 21 calculates the provision time difference ("t3") for providing two "daily set meals" corresponding to the order of table number "3". Usually, in the case of the same or similar menus, the difference in serving time is short. Note that the control unit 21 may calculate the serving time difference by excluding a specific food or drink, such as a dessert menu or a drink menu, from among a plurality of food or drink items included in one order at the table. For example, in the case of an order from table number "2" (see FIG. 3), the control unit 21 controls the provision time of "sashimi set meal" to the user and the "daily set meal", excluding "beer" and "oolong tea". The difference from the provision time to the user is calculated as the provision time difference ("t2"). Step S16 is an example of a calculation step of the present invention.

Next, in step S17, the control unit 21 determines whether the elapsed time from the time when the order is received is equal to or longer than the predetermined time. If the elapsed time is equal to or greater than the predetermined time (S17: Yes), the process moves to step S18. When the control unit 21 determines that the elapsed time is not equal to or greater than the predetermined time (S17: No), the process proceeds to step S171.

In step S171, the control unit 21 determines whether orders from users at other tables have been accepted via the order terminal 3. That is, the control unit 21 determines whether an order has been received for another table (for example, table number "2") different from the table for which the order was received in step S13 (for example, table number "3"). If the control unit 21 determines that an order from a user at another table has been accepted (S171: Yes), the process moves to step S15. On the other hand, if the control unit 21 determines that orders from users of other tables are not accepted (S171: No), the process moves to step S17.

Returning to step S15, the set time corresponding to the other table is set. In the above example, the control unit 21 sets the set time "T2" corresponding to table number "2". The control unit 21 registers the information on the set time "T2" in the setting information D4 (see FIG. 7) in association with the table number "2". Further, in the subsequent step S16, the control unit 21 calculates the provision time difference corresponding to the other table. In the above example, the control unit 21 calculates the provision time difference ("t2") corresponding to table number "2". Further, the control unit 21 calculates the serving time difference when food and drinks included in each order corresponding to a plurality of tables are cooked all at once. For example, the control unit 21 determines the serving time difference "ta3" corresponding to table number "3" when food and drink ordered by table number "3" and food and drink ordered by table number "2" are cooked together. and the provision time difference "ta2" corresponding to table number "2". The control unit 21 registers each calculated provision time difference in the order reception information D2 (see FIG. 5).

Further, before the elapsed time becomes equal to or more than the predetermined time (S17: No), the control unit 21 further receives an order from a user of another table (for example, table number "4") via the order terminal 3. In the case (S171: Yes), the process moves to step S15 again. The control unit 21 sets the set time "T4" corresponding to the table number "4" (see FIG. 7), and calculates the provision time difference ("t4") corresponding to the table number "4" (see FIG. 3). ), and furthermore, for table number "3" when food and drink ordered by table number "3", food and drink ordered by table number "2", and food and drink ordered by table number "4" are cooked together. The corresponding provision time difference "tc3", the provision time difference "tc2" corresponding to the table number "2", and the provision time difference "tc4" corresponding to the table number "4" are calculated (see FIG. 6).

When the elapsed time becomes equal to or greater than the predetermined time in step S17 (S17: Yes), in step S18, the control unit 21 determines whether or not the number of tables for the received order is plural. If the number of tables in the received order is plural (S18: Yes), the process moves to step S19. On the other hand, if the number of tables in the received order is not plural (S18: No), the process moves to step S21.

In step S19, the control unit 21 determines whether the provision time difference is within the set time. Here, the control unit 21 determines whether or not each provision time difference corresponding to each of the plurality of tables is within the set time. For example, the control unit 21 determines whether the provision time difference "ta3" corresponding to the table number "3" is the set time "T3" (see FIG. 7) corresponding to the table number "3". Further, the control unit 21 determines whether the provision time difference "ta2" corresponding to the table number "2" is the set time "T2" (see FIG. 7) corresponding to the table number "2". If each provision time difference corresponding to each of the plurality of tables is all within the set time (S19: Yes), the process moves to step S20. On the other hand, if at least one of the provision time differences corresponding to each of the plurality of tables is not within the set time (S19: No), the process moves to step S21. Step S19 is an example of the determination step of the present invention.

In step S20, the control unit 21 outputs information on the plurality of received orders (order information F1) to the kitchen terminal 4. For example, the control unit 21 outputs the order information F1 of the order corresponding to table number "3" and the order information F1 of the order corresponding to table number "2" together to the kitchen terminal 4. Further, for example, the control unit 21 may include order information F1 of an order corresponding to table number "3," order information F1 of an order corresponding to table number "2," and order information F1 of an order corresponding to table number "4." F1 and output together to the kitchen terminal 4. When the kitchen terminal 4 acquires the order information F1 corresponding to a plurality of tables, it outputs an order form T1 (see FIG. 10) in which the order information F1 corresponding to each table is written.

In step S21, the control unit 21 outputs information on one order (order information F1) received in step S13 to the kitchen terminal 4. For example, the control unit 21 outputs the order information F1 of the order corresponding to table number “3” to the kitchen terminal 4. When the kitchen terminal 4 acquires the order information F1 corresponding to one table, it outputs an order form T1 in which the order information F1 corresponding to the table is written. That is, if the provision time difference corresponding to each of the plurality of tables is not within the set time, the control unit 21 outputs each piece of order information separately. Steps S20 and S21 are examples of output steps of the present invention. The order support process is performed as described above.

Here, while each provision time difference corresponding to each of the first order and second order received within the predetermined time is within the predetermined time, the first order, second order, and second order received within the predetermined time If the difference in provision time corresponding to each of the three orders is not within the set time, the control unit 21 separates the order information F1 of the first order and the second order, and the order information F1 of the third order. Output to the kitchen terminal 4.

As explained above, the order support system 1 according to the present embodiment receives food and drink orders for each table of a restaurant that provides food and drink, and provides a plurality of ordered food and drink for each table. Calculate the difference in delivery time. The order support system 1 is configured to handle the first table and Determine whether or not the provision time difference corresponding to each of the second tables is within a set time, and if the provision time difference corresponding to each of the first table and the second table is within the set time. Then, order information including the first order and the second order is output. In other words, even if the first ordered food and drink and the second ordered food are cooked together, both the first ordered food and the second ordered food are served within a set time. If it is possible, the order support device 2 outputs the first order and the second order together to the kitchen terminal 4. Thereby, it is possible to minimize the discrepancy in the timing of food and drink provision among a plurality of users using the table, and it is possible to improve the work efficiency of the kitchen.

In addition, the set time includes the number of users using the table, the content and type of food and drinks included in the table order, cooking time, cooking order, and the time period when the order is received (lunch time, dinner time, busy time). It is set based on information such as the time of day, off-peak hours, etc.), the busyness of the kitchen, and the crowdedness of restaurants. Thereby, the output timing of the order information F1 can be determined depending on the usage status of the table, the congestion status of the restaurant, etc.

Furthermore, according to the order support system 1, for example, the order information F1 of multiple tables can be output all at once, so communication traffic can be reduced and computer resources can be used more effectively than when the order information F1 is output individually. becomes possible.

The order support system of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. The order support system of the present invention may be implemented, for example, in the following embodiments.

As another embodiment of the present invention, the control unit 21 controls the control unit 21 so that the elapsed time from receiving the first order to receiving the second order is within a first predetermined time, and the control unit 21 does not send the third order after receiving the second order. If the elapsed time until acceptance is within a second predetermined time, order information including the first order, second order, and third order may be output. For example, the control unit 21 receives an order for table number "2" within a first predetermined time after receiving an order for table number "3", and within a second predetermined time after receiving an order for table number "2". If an order for table number "4" is received at It is output all together to the kitchen terminal 4. In this case, the first predetermined time is shorter than the elapsed time from receiving the first order to receiving the third order. Therefore, if the third order has not been received when the first predetermined time has elapsed, the control unit 21 outputs order information F1 including the first order and the second order.

Note that the predetermined time in this embodiment (including the first predetermined time and the second predetermined time) depends on the number of users using the table, the content and type of food and drink included in the order for the table, and the cooking time. It may be set based on information such as the cooking order, the time period when the order is received (lunch time, dinner time, busy time period, off-peak time period, etc.), the busy state of the kitchen, the crowded state of the restaurant, etc.

As another embodiment of the present invention, the control unit 21 may set a time limit for each table from when an order is received until the ordered product is provided to the user. Specifically, when the provision time difference corresponding to each of the first table and the second table is within the set time, and the output processing unit 215 If all the food and drinks included in the corresponding orders can be provided within a time limit after receiving the corresponding first and second orders, order information including the first and second orders is output. The time limit is an example of a specific time according to the present invention. This makes it possible to provide ordered products to each user within the time limit while suppressing time differences in the timing of providing ordered products among users at each table. The time limit may be set to a different time for each table, or may be set to a common time for each table.

As another embodiment of the present invention, the output processing unit 215 may output the order information F1 of the order received by the reception processing unit 212 when the number of food and drink orders included in the order exceeds a predetermined number. good. For example, the control unit 21 calculates the number of orders by adding up the number of food and drink orders received by the reception processing unit 212. Furthermore, the control unit 21 updates the total number of orders each time it receives an order. Then, when the number of orders exceeds a predetermined number, the output processing unit 215 outputs order information F1 corresponding to the number of orders to the kitchen terminal 4. For this reason, the output processing unit 215 outputs, if the provision time difference corresponding to each of the plurality of tables received by the reception processing unit 212 before the number of orders exceeds the predetermined number is within the set time, Output order information including orders corresponding to each of multiple tables.

Note that the predetermined number includes the number of users using the table, the content and type of food and drinks included in the table order, cooking time, cooking order, and the time of day when the order is received (lunch time, dinner time, busy time). It may be set based on information such as the time of day, off-peak hours, etc.), the busyness of the kitchen, and the crowdedness of restaurants.

As another embodiment of the present invention, the order support system is configured such that when a plurality of drinks included in a first order of a first table are cooked together, the serving time difference corresponding to the first table is within a set time. In such a case, order information for a plurality of foods and drinks may be output together. In addition, when the order support system is configured to cook multiple foods and drinks included in the first order of the first table at once, if the serving time difference corresponding to the first table is not within a set time, To output order information for food and drink for which the difference in serving time when cooking all the food and drink is within a set time.

As described above, the output processing unit 215 has a configuration that can output order information corresponding to the food and drink order when a predetermined period of time has passed since the reception processing unit 212 accepted the food and drink order. ing. Therefore, for example, if the second order is received before the elapsed time from the time when the first order is received exceeds a predetermined time, the order support system (control unit 21) If the order information is output together and the second order is accepted after the elapsed time from the time the first order was accepted exceeds a predetermined time, the order information of the first order and the order information of the second order are output. It may be output separately. Specifically, the calculation processing unit 213 calculates the time from the time when cooking of the first food and drink received first among the plurality of food and drink included in one order at the table to the time when the cooking of the second food and drink received last is started. The output processing unit 215 calculates the elapsed time until the time when cooking is started, and outputs the order information for the first food and drink and the second food and drink together if the elapsed time is within a predetermined time. If the elapsed time exceeds the predetermined time, order information for the first food and drink and the second food and drink are output separately. Note that the calculation processing unit 213 calculates the elapsed time based on the cooking time of the first food/drink (see FIG. 2) or the cooking time of each of the plurality of food/drinks received before accepting the order of the second food/beverage. The time may also be calculated.

1: Order support system 2: Order support device 3: Order terminal 4: Kitchen terminal 211: Acquisition processing section 212: Reception processing section 213: Calculation processing section 214: Judgment processing section 215: Output processing section 216: Setting processing section 217: Calculation processing unit 411: Acquisition processing unit 412: Output processing unit

Claims (4)

a reception processing unit that accepts orders for food and drink corresponding to tables of a facility that provides food and drink;
From the time when the cooking of the first food and drink that was received first among the plurality of food and drink included in one order at the table starts, the cooking of the second food and drink that was received last among the plurality of food and drink is started. a calculation processing unit that calculates the elapsed time until the start point;
If the elapsed time is within a predetermined time, the order information for the first food and drink and the second food and drink are output together, and if the elapsed time exceeds the predetermined time, the order information for the first food and drink and the an output processing unit that separately outputs second food and drink order information;
An order support system equipped with The calculation processing unit calculates the elapsed time based on the cooking time of the first food or drink or the cooking time of each of the plurality of food or drinks received before accepting the order for the second food or drink.
The order support system according to claim 1. a reception step for accepting orders for food and beverages corresponding to tables of a facility providing food and beverages;
From the time when the cooking of the first food and drink that was received first among the plurality of food and drink included in one order at the table starts, the cooking of the second food and drink that was received last among the plurality of food and drink is started. a calculating step of calculating the elapsed time up to the starting point;
If the elapsed time is within a predetermined time, the order information for the first food and drink and the second food and drink are output together, and if the elapsed time exceeds the predetermined time, the order information for the first food and drink and the an output step of separately outputting the second food and drink order information;
An order support method performed by one or more processors. a reception step for accepting orders for food and beverages corresponding to tables of a facility providing food and beverages;
From the time when the cooking of the first food and drink that was received first among the plurality of food and drink included in one order at the table starts, the cooking of the second food and drink that was received last among the plurality of food and drink is started. a calculating step of calculating the elapsed time up to the starting point;
If the elapsed time is within a predetermined time, the order information for the first food and drink and the second food and drink are output together, and if the elapsed time exceeds the predetermined time, the order information for the first food and drink and the an output step of separately outputting the second food and drink order information;
An order support program that allows one or more processors to execute

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