JP7381877B2 - Order support system, order support method, and order support program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an order support system, an order support method, and an order support program that accept orders from users 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

By the way, when one table is used by a plurality of users (user group), the following problem may occur when accepting orders from the user group. For example, in a group of 4 users using one table, if 3 users' orders are accepted first, and the remaining 1 user's order is not accepted, the kitchen staff will first order 3 people's orders. may cook to order. In this case, if the order of one remaining user is subsequently accepted, the kitchen staff will cook for one person. In such a case, kitchen work such as cooking and preparation becomes a double effort, which may reduce 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 improve the work efficiency of a kitchen for orders of user groups in a facility.

One form of the present invention includes: an acquisition processing unit that acquires the number of people in a group of users who use a facility that provides food and drink; a reception processing unit that receives orders for the food and drink from the user group; If the number of orders of the user group accepted by the processing unit is less than the number of people in the group acquired by the acquisition processing unit, a first unit capable of recognizing that the number of orders is less than the number of people in the group. This is an order support system that includes an output processing unit that can output specific information.

Another aspect of the present invention includes an acquisition step of acquiring the number of people in a group of users who use a facility that provides food and drink, a reception step of receiving an order for the food and drink of the user group, and a step of receiving the food and drink. If the number of orders of the user group that is accepted is less than the number of people in the group acquired in the acquisition step, output first specific information that allows it to be recognized that the number of orders is less than the number of people in the group. This is an order support method in which an output step that can be performed by one or more processors is executed.

Another aspect of the present invention includes an acquisition step of acquiring the number of people in a group of users who use a facility that provides food and drink, a reception step of receiving an order for the food and drink of the user group, and a step of receiving the food and drink. If the number of orders of the user group that is accepted is less than the number of people in the group acquired in the acquisition step, output first specific information that allows it to be recognized that the number of orders is less than the number of people in the group. This is an order support program for causing one or more processors to execute an output step that can be executed.

According to the present invention, there are provided an order support system, an order support method, and an order support program that can improve the work efficiency of a kitchen for orders of user groups 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 a display example in the order support system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a display example in the order support system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a display example in the order support system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of an order form in the order support system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of an order form in the order support system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of an order form in the order support system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of order support processing executed by 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.

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. 10), 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 and order reception information D2. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of product information D1, and FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of order reception information D2.

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, and image. 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 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 product, and number of orders. 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 total number of ordered products included in orders received in the table corresponding to the table number. The order reception information D2 indicates information at the current time. For example, when the control unit 21 receives an order for three "daily set meals" at the table with table number "2", it registers "3" in the number of orders. In addition, when the control unit 21 subsequently receives an additional order for one "daily set meal" at the table with table number "2", the control unit 21 additionally accepts the number of orders "3" corresponding to the previously received order. The number of orders "1" corresponding to the order is added up, and "4" is registered as the number of orders.

The control unit 21 registers order reception information D2 every time it receives an order from the order terminal 3. 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.

In addition, as another embodiment, part or all of the information such as the product information D1 and the order reception information D2 may be stored in a server that can be accessed from the order terminal 3 or the order support device 2. 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. 10) to be described later.

The storage unit 22 also stores data such as the top screen (see Figure 4), menu screen (see Figure 5), order screen (see Figure 6), 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. 10), 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 calculation processes. 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, when one table is used by a plurality of users (user group), the following problem may occur when accepting orders from the user group. For example, in a group of 4 users using one table, if 3 users' orders are accepted first, and the remaining 1 user's order is not accepted, the kitchen staff will first order 3 people's orders. may cook to order. In this case, if the order of one remaining user is subsequently accepted, the kitchen staff will cook for one person. In such a case, kitchen work such as cooking and preparation becomes a double effort, which may reduce the work efficiency of the kitchen. In contrast, with the order support device 2 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to improve the work efficiency of the kitchen in response to orders from user groups at the facility.

Specifically, the control unit 21 includes various processing units such as an acquisition processing unit 211, a reception processing unit 212, a calculation processing unit 213, a determination processing unit 214, and an output processing unit 215, as shown in FIG. 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. 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). The acquisition processing unit 211 is an example of an acquisition processing unit of the present invention.

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. 4 or the like. The control unit 21 displays a top page corresponding to the top screen (see FIG. 4), a menu page corresponding to the menu screen (see FIG. 5), an order page corresponding to the order screen (see FIG. 6), 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.

The top screen shown in FIG. 4 displays menu buttons M1 for each category (“set meal,” “one dish (a la carte),” “dessert,” and “drink”). The menu screen shown in FIG. 5 displays information on specific foods and drinks included in the categories on the top screen shown in FIG. 4. For example, the menu screen for "set meal menu" (see FIG. 5) 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. 5 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 Figure 6), and a checkout button M7 for moving to the checkout screen. included.

Further, on the order screen shown in FIG. 6, 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. 4 to 6. 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. 4, the reception processing unit 212 accepts a category selection operation. In this case, the control unit 21 causes the order terminal 3 to display a menu screen shown in FIG. 5 in accordance with the category selection operation. Further, for example, when the user selects "daily set meal" on the menu screen shown in FIG. 5, 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. 6, 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 calculation processing unit 213 calculates the number of orders accepted by the reception processing unit 212. For example, when one user uses a table, the calculation processing unit 213 calculates the number of food and drinks ordered by the user based on the order received by the reception processing unit 212 from the user. For example, when four users (user group) use a table, the calculation processing unit 213 calculates the number of food and drink orders for the user group based on the orders of the user group accepted by the reception processing unit 212. Calculate the total. The calculation processing unit 213 registers information on the calculated number of orders in the order reception information D2 in association with the table number of the table used by the user. In addition, when the reception processing unit 212 receives an order corresponding to a predetermined table and then further receives an order (additional order) corresponding to the table, the calculation processing unit 213 calculates the order that is registered in the order reception information D2. Update order quantity. The calculation processing unit 213 is an example of a calculation processing unit of the present invention.

For example, when user ” and is registered in the order reception information D2 (see FIG. 3). For example, when users A, B, and C use the order terminal 3 to select and order "daily set meal" at table number "2", the calculation processing unit 213 calculates the number of orders "3". ” is calculated and registered in the order reception information D2 in association with the table number “2”. Further, for example, when user D selects "daily set meal" and makes an additional order after users A, B, and C have ordered at the table number "2", the calculation processing unit 213 calculates the order reception information D2. The number of orders registered in ``3'' is updated to ``4''.

The determination processing unit 214 determines whether the number of orders of the user group accepted by the reception processing unit 212 is less than the number of users (group number) acquired by the acquisition processing unit 211. Specifically, each time the calculation processing unit 213 calculates the number of orders, the determination processing unit 214 refers to the order reception information D2 and determines whether the number of orders is less than the number of users. do. The determination processing unit 214 performs a process of comparing the number of orders and the number of users.

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). 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.

For example, users P, Q, and R of the user group using table number "1" each use the order terminal 3 to order "daily set meal," "sashimi set meal," and "tuna bowl." In this case, the output processing unit 215 outputs the table number "1", order numbers "001", "002", "003", each order content "daily set meal", "sashimi set meal", "tuna bowl", and the order. Each order form T1 (an example of the first order form of the present invention) including the date and time is output from the kitchen terminal 4. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the order form T1.

Here, if the number of orders of the user group accepted by the reception processing unit 212 is less than the number of users (group number) acquired by the acquisition processing unit 211, the output processing unit 215 determines that the number of orders is Specific information S1 (an example of the first specific information of the present invention) that allows recognition that the number of users is less than the number of users is output to the kitchen terminal 4. For example, among a group of four people including users A, B, C, and D who use table number "2", users A, B, and C each order a "daily set meal" using the order terminal 3. In this case, the number of orders received by the user group by the reception processing unit 212 is "3" (see FIG. 3). Therefore, the number of orders "3" is less than the number of users "4" acquired by the acquisition processing unit 211. In this case, the output processing unit 215 outputs information representing "3/4" to the kitchen terminal 4 as specific information S1 that can recognize that the number of orders "3" is less than the number of users "4". Then, the output processing unit 215 outputs (prints or displays) information representing "3/4" (specific information S1) from the kitchen terminal 4. That is, the output processing unit 215 outputs table number "2" and order numbers "004", "005", and "006" corresponding to the orders of users A, B, and C who use the table with table number "2". ”, each order form T1 (an example of the first order form of the present invention) including each order content “Daily set meal” and specific information S1 “3/4” is output from the kitchen terminal 4. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the order form T1. The specific information S1 may be information representing a ratio of the number of orders to the number of users (for example, "75%").

In this way, when the number of orders for a user group accepted by the reception processing unit 212 is less than the number of users (group number) obtained by the acquisition processing unit 211, the output processing unit 215 determines that the number of orders is The kitchen terminal 4 outputs specific information S1 that allows it to be recognized that the number of users is less than the number of users. This allows the kitchen staff to know that there are users at the user group's table who have not placed an order yet.

Further, when the reception processing section 212 accepts orders from the remaining users in the user group after the output processing section 215 outputs the specific information S1, the output processing section 215 outputs the number of people in the group and the The order form T2 (an example of the second order form of the present invention) including the specific information S2 (an example of the second specific information of the present invention) indicating that the number of orders matches is output. For example, if the remaining user D of a group of four including users A, B, C, and D using table number "2" uses the order terminal 3 to additionally order a "daily set meal". , the total number of orders of the user group accepted by the reception processing unit 212, that is, the total number of orders calculated by the calculation processing unit 213, is “4”. Therefore, the number of orders "4" matches the number of users "4" acquired by the acquisition processing unit 211. In this case, the output processing unit 215 outputs information representing "4/4" to the kitchen terminal 4 as specific information S2 that can recognize that the number of orders "4" and the number of users "4" match. . Then, the output processing unit 215 outputs (prints or displays) information representing "4/4" (specific information S2) from the kitchen terminal 4. That is, the output processing unit 215 outputs table number "2", order number "010", and each order content "daily set meal" corresponding to the order of user D who uses table number "2". The order form T2 including the specific information S2 "4/4" is output from the kitchen terminal 4. FIG. 8 shows an example of the order form T2. This allows the kitchen staff to know that orders have been placed for everyone at the user group's table. Then, the kitchen staff will be able to cook and prepare food all at once once everyone's orders have been received.

Note that the control unit 21 may perform accounting processing for the food and drink ordered by the user. For example, when a user performs a checkout operation to pay the usage fee on a checkout screen (not shown) displayed on the order terminal 3, the control unit 21 performs checkout processing in accordance with the checkout operation.

Further, the control unit 21 may delete each piece of information corresponding to the table registered in the order reception information D2 (see FIG. 3) when the accounting process for the usage fee corresponding to the table is completed.

[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. 4), a menu screen (see FIG. 5), an order screen (see FIG. 6), 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 calculation processes. 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. 10), 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 calculation processes. 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. Note that 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, the order support device 2 may order orders ("daily set meal," "sashimi set meal," "tuna set meal," "daily set meal," "tuna set meal," When the order information F1 corresponding to the order is output to the kitchen terminal 4, the acquisition processing unit 411 acquires the order information F1.

Furthermore, the acquisition processing unit 411 acquires specific information S1 and S2 output from the order support device 2. For example, the order support device 2 may order ( If we accept a "daily set meal" (3 items), the number of orders "3" will be less than the number of users "4", so we will provide specific information that allows us to recognize that the number of orders "3" is less than the number of users "4" S1 (“3/4”) is output to the kitchen terminal 4. In this case, the acquisition processing unit 411 acquires the specific information S1. In addition, when the order support device 2 receives orders from users A, B, and C and then receives an order from the remaining user D in the group of four ("daily set meal"), the number of orders "4" is used. Since the number of customers matches "4", specific information S2 ("4/4") is output to the kitchen terminal 4, which allows it to be recognized that the number of orders "4" and the number of users "4" match. In this case, the acquisition processing unit 411 acquires the specific information S2.

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 and specific information S1, S2 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. 7, 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. 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. 8, when the specific information S1 is acquired by the acquisition processing unit 411, the output processing unit 412 performs the printing process of printing the specific information S1 on the order form T1 (black and white reversal printing). have the department carry it out. Specifically, the output processing unit 412 outputs the order details according to the image data each time image data corresponding to the order information F1 and the corresponding specific information S1 (for example, "3/4") is input. The image forming unit executes a printing process to form an image (black and white reversal printing) on a roll paper, and then causes the cutting unit to execute a cutting process to cut the roll paper at a predetermined position, and discharges the paper to the outside.

For example, as shown in FIG. 8, when the specific information S2 is acquired by the acquisition processing unit 411, the output processing unit 412 performs the printing process of printing the specific information S2 on the order form T2 (black and white reversal printing). have the department carry it out. Specifically, each time image data corresponding to order information F1 and corresponding specific information S2 (for example, "4/4") is input, the output processing unit 412 outputs the order contents according to the image data. The image forming unit executes a printing process to form an image (black and white reversal printing) on a roll paper, and then causes the cutting unit to execute a cutting process to cut the roll paper at a predetermined position, and discharges the paper to the outside. In the example shown in FIG. 8, the specific information S1 and S2 are printed in a frame, but the output method of the specific information S1 and S2 is not limited to this. For example, the specific information S1 and S2 may be printed in reverse black and white, or in color. It's okay. Further, each of the specific information S1 and the specific information S2 may be output in different display modes.

As a result, order forms T1 and T2 on which information regarding the order status of the table is printed are created. For example, when the kitchen staff obtains the order form T1 (FIG. 7) that does not include the specific information S1, they start preparing the food and drink listed on the order form T1. For example, the kitchen staff cooks the orders ``Daily Set Meal'', ``Sashimi Set Meal'', and ``Tuna Bowl'' that correspond to the table with table number ``1''. When the cooking is completed, the customer service staff serves the ordered food and drinks to users P, Q, and R at table number "1". As a result, the kitchen staff can prepare the orders for the table with table number "1" all at once, and the customer service staff can serve the food and drinks to users P, Q, and R of the table at once. be able to.

In addition, when the kitchen staff obtains the order form T1 (Fig. 8) that includes the specific information S1, for example, they recognize that the number of orders is less than the number of users and suspend the preparation of the food and beverages listed on the order form T1. do. For example, the kitchen staff suspends the start of cooking for the three "daily set meals" ordered for the table with table number "2". Thereafter, when the kitchen staff obtains the order form T2 (FIG. 8) including the specific information S2, they recognize that the number of orders and the number of users match, and the food and beverages (" Start preparing the daily set meal (4 items). When the cooking is completed, the customer service staff serves the ordered food and drinks to users A, B, C, and D at table number "2." As a result, the kitchen staff can prepare the orders for the table with table number "2" all at once, and the customer service staff can prepare food and drinks for the users A, B, C, and D of the table in bulk. Can serve meals.

Note that if the order received by the order support device 2 from the order terminal 3 includes multiple selected products, that is, after the user selects multiple food items on the menu screen (see FIG. 5), the order screen (see FIG. 6) is ), when the order support device 2 receives an order including the plurality of foods and drinks by performing an order confirmation operation, the output processing unit 412 collects the plurality of foods and drinks into one as shown in FIG. It may also be output to one order form T1. In this case, the output processing unit 412 outputs the specific information S1 on one order form T1.

[Order support processing]
Next, the order support processing executed in the order support system 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 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. Further, 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 a case where each step in the order support process is executed by the control unit 21 will be explained 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). Step S11 is an example of an acquisition step of the present invention.

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. 4 to be displayed on the order terminal 3 installed at the table with table number "2" used by the user group of users A, B, C, and D. Further, the control unit 21 causes the order terminal 3 to display a menu screen shown in FIG. 5 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 users A, B, and D among users A, B, and D use the ordering terminal 3 to select and place an order for "Daily Set Meal" (order confirmation operation), the control unit 21 accepts orders from users A, B, and C. In addition, the control unit 21 associates the order numbers and the information of the ordered product "Daily Set Meal" corresponding to the orders of users A, B, and C with the table number "2" and adds it to the order reception information D2 (see FIG. 3). register. Step S13 is an example of a reception step of the present invention.

In step S14, the control unit 21 calculates the number of orders received. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 6, when users P, Q, and R who use the table with table number "1" perform an order confirmation operation, the control unit 21 calculates "3" as the number of orders. Further, for example, when users A, B, and D among users A, B, and D use the order terminal 3 to select and order "daily set meal," the control unit 21 controls the number of orders. "3" is calculated as The control unit 21 registers information on the calculated number of orders in the order reception information D2 in association with the table number of the table used by the user. Step S14 is an example of a calculation step of the present invention.

Next, in step S15, the control unit 21 refers to the order reception information D2 and determines whether the number of orders is less than the number of users. If the number of orders is less than the number of users (S15: Yes), the process moves to step S17. On the other hand, if the number of orders is not less than the number of users, that is, if the number of orders and the number of users match (S15: No), the process moves to step S16.

In step S16, the control unit 21 outputs the received order information (order information F1) to the kitchen terminal 4. For example, the number of orders of users P, Q, and R, "3", matches the number of users, "3", so the control unit 21 controls the orders of users P, Q, and R, such as "daily set meal" and "sashimi set meal." ”, and outputs the order information F1 of “tuna bowl” to the kitchen terminal 4. Upon acquiring the order information F1, the kitchen terminal 4 outputs an order form T1 (see FIG. 7) in which the order information F1 is written. Steps S16 and S17 are examples of output steps of the present invention.

On the other hand, in step S17, the control unit 21 outputs the order information F1 and the specific information S1 to the kitchen terminal 4. For example, since the number of orders of users A, B, and C is "3", which is less than the number of users "4", the control unit 21 stores the order information of the three "daily set meals" ordered by users A, B, and C. F1 and specific information S1 that allows it to be recognized that the number of orders is less than the number of users are output to the kitchen terminal 4. Upon acquiring the order information F1 and specific information S1, the kitchen terminal 4 outputs an order form T1 (see FIG. 8) in which the order information F1 and specific information S1 are written. After that, the process moves to step S18.

In step S18, the control unit 21 determines whether the user's additional order has been accepted. If the control unit 21 determines that the user's additional order has been accepted (S18: Yes), the process moves to step S19. The control unit 21 waits until the user's additional order is received (S18: No). For example, when user D among users A, B, C, and D uses the order terminal 3 to select and order "daily set meal," the control unit 21 accepts user D's additional order. .

In step S19, the control unit 21 determines whether the number of orders matches the number of users. If the number of orders and the number of users match (S19: Yes), the process moves to step S20. On the other hand, if the number of orders and the number of users do not match, that is, if the number of orders is still less than the number of users (S19: No), the process moves to step S17.

In step S20, the control unit 21 outputs the order information F1 and specific information S2 to the kitchen terminal 4. For example, since the number of orders of users A, B, C, and D, “4,” matches the number of users, “4,” the control unit 21 uses the order information F1 of the “daily set meal” ordered by user D. , outputs to the kitchen terminal 4 specific information S2 that allows it to be recognized that the number of orders matches the number of users. Upon acquiring the order information F1 and specific information S2, the kitchen terminal 4 outputs an order form T2 (see FIG. 8) in which the order information F1 and specific information S2 are written. Step S20 is an example of an output step of the present invention. The order support process is performed as described above.

Here, in the configuration in which the control unit 21 waits until it receives an additional order from the user in step S18 (S18: No), the time for providing food and drink to the user who ordered first will be delayed. Therefore, as another embodiment of the present invention, if the control unit 21 does not receive an additional order within a predetermined period of time after outputting the order information F1 and specific information S1 to the kitchen terminal 4 (S17), Additionally, predetermined information may be output to the kitchen terminal 4. The predetermined information is, for example, information instructing to start cooking the previously received order. This prevents the users who ordered first from having to wait for a long time for the food and drinks to be provided.

As explained above, the order support system 1 according to the present embodiment acquires the number of people in a user group that uses a facility that provides food and drink, receives and accepts orders for the food and drink from the user group. When the number of orders of the user group is less than the acquired number of people in the group, it is possible to output specific information S1 that allows it to be recognized that the number of orders is less than the number of people in the group. This allows the kitchen staff to know that there is a possibility that additional orders will be placed for the table when orders are received for a predetermined table that is less than the number of users. Therefore, in preparation for additional orders, the kitchen staff can suspend the preparation (cooking, preparation, etc.) of the previously received order, or perform necessary advance preparation work. Moreover, when the kitchen staff receives an additional order, they can cook and prepare the previously received order and the additional order together. Therefore, it becomes possible to improve the work efficiency of the kitchen in response to the orders of the user group.

The order support system of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments.

As another embodiment of the present invention, the control unit 21 of the order support device 2 includes an order form T1 that includes specific information S1 indicating that acceptance of the order corresponding to the table used by the user group has not been completed. may also be output. That is, the specific information S1 may be information that allows the number of users and the number of orders corresponding to the table to be recognized (see FIG. 8), or may be information indicating that the orders corresponding to the table have not been completed. (See FIG. 11). Further, as shown in FIG. 11, when an additional order is received, the control unit 21 generates an order form that includes specific information S2 indicating that the acceptance of the order corresponding to the table used by the user group has been completed. It is also possible to output T2.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the control unit 21 of the order support device 2 outputs specific information S1 when the number of orders is less than the number of users and the number of users is less than a predetermined number. , the configuration may be such that the specific information S1 is not output when the number of users is greater than or equal to a predetermined number. For example, if the number of users at a table is more than a predetermined number of people, and even if the number of orders is less than the number of users, if more than the predetermined number of orders are received, the user who placed the order will be given priority. It may be desirable to provide food and beverages. Therefore, for example, when the number of users is greater than or equal to a predetermined number (for example, "6 people"), the control unit 21 provides specific information S1 on the condition that the number of orders is greater than or equal to a predetermined number (for example, "4"). The order information F1 that does not include is output to the kitchen terminal 4. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the number of users at the table with table number "5" is 6 and the current number of orders is "4". Regarding the order, order information F1 that does not include specific information S1 is output to the kitchen terminal 4. As a result, the kitchen staff starts preparing orders with order numbers "021" to "024" without waiting for additional orders.

Further, as another embodiment of the present invention, the control unit 21 of the order support device 2 may be configured to calculate the number of orders for a predetermined food and drink among the received orders. For example, one user in a group of users may order a set meal menu and a la carte menu or a drink menu at the same time. In this case, for example, the number of orders may match or exceed the number of users even though some users in the user group have not placed an order. In this case, since the number of orders matches the number of users, the order will be prepared first, and there is a possibility that additional orders will be made by other users afterwards. That is, the number of orders may not correspond appropriately to the number of users. Therefore, the control unit 21 is configured to calculate the number of orders for a set meal menu, for example, but not to calculate the number of orders for a one-dish menu or a drink menu. For example, in the table with table number "8" (see FIG. 3), the control unit 21 calculates the number of orders "2" corresponding to "daily set meal" and "sashimi set meal", and orders "seafood salad" and "beer". will not be added to the order quantity. In this case, the control unit 21 outputs the order information F1 and the specific information S1 to the kitchen terminal 4. Furthermore, when the control unit 21 subsequently receives orders for two set meal menus at the table, the control unit 21 outputs the order information F1 and the specific information S2 to the kitchen terminal 4. In addition, since the one-dish menu and the drink menu are unlikely to reduce the work efficiency of the kitchen, and it is desirable to provide them to users quickly, the control unit 21 does not respond to orders for "seafood salad" and "beer". On the other hand, the specific information S1 may not be included.

Further, if the number of orders corresponding to a table exceeds the number of users, it is highly likely that the number of orders includes the number of orders for a la carte menu and drink menu. Therefore, the control unit 21 of the order support device 2 may be configured to subtract the number of orders for the one-dish menu and the drink menu from the number of orders, provided that the number of orders exceeds the number of users. In this case, the control unit 21 causes the specific information S1 to be output when the number of orders as a result of subtraction is less than the number of users.

As another embodiment of the present invention, the control unit 21 of the order support device 2 does not output the order information F1 to the kitchen terminal 4 until the number of orders of the user group matches the number of users (the number of people in the group), and The configuration may be such that the order information F1 is output to the kitchen terminal 4 when the number matches the number of users. Further, the kitchen terminal 4 does not output (print, etc.) the order form T1 including the order information F1 until the number of orders of the user group matches the number of users (number of users in the group), and the number of orders matches the number of users. In this case, the order form T1 including the order information F1 may be output (printed, etc.).

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 411: Acquisition processing section 412: Output processing section

Claims (5)

an acquisition processing unit that acquires the number of people in a group of users who use a facility that provides food and drink;
a reception processing unit that receives orders for the food and drink from the user group;
When the number of orders of the user group accepted by the reception processing unit is less than the number of people in the group acquired by the acquisition processing unit, it is possible to recognize that the number of orders is less than the number of people in the group. an output processing unit capable of outputting the first specific information;
Equipped with
The output processing unit is an order support system that outputs a first order form including the first specific information and order details of the order of the user group accepted by the reception processing unit. When the reception processing unit accepts orders from the remaining users in the user group after the output processing unit outputs the first specific information, the output processing unit outputs the number of people in the group and the number of users in the user group. outputting a second order form including second specific information indicating that the number of orders matches, and order details of the orders of the remaining users accepted by the reception processing unit;
The order support system according to claim 1 . When the number of orders is less than the number of people in the group, the output processing unit outputs the first specific information when the number of people in the group is less than a predetermined number of people, and outputs the first specific information when the number of people in the group is equal to or more than the predetermined number of people. 1 Do not output specific information,
The order support system according to claim 1 or 2 . an acquisition step of acquiring the number of group members of a user group using a facility that provides food and drink;
a reception step of accepting an order for the food and drink from the user group;
If the number of orders of the user group accepted in the receiving step is less than the number of people in the group acquired in the acquiring step, a first controller capable of recognizing that the number of orders is less than the number of people in the group. an output step capable of outputting specific information;
executed by one or more processors,
The order support method includes, in the output step, outputting a first order form including the first specific information and the order details of the order of the user group accepted in the reception step. an acquisition step of acquiring the number of group members of a user group using a facility that provides food and drink;
a reception step of accepting an order for the food and drink from the user group;
If the number of orders of the user group accepted in the receiving step is less than the number of people in the group acquired in the acquiring step, a first device capable of recognizing that the number of orders is less than the number of people in the group. an output step capable of outputting specific information;
An order support program for causing one or more processors to execute ,
The order support program outputs, in the output step, a first order form including the first specific information and the order details of the order of the user group accepted in the reception step.

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