A waiter takes an order at a table, and then enters it online via one of the six terminals located in the
restaurant dining room. The order is routed to a printer in the appropriate preparation area: the cold item
printer if it is a salad, the hot-item printer if it is a hot sandwich or the bar printer if it is a
drink. A customer’s meal check-listing (bill) the items ordered and the respective prices are
automatically generated.
This ordering system eliminates the old three-carbon-copy guest check
system as well as any problems caused by a waiter’s handwriting. When the kitchen runs out of a
food item, the cooks send out an ‘out of stock’ message, which will be displayed on the dining room
terminals when waiters try to order that item. This gives the waiters faster feedback, enabling them
to give better service to the customers.
Other system features aid management in the planning and control of their restaurant business. The
system provides up-to-the-minute information on the food items ordered and breaks out percentages
showing sales of each item versus total sales. This helps management plan menus according to
customers’ tastes. The system also compares the weekly sales totals versus food costs, allowing
planning for tighter cost controls. In addition, whenever an order is voided, the reasons for the void
are keyed in. This may help later in management decisions, especially if the voids consistently related
to food or service.
Acceptance of the system by the users is exceptionally high since the waiters and waitresses were
involved in the selection and design process. All potential users were asked to give their impressions
and ideas about the various systems available before one was chosen.
