A restaurant operations mobile based application for privately owned restaurants in Kenya

Abstract

Over the years, restaurants have provided an alternative to the daily dilemma of whether to cook food at home or eat outside and as a result making the restaurant industry an essential service provider all over the world. It can be said with certainty that many individuals and organizations who have ventured in the restaurant business have come out successful due to the demand in the sector. However, in modern day, restaurant owners are faced with many challenges to remain relevant and have an edge over their competitors. The main cause of the problems faced can be traced back to the traditional ways of operations, which involves a lot of paperwork within the restaurant. This pen and paper methods have become irrelevant resulting in ever-frustrated customers due to the congestion in waiting lines and unavailable waiters. Waiters and chefs on the other hand are becoming overwhelmed with the work, easily making order errors and producing low quality output. Furthermore, profit margins are on the decline forcing management to go back to the drawing board or even take extreme measures as closing down restaurants. The aim of the study is to develop an application that will facilitate transition of restaurant operations from analog to digital. The system will be structured and designed for execution on android operating devices. The main aim is to increase efficiency and enhance productivity subsequently introducing a possible unique point of sale for privately owned restaurants in Kenya. As a result, the proposal will review alternative systems currently in use, gaps in the systems and some of the possible development technologies that could revolutionize the restaurant industry.