A customizable wireless food ordering system with realtime customer feedback

The existence of wireless technology and the emergence of mobile devices enable a simple yet powerful infrastructure for business application. Some early efforts have been made to utilize both technologies in food ordering system implementations. However, the food ordering systems that have been proposed earlier exhibit limitations, primarily in cost effectiveness, allowing customizations and supporting real-time feedback to customers. In this paper, we discuss the design and implementation of a customizable wireless food ordering system with real-time customer feedback for a restaurant (CWOS-RTF). The CWOS-RTF enables restaurant owners to setup the system in wireless environment and update menu presentations easily. Smart phone has been integrated in the CWOS-RTF implementation to facilitate real-time communication between restaurant owners and customers. A preliminary testing suggests that the CWOS-RTF has the potential to eliminate the limitations of existing food ordering systems.