A Web-based AR Solution for Restaurant Menus to Reduce Food Waste

This paper aims to reduce food waste using a web-based augmented reality (AR) solution called "Portion Perfect" integrated into digital applications helping customers visualise and compare dishes in a restaurant before ordering them. According to the Food Waste Index Report 2021, substantial food waste, contributing to negative environmental, social, and economic impacts, accounts for 8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. A framework is proposed that integrates transparency, visualisation, and personalisation to create an enhanced restaurant experience for customers. The AR part is built on Unity with the incorporation of the Vuforia Engine Software Development Kit and a mockup version of a digital restaurant menu is created on Figma. Furthermore, a mockup chatbot is integrated in the application to aid customers with personalised dietary restriction information. To conclude, this paper offers an AR-based solution to the problem of food waste via over-ordering. Future work would consist of prototyping the chatbot and creating a separate application which uses mobile laser scanning (MLS) to scan the three-dimensional models of the dishes.