DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF AN E-COMMERCE WEBSITE FOR EATERY MANAGEMENT

1.1 Introduction

E-commerce Website for Eatery Management is database program that keeps record of all transaction carried out in the restaurant on daily bases. It will help eatery management to keep adequate record of all transactions carried out and does that will still be carried out by the restaurant and maintain the database of the restaurant. The Internet-based electronic commerce environment has been widespread developed, which provides consumers with a convenient platform to search for information interact with retailers and purchase products online. According to data collected in 2013, Nigeria has owned around 8.7 million internet users. That corresponds to over 94% of the population, which makes Nigeria become one of the greatest countries in the world in terms of internet use (E-commerce News, 2016).

As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Limitation of the study and Definition of technical terms.

1.2 Background of Study

Historically, restaurant referred only to places that provided tables where one sat down to eat the meal, typically served by a Waiter. Following the rise of Fast food and restaurants, a Retronym for the older “standard” restaurant was created, sit-down restaurant. Most commonly, “sit-down restaurant” refers to a casual dining restaurant with Table service, rather than a or a “diner”, where one orders food at a Countertop. Sit-down restaurants are often further categorized, in North America, as family-style or various types of fall into several industry classifications based upon menu style, preparation methods and pricing. Additionally, how the food is served to the customer helps to determine the classification.

In, the term restaurant almost always means an eating establishment with table service, so the “sit-down” qualification is not usually necessary. Fast food and takeaway (take-out) outlets with counter service are not normally referred to as restaurants. Outside of North-America, the terms fast casual dining restaurants, family style, and casual dining are not used and distinctions among different kinds of restaurants is often not the same.

In France, for example, some restaurants are called “bistros” to indicate a level of casualness or trendiness, though some “bistros” are quite formal in the kind of food they serve and clientele they attract. Others are called “brasseries,” a term which indicates hours of service. “Brasseries” may serve food round the clock, whereas “restaurants” usually only serve at set intervals during the day.

In Dishing It Out: In Search of the Restaurant Experience, Robert (2002) argues that all restaurants can be categorized according a set of social parameters defined as polar opposites: high or low, cheap or dear, familiar or exotic, formal or informal, and so forth. Any restaurant will be relatively high or low in style and price, familiar or exotic in the cuisine it offers to different kinds of customers, and so on.

Context is as important as the style and form: a taqueria is a more than familiar site in Guadalajara, Mexico, but it would be exotic in Albania. A Chris restaurant in North America may seem somewhat strange to a first time visitor from India; but many Americans are familiar with it as a large restaurant chain, albeit one that features high prices and a formal atmosphere.

The challenges encountered that led to the execution of the research work is that, Sales and services are the fundamental tools in any business organization the profit and loose of any business depends on detailed information on sales and services made to aid in decision making and implementation, if accountability is not checked, then the business is sure to collapse, as a result in a any retail and hospitality business there is a need for a system that gives feedback to the management to aid decision making, this is where computerized management information system comes handy.

This research work is based on providing adequate information about restaurant. At the end of this project, the research work, the software will be able to provide precise and concise restaurant information from daily records from the database.

1.3 Statement of the Problems

Investigation revealed that sales and services are the fundamental tools in any business organization the profit and loose of any business depends on detailed information on sales and services made to aid in decision making and implementation, if accountability is not checked, then the business is sure to collapse, as a result in a any retail and hospitality business there is a need for a system that gives feedback to the management to aid decision making, this is where computerized management information system comes handy.

Besides, staffing a restaurant can be tricky because demand for food will likely fluctuate dramatically, often due to variables that you cannot track. Identify any variables you do observe that influence traffic in your restaurant, such as weather and day of the week. Build a weekly schedule to staff your restaurant in accordance with these variables, such as scheduling additional staff on Saturday night if that is your busiest shift.

Compile data about sales and employee hours to determine a profitable ratio of employee hours to sales totals. Restaurant personnel training systems are also vital to success, ensuring that employees know company protocol and systems, and are capable of delivering a high quality product. Write a comprehensive employee manual detailing information that each member of your staff should know.

Besides, customers are not able to ask about quality of food or ask for any specialized diet foods. It is more difficult to ask for gluten free or allergy free foods with computerized ordering. Also, it is more possible for a customer to place an order, but never pick up the order which can lead to waste of food and possibly a loss of profits.

1.4 Aim and Objectives of the Study

The aim of the study is to design and implement an E-commerce Website for Eatery Management. In achieving this aim, the following objectives were laid out as follows to develop an application software that will:

1. Facilitated increase productivity, decrease paperwork, and ability to analyze trouble spots.
2. Increase the level of services quality and customer satisfaction
3. Help the restaurants to have the ability to build competitive and strategic advantages by better understanding the needs and wants of the guests, hence building repeat business.
4. Lead organization towards better decision making and building a competitive advantage over its competitors.
5. Improve the operating efficiencies, provide restaurant and support center management with timely access to financial and operating data and reduce administrative time and expense.

1.5 Significance of Study

The study is primarily aimed at increasing efficiency in operation, reducing time and running cost, monitoring and the recording of the activities and total administration in Dolphin Restaurant Ltd Enugu by introducing an E-commerce Website for Eatery Management.

Besides, this study is significance because its conclusions would be useful to:

1. Human Resources Managers in the hotel and restaurants business
2. The Federal, State and Local Government
3. Scholars in the field of hotel and restaurant management
4. Management of Dolphin Restaurant Ltd Enugu

1.6 Scope of the Study

This project work is narrowed to Dolphin Restaurant Ltd Enugu. It deals with the Design, Documentation and Implementation of an E-commerce Website for Eatery Management. The program will concentrate on Food Ordering, Food Menu and Payment on Delivery.

1.7 Limitations of the Study

During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:

1. Time Constraint:The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
2. Establishment Policies:Establishment policies posed a serious limitation as most staffs are not ready to release information needed for this project work. There were lots of information needed from the staffs of this institution to enhance the study which took them time to release or they did not release at all for security purposes, hence the scope was reduced.
3. Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
4. Frequent power failure:This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
5. Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet).

1.8 Definition of Terms

Computer:

A computer is an electronic machine that is capable of solving problems by accepting data, performing prescribed operation on the data accepting and supply the result of those operations.

Data:

They are values, numbers, quantities or instruction by the computer user. Data are raw facts or figure that are not yet processed.

Database:

A structured set of data held in a computer, especially one that is accessible in various ways.