DEVELOPMENT OF A COMPUTER BASED SYSTEM FOR MONITORING RESTAURANT OPERATIONS

1.1 Introduction

Restaurant Operations Monitoring System is database program that maintains daily records of every transaction that occurs in the establishment. The system supports the restaurant management in maintaining the restaurant's database and providing a sufficient record of all transactions completed, including those that will continue to be completed by the establishment.

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

In the past, the term "restaurant" solely applied to establishments with tables where patrons could sit down to dine, usually with waiter service. Retronyms for the more traditional sit-down restaurants were developed in response to the growth of fast food and dining establishments. Generally speaking, a "sit-down restaurant" is a casual eating establishment with table service as opposed to a "diner," where patrons place their orders at a countertop. In North America, sit-down restaurants can be further classified as family-style or fit into several industry categories according to factors including menu style, preparation techniques, and cost. The way the meal is presented to the diner also influences the categorization.

Generally speaking, a restaurant is defined as an eating place that offers table service, therefore the requirement to "sit-down" is not generally applicable. Restaurants are not often used to describe fast food and counter-serve takeout (take-out) establishments. The labels "family style," "casual dining," and "fast casual" are not commonly used outside of North America, and there are frequently differences between the various types of restaurants.

In this regard, the term "bistros" might denote a certain degree of trendiness or casualness in French restaurants; nevertheless, several "bistros" are highly formal in their cuisine and the people they serve. The term "brasseries" refers to others and denotes their service hours. While "restaurants" often only serve during specific times of the day, "brasseries" have the potential to operate around the clock.

In Sweden, a variety of eateries are referred to as "restauranger," although eateries that are connected to bars or cafés are occasionally referred to as "kök," which translates to "kitchens." Occasionally, a bar and restaurant combination is termed a "krog," which is equivalent to "tavern" in English.

All restaurants may be grouped according to a set of social factors that are described as polar opposites: high or low, cheap or pricey, familiar or new, formal or informal, and so on, according to Robert (2002) in Dishing It Out: In Search of the Restaurant Experience. Every restaurant will vary in terms of pricing and style, and the cuisine it serves to its diverse clientele will either be familiar or foreign.

In addition to style and shape, context is crucial. For example, whereas a taqueria is a common sight in Guadalajara, Mexico, it would be considered unusual in Albania. While an Indian guest visiting North America for the first time would find a Chris restaurant somewhat unusual, many Americans are familiar with the huge restaurant chain, despite its formal decor and hefty costs.

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 the foundational instruments of any business organisation are sales and services. The success or failure of a business is determined by the accuracy of sales and service data used to support decision-making and execution. If accountability is not maintained, the business will undoubtedly fail. Consequently, any retail or hospitality enterprise must have a system in place that provides management with feedback to support decision-making. This is where computerized management information systems come in handy.

Furthermore, it might be challenging to staff a restaurant because the demand for food will probably change a lot, sometimes because of uncontrollable factors. Determine any elements, such as weather and day of the week, that you do see influencing traffic at your restaurant. Create a weekly plan to staff your restaurant based on these factors. For example, if Saturday night is your busiest shift, plan to hire more personnel for that time slot.

Gather information on sales and worker hours to establish a lucrative worker-to-sales ratio. Systems for training staff members at restaurants are also essential to their success since they guarantee that workers are knowledgeable about corporate policies and procedures and can produce high-quality work. Compose an extensive handbook for your employees that includes all the information they need to know.

Additionally, patrons cannot inquire about the quality of the cuisine or request any particular diet items. With computerized ordering, it is increasingly challenging to request gluten-free or allergy-free meals. It is also more likely that a consumer may make an order but never pick it up, which might result in food waste and perhaps lost revenue.

1.4 Aim and Objectives of the Study

The aim of the study is to develop a Computer Based System for Monitoring Restaurant Operations. In achieving this aim, the following objectives were laid out as follows:

1. To determine how computerized management information system has facilitated increase productivity, decrease paperwork, and ability to analyze trouble spots.
2. To determine how the system will increase the level of services quality and customer satisfaction
3. To determine how the system will 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. To determine how the system can lead organization towards better decision making and building a competitive advantage over its competitors.
5. To determine how computerized management information system will 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 Jeveniks Restaurant Ltd Enugu by introducing a Computer Based System for Monitoring Restaurant Operations.

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 Jeveniks Restaurant Ltd Enugu

1.6 Scope of the Study

The scope of this research is focused on the Development of a Computer Based System for Monitoring Restaurant Operations using Jeveniks Restaurant Ltd Enugu as a case study. 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.