RIVERS STATE UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

ONLINE FOOD SOURCING AND

ORDERING SYSTEM

BY

ADEBOYE SARAH TEMITOPE

DE.2014/2749

SUPERVISOR:
MR. VICTOR EMMAH
APRIL 2018
1.1 BACKGROUND OF STUDY
Online food sourcing and ordering system is one of the fastest growing services
fast foods and restaurants are adopting. This method makes it easier and
possible for the customers to simply order using their mobile phones from their
homes or workplaces and get it delivered to them.
Online food sourcing and ordering system is changing the way fast food and
restaurants interact with their customers. A platform as convenient as a food
sourcing and ordering system enables hungry customers to order the way they
want and when they want, using the device they prefer. Online food sourcing
and ordering is relatively new but spreading quickly.
Due to the great increase in the awareness of internet and the technologies
associated with it, several opportunities are coming up on the web. So
businesses and technology keep on evolving, venturing into their business with
ease because of the internet and bringing more and more comfort to end users.
Online food sourcing and ordering have evolved out of core basic need of
humans which is the need to eat and replenish our body cells.
The form of Food Sourcing and Ordering system that I am proposing here
greatly simplifies the ordering process for both the customers and the
restaurants, as the entire process of taking order is automated. This system will
present an interactive and up-to-date menu with all the available options in any
easy to use manner where customers will be able to choose one or more food
items to place in the cart. Customers will be able to view all the details of their
order in the cart before checking out. At the end, customers get confirmation
details and proceed to check out with a default option of pay on delivery. Once
an order is
successfully placed on the webpage, it will go into the database and will be
subsequently retrieved by members of the Dispatch Unit of Food Sourcing and
Ordering team and a rider will be sent out to deliver the order to the address
specified in the order. Within this dashboard for the Dispatch Unit, all items that
have been ordered will be displayed, along with their corresponding options and
delivery details, in a concise and easy to read manner.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The process of ordering food in most fast-foods and restaurants is not a pleasant
experience for many customers. Customers usually have to make long queues
before placing their order - especially during peak hours - before staff will take
their orders for processing. Even after placing their orders, customers usually
have to wait (for as long as it will take) near the counter until their orders are
ready. What then happens when a customer is not strong enough or does not
have the time to visit the shop in order to place an order for food? Considering
these limitations, the need for an online food sourcing and ordering system will
arise to overcome these limitations.
Such a system when implemented will help to reduce the long queues of
customers at the counter, make it easier and convenient for customers to source
and order for food, and also help reduce the work load on the employees at the
fast-foods and restaurants.

1.3 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF STUDY

The aim of this project is to design and develop an online food sourcing and
ordering system. To achieve this, the following are the objectives:
 To develop a website using HTML for the markup, CSS for styling,
JavaScript for interactivity, PHP for server-side scripting
 MYSQL database to store and populate records.
 To develop a user-friendly online restaurant management system that is
scalable, secured and easy to manage.
So in order to achieve the aims stated above. First of all, I will check the
previous works relating to my project, analyze the problem I want to solve, and
of course make research.
1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY
One of the most frustrating things about sourcing and ordering food is the long
lines, wait times, and constantly being on-hold. Thankfully, online food
sourcing and ordering system will allow you to cut down on this frustration,
providing your customers with the convenience of instant sourcing and
ordering.
This system should be able to enhance the digital survival with an increased
customer reach. The system will be less probable to make mistake since it’s a
machine and it will minimize the number of employees at the back of the
counter thus saving the business money.
Online ordering is beneficial for small independent restaurants. Customers
generally only have to pay a small commission for orders that are actually
fulfilled, and no cost is attached to using the websites for ordering. This can
give an independent restaurant access to the same technology as a large chain of
restaurants. In addition, the Internet allows a small independent restaurant to be
found easily by new customers swimming in a sea of choices. So considering all
this benefits, online food sourcing and ordering is a great option.

2.1 LITERATURE REVIEW

An ordering system can be referred to as any set of detailed steps or methods
that can be used to handle the process of requesting for goods or services.
Ordering systems have existed for as long as man have been able to exchange
goods and services, although before the advent of wireless technology and the
internet, majority of the ordering systems were mostly manual. Food ordering as
an ordering system can be computerized or done manually.
This chapter gives a highlights of E-commerce and history. We finally
discussed the different works carried out by different authors on E-commerce
and a review of E-commerce applications. When done manually (i.e.) it usually
involves the customer going to a restaurant to place an order in person. Online
food ordering on the other hand, is a process of food delivery or takeout from a
local restaurant or food cooperative through a web page or app [CITATION Wik18 \l
2057 ]

2.2 E-COMMERCE
Electronic commerce or e-commerce according to Garret, (1996) is the
exchange
of goods and services by means of the internet or other computer networks. In
ecommerce, buyers and sellers transact business over networked computers.
Electronic commerce is also sharing business information, maintaining
business relationships and conducting business transactions by means of
communication networks. It includes the relationship between companies
(business-to-business), between customers (customer-to-customer) as well as
between companies and customers (business-to-customer).

Business to business segment currently dominates the e-commerce while

customer oriented segment is significantly lagging behind and current estimate
places it at less than 10% of the total volume, even though they are all
experiencing an exponential growth (Vladimir, 1998). E-commerce offers
buyers convenience. They can visit the World Wide Web (www) sites of
multiple vendors 24hours a day and seven days a week to compare prices and
make purchases, without having to leave their homes or offices. For sellers, e-
commerce offers a way to cut costs and expand their markets. They do not need
to build staff or maintain a store or print and distribute mail order catalogues.
Because they sell over the global internet, sellers have the potential to market
their products or services globally and are not limited by the physical location
of a store. E-commerce also has some disadvantages, however. Customers are
reluctant to buy some products online. Online furniture businesses for example,
have failed for the most part because customers want to test the comfort of an
expensive item such as a sofa before they purchase it. Many people also
consider shopping a social experience, for instance, they may enjoy going to a
store or a shopping mall with friends or family, an experience they cannot get
online. E-commerce makes information on products and the market as a whole
readily available and accessible, and increases price transparency, which enable
customers to make more appropriate purchasing decisions. Customers also need
to be reassured that credit card transactions are properly secured and that their
privacy is respected. E-commerce is not only widening customer’s choice of
product and services, but also creating new business and compelling established
business to develop internet strategies.
 
2.2.1 BENEFITS OF E-COMMERCE
Many people are moving from physical stores to buy goods and services on the
Internet. Today, 60% of shoppers in developed countries go to the Internet to
buy goods and services. This method of shopping is loved because it is
convenient. People can shop from the comfort of their houses.

1. Comprehensive descriptions of products

An ecommerce site provides its customers with data sheets that contain all
the features and characteristics of products. This datasheet can also contain
ratings given by other customers who have already bought this product.
Also known as a product catalogue, this document gives the customers all
the information they need about the products that they want to buy. Armed
with this knowledge, the customers can make informed decisions as they
buy products.

2. It is available through the search engines

An ecommerce website thrives then receiving large amounts of traffic from
search engines.
Billions of people use search engines every day to find products that they
want to buy. With a physical store, it is very difficult to reach such a large
market. However, an online store can easily accomplish this. By having an
online store, a business can reach many more customers than it would with
physical stores.

3. It is computerized, hence extremely competent

An ecommerce website can keep selling goods and services throughout
without getting worn out or getting slow. This is because the whole system
is computerised. It is effective and always accurate. As such, when a
customer orders a certain product, they will get it delivered to them.
The ecommerce store is able to manage its own inventory. Moreover, the
cost of starting one of these stores on the Intern t is quite low when
compared to the cost of building a physical store. You need minimal
licenses or permits to get your online store up and running. Moreover, you
do not have to rent a space for your store.

2.3.2 Disadvantages of E-commerce

Despite its many conveniences, it has some disadvantages:
1. E-commerce Does Not Allow You to Experience the Product Before
Purchase
You cannot touch the fabric of the garment you want to buy. You cannot
check how the shoe feels on your feet. You cannot "test" the perfume that
you want to buy. You get the idea.
In many cases, customers want to experience the product before purchase. E-
commerce does not allow that. If you buy a music system, you cannot play it
online to check if it sounds right? If you are purchasing a home-theatre
system, you would much rather sit in the "experience centre" that several
retail stores set up.
 2. Security
When making an online purchase, you have to provide at least your credit
card information and mailing address. In many cases, e-commerce websites
can harvest other information about your online behaviour and preferences.
It could lead to credit card fraud, or worse, identity theft.

3.1 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Research methodology has many research dimensions and methods. The scope
of research methodology is wider than research method. This is mainly adopted
by the researcher in undertaking this research. Methodology is the underlying
principles and rules that govern a system method, on the other hand it is a
systematic procedure for a set of activities. Thus, from these definitions a
methodology encompasses the methods used within a study.
A waterfall model under the software development life cycle (SDLC) is the
methodology used to produce the online food ordering system and the customer
self-ordering system. It is used by system developers to produce or alter
information systems or software.
It divides the development process into several stages or processes. After the
completion of one stage, it will logically move to another stage. Sometimes
moving back to the previous stage is necessary due to failure that occurs in
current stage.

3.2 METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION

Although there are various methods of data collection, the researcher chose the
two main sources of data collection in carrying out their study. They are:
1. Primary source
2. Secondary source
The primary source refers to the sources of collecting original data in which the
researcher made use of empirical approach such as personal interview.
The secondary sources of data for this kind of project cannot be over
emphasized. The secondary data were obtained by the researcher from
magazines, journals, newspapers and library source.

3.2.1 ORAL INTERVIEW

The interview method of data collection can be defined as a systematic way of
collecting data or information from a respondent through asking questions
directly from the respondent and also collecting information with the aim of
facilitating understanding. The oral interview was done between the researcher
and some staff of Genesis Restaurant. Reliable facts were gotten based on the
questions posed to the staff by the researcher which help the researcher in
starting the work and also helped in the area of solution presentation of the new
design.

3.2.2 EVALUATION OF DOCUMENTS

Some forms that are necessary and available were accessed. These includes the
restaurant menu fast food order form, payment receipts etc. these forms helped
in
the design of the new system.