111results about "Restaurants" patented technology

A methodology for customers seeking to purchase a meal from a food service vendor such as a restaurant, a cafeteria, or a vending machine, by ordering a food preparation based upon menu-selections. In addition to receiving ordered food, customers receive suggestions for optionally modifying their food orders based upon nutritional benefits and other criteria. Either during real-time customer-ordering or during post-ordering, a food-service vendor presents a customer suggestions specific to a pending tentative or completed order, wherein the customer may enjoy purported nutritional benefits by electing to follow these suggestions and thereby modify the tentative order into a corresponding completed order. Alternatively, the customer may elect to ignore these suggestions, but may nonetheless decide to effect such food-ordering modifications during subsequent visits. The food selection criteria implemented by a food service vendor is independent of individual customer identity and preferences, and are flexible and readily adaptable to accommodate changes such as a food service vendor's marketing strategy, customer-food preferences, discoveries pertaining to nutrition and consequent good health; and may be adapted to a plethora of food service environments. The preferred embodiment contemplates a restaurant environment in which customers typically approach a food-ordering counter and interface with both a menu display and with order-taking personnel. Other embodiments implicate kiosks, vending machines, remote access devices, and locally and remotely-accessed networked computers, wherein customers interact with automated computer-driven devices instead of or in addition to wait-staff or other food service personnel.

A system for providing cash to users in a merchandise delivery environment such as a fast food drive-through environment. The system includes a customer request station (212, 262, 288, 300, 322, 378) at which the customer is enabled to input a request for merchandise as well as an input corresponding to a request to receive cash. The customer is further enabled to input to the customer request station information corresponding to a source of monetary value which the customer may charge against for ordered merchandise or for the amount of cash requested. The customer may receive the cash directly at a customer request station. Alternatively, a computer may operate to correlate an identifying input associated with the customer or the transaction, and the request to receive the amount of cash. The customer may then move to a cash delivery station (216, 338). In response to the customer providing the identifying input at the cash delivery station, the customer receives a portion or all of the requested cash. The customer may then move to a merchandise delivery station (222, 292, 304, 316, 324, 342) at which the customer may receive the ordered merchandise. The customer may also receive the balance of any amount due such as coin, at the merchandise delivery station or other change delivery location.

A mobile platform galley cart storage and retrieval system includes a plurality of joined walls defining a galley area. A plurality of mobile carts are stored in the galley area, including at least a first side-by-side subgroup of carts and a second-side-by-side subgroup-of carts positioned above the first subgroup. An optional third subgroup is positioned above the second subgroup. An automatic transfer system lifts and horizontally transfers carts to predetermined storage locations on racks supporting each elevated subgroup of carts. The carts are stored in either randomly accessible locations or in first-in/last-out locations.

A restaurant management system and method interface is provided. In accordance with the invention, data from various restaurant operations is collected and stored for processing. The data is processed into useful metrics, such as those indicative of various categories of restaurant staffing, efficiency, performance and quality. The useful metrics can be displayed as a human-readable chart, graph or report. The data can be processed in real time, permitting managers to promptly make adjustments and to alert restaurant workers or crew members of deficiencies so that prompt and effective remedial action can be taken to improve restaurant performance. Reports may be generated that provide the performance of restaurants individually and as a combined group.

A mobile retail store structure transportable to a plurality of different locations includes a trailer construction configured both exteriorly and interiorly for housing a plurality of storage bins wherein products and/or parts can be stored. Each trailer is a self-sufficient module which includes doors at one end of the trailer unit for entry and exit thereto, portable stairs for providing access to the entry doors, opposed side doors and associated walkways for allowing coupling to additional similarly constructed trailers, extendable canopies for providing a secure passageway between the respective coupled trailers, and a generator/HVAC system for providing heating, cooling and electrical power to each trailer unit. In one embodiment, a terminal is provided to allow a user to either browse electronically various items for selection and/or sale, or access a self-service check-out station to complete a transaction. A plurality of terminals can be coupled to communicate with a master server terminal over a wired/wireless network.

This invention uses a family of exit-finding aids to enable occupants of rooms or workspaces in buildings, cabins in ships, seats in aircraft cabins, auditoriums, theaters, etc. to know the distance and direction to the nearest exit in each direction by touch as well as by sight; to know so before leaving those spaces; to similarly know the escape paths to each of those exits; to similarly know the distance and direction to alternate exits along the escape path; to similarly confirm arrival at an exit; and to similarly know the distance and direction to alternates to exits that are unusable.

A system and method for making a food item are for provided. The apparatus includes a food item assembly and packaging station having a first work area assembling and packaging a food item and meal order assembly station having a second work area for assembling a meal order that includes a food item packaged on the first work surface. A conveyor is positioned beneath the first work area and extends from a position proximate to the first area to a position proximate to the second work area. A conveyor access opening is proximate to the first work area to provide worker access to the conveyor to permit manual placement of a food item assembled and packaged at the first work area onto the conveyor for conveying the packaged food item beneath the first work area to the location proximate the meal order assembly station.

A restaurant table turn control and display system for providing real-time communication to staff personnel throughout key areas of a restaurant, comprising two or more monitoring consoles, each having a restaurant layout display having indicia representative of tables available for seating in the restaurant and for communicating to the staff other requirements or needs; a touch screen for activating desired status changes on the system; LED bulbs arranged in an underlying relationship to the indicia on the restaurant layout or software driven images depicted on the display screen, which can be a combination monitor and touch screen; and a controller circuit with programmable circuitry for operating and controlling the system, including providing status changes and communicating such status changes simultaneously to other monitoring consoles electrically operatively connected to said monitoring console.

A sports arena theme restaurant which provides a central floor area surrounded by a plurality of tiers on at least one of which a concourse circumnavigates the central floor area to communicate with a kitchen and a plurality of stairways to provide a restaurant service pattern to seating areas established the plurality of tiers which allows restaurant patrons to view entertainment means from discrete levels above the central floor area.

A device for assembling orders of food from prepared food items having multiple sides on different sides of the device is disclosed. Also disclosed is a system including the device and a method of assembling orders of food. Each side has a plurality of side receptacles accessible to a worker at the side. Adjacent to the sides is a holding area for holding prepared food items. Preferably the heated holding area has a central portion that is heated.

The present invention discloses a wireless electronic menu device, which comprises a menu body and a menu base, wherein a plurality of menus is placed on the menu body; a photo-sensor is used to automatically detect the menu the customer is reading; an induction stylus is pointed to the menu and emits a signal to indicate the coordinates of the position it is pointed to; the menu body collects the related data and transfers the data to the menu base with a wired communication device or a wireless communication device; the menu base retrieves the data corresponding to the coordinates, such as voice, audio, text, image and video data, from its storage device or an external storage device; the menu base presents the multimedia data to aid the customers to acquire meal information and order meals. The present invention also discloses an ordering system containing the abovementioned wireless electronic menu device. The present invention can provide more detailed and consistent meal information for customers to help customers order meals by themselves. Thereby, the present invention can reduce the manpower cost of the food-service industry.

Methods, apparatus, and products are disclosed for enhancing a shopping experience that include: determining, by a self-checkout terminal, that a shopper invoked a help event; selecting, by the self-checkout terminal in dependence upon the help event, a shopper assistant to assist the shopper; and providing, by the self-checkout terminal to the shopper, distinguishing information identifying the shopper assistant.

An automatic meal serving system includes a conveyer module, a transporting module, a first food serving and heating module, and an ingredient serving module. The transporting module is located on the conveyer module for sequentially positioning a plurality of vessels on the conveyer module. The first food serving and heating module provides a variety of foods, heats one of the foods that is chosen, and feeds one of the vessels on the conveyer module with the heated food. The ingredient serving module is located beside the first food serving and heating module. The transporting module, the first food serving and heating module, and the ingredient serving module are sequentially located along the conveyer module.

A food and drink conveying device used with laid on a conveyance path of a conveying apparatus, comprising: a plate loading portion; a detection means for detecting a plate laid on said plate loading portion; a retaining member fixed to said plate loading portion for retaining a plate cover over said plate loading portion; and a removal means for removing the plate cover retained in the retaining member to be put on a plate laid on said plate loading portion. In the food and drink conveying device, the removal means is operated at the time of the detection means detecting the plate laid on the plate loading portion so that the plate cover removed from the retaining means is to be put on the plate.

A method and system for serving food. A plurality of sets of compatible food items are selected and a unique identifier is assigned to each set. The food items are placed in individual display containers. Each display container is marked with the one or more unique identifier(s) of sets which include the food item in the display container. A meal is prepared by selecting one of the unique identifiers and collecting a portion of each food item which is marked with the selected unique identifier. The collected portions are placed into a collection container, then cooked together and placed into a serving container and served as a meal.

The invention relates to a counter (10) for presenting and/or selling goods. The aim of the invention is to provide a means of displacing a module consisting of a system of joint mechanisms (22) which are associated with a glass pane (21) by means of fixing elements (23) between a closed position (20) in which the inside of the counter (13) is covered and an open position (20') in which it is exposed. Said joint mechanisms (22) are mounted on the supports (15) of the counter (10) in such a way that they can pivot about a horizontal pin (18). In order to ensure that the modular unit is secure in the open position (20') the joint mechanism (22) is provided with an extended arm (24) which has the swivel bearing (18) on its lower arm section. During the transition from the closed position (20) to the open position (20'), the center of gravity (27) of the module in relation to the swivel pin (18) moves to the opposite side (27'). In the closed position (20), the pane (21) is subjected to a torque which acts in the closing direction. In the open position (20'), a torque acts on the pane (21) in the opening direction. The pane (2) can no longer fall back out of the open position (20') into the closed position (20) uncontrollably.

A food and drink managing device with a circulation type path allows standardizing while adding food and drink onto the carrying path, simplifying management, holding down cost, and achieving precise identification information reading. The food and drink managing device with a circulation type carrying path has containers with identification information, an identification information reading means provided near said path, a sign part circularly moving as linked with said circulating carrying path, passage detection means for detecting passage of said sign parts, a registering means which recognizes an interval between passing sign parts as one zone, and registers the identification information of the containers read by said reading means, as foods and drinks being supplied, in relation to a zone in which the containers exist, and a container throwing-in prohibited area of a given length provided in the upstream side of the circulating carrying path from a position of the reading means.