AI Menu System Automating Ingredient Procurement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional dietitians face significant stress in configuring daily menus and procuring food ingredients, leading to high costs due to individual ordering from suppliers in small quantities, necessitating a solution to reduce burden and optimize ingredient procurement.
Innovation Solution
An AI-based menu providing apparatus that collects menu data, generates menus, recommends them to users, modifies menus based on user input, and orders food ingredients in bulk, leveraging machine learning and network connectivity to optimize menu configuration and ingredient supply.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a single dietitian composes daily menus and prepares food ingredients individually, then the menu can be customized according to specific dietary needs, but the dietitian's workload and stress increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the menu composition task into multiple components: AI-based menu generation, automated ingredient calculation, and individualized menu recommendation. This allows the dietitian to review and adjust pre-generated menu options rather than creating menus from scratch, significantly reducing workload while maintaining customization capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service through automated menu generation and ingredient calculation. The AI automatically compositions menus based on dietary requirements and calculates required ingredient quantities, allowing the system to serve itself in performing routine tasks that previously required manual dietitian intervention.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a dietitian orders food ingredients individually from suppliers in small quantities, then the menu can be prepared according to specific dietary requirements, but the cost of food ingredients increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges the ingredient ordering needs of multiple dietitians and service centers into a unified bulk order. By aggregating ingredient requirements across different locations and menus, the system enables large-quantity ordering from suppliers, achieving economies of scale and reducing per-unit ingredient costs while still fulfilling specific dietary requirements through precise ingredient allocation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a universal ingredient ordering platform that serves multiple dietitians and service centers simultaneously. The same system that generates customized menus for individual dietary needs also consolidates ingredient procurement across all users, enabling the platform to perform both customization and bulk purchasing functions.
3Adaptability or versatility
If menus are composed and ingredients ordered individually by each dietitian, then specific dietary needs can be met, but the overall efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the food service system decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces an intermediary AI-based menu providing apparatus that mediates between dietary requirements and menu composition. This intermediary automatically generates menu options, calculates ingredient quantities, and facilitates coordinated ordering across multiple service centers, thereby improving overall system efficiency without compromising dietary customization.
Data Source
AI summary
A menu providing apparatus comprise at least: a menu data collection unit which collects menu data through a network and stores the menu data in a menu database; a menu generation unit which generates menus by learning the menu data; a menu recommendation unit which transmits recommended menus to a user terminal and receives, from the user terminal, information about a selected menu and the number of meals; a menu modification unit which receives, from the user terminal, a modification command for the recommended menus, modifies the recommended menus according to the modification command, and transmits the same to the user terminal; and a food ingredient ordering unit which derives types of food ingredients according to the selected menu, calculates the required quantity for each type of food ingredient according to the number of meals, and transmits the same to a food ingredient supplier terminal.