Intelligent Computer-Based Food Order-Taking Systems

Abstract

Foodservice staff play an important role in the marketing of food services. They can exert influence over buying behaviour by making appropriate menu suggestions to customers. Table-top computer systems could also be developed with suggestive selling in mind. Targeted marketing addresses characteristics of situations and individuals to develop sets of alternative more-focused approaches towards marketing. In this context targeting approaches can be classified in terms of the extent and form of adaptation, the means by which systems obtain information to guide adaptation and the social skill of the output (response) to customers. The key to the development of these approaches is an understanding of the adaptations service systems need to make in dealing with different situations/customers. This study has identified the classifications which experienced foodservice staff use to adapt their behaviour to different customers/situations. The potential for these stereotype categories to be used by computer-bas...