Online Reservation and Information System Essay

Today people are living in a society which is called a technologically civilized society. Ultimately, the researchers can say that, â€Å"living without technology is like living without air† in this technical world of today. Most people are using Internet to easily search what they need especially information. The Internet is a global network connecting millions of computers. More than 100 countries are linked into exchanges of data, news and opinions. With the advancement in technology, the researchers decided to develop an Online Reservation and Information System for Fortune Seafood Restaurant. The Fortune Seafood Restaurant is a well known fine-dining restaurant in Pampanga. It is located strategically in between the heart of City of San Fernando and Olongapo-Gapan Road, Pampanga. Fortune Seafood Restaurant is one of the upscale Chinese restaurants in Pampanga. It serves prominent personalities and provides venue for important events. The restaurant accepts reservation fo r various events such as wedding, birthday and others. The company is using manual process when it comes to managing reservation. The customer must go to the restaurant in order to make a reservation. It causes hassle for the customer to go to the venue to just inquire for the reservation information and make a reservation. Sometimes the customers are being disappointed since the date and time that they like to reserve is not available and already occupied by other event. The company promotes and advertises the restaurant using fliers and tarpaulin. The process of the restaurant in requesting feedback to the customers is only verbally by asking them about the food. The Online Reservation and Information System for Fortune Seafood Restaurant is a system that will provide information about the company like the different dishes they serve including the prices, promos, and services that they offer. With this feature the company will be promoted well. It also has photo sharing and allows creation of blogs for the customer to express their thoughts about the food and services or their â€Å"Fortune† experiences. It includes a reservation system that supports the customers who want to make a reservation for occasions like birthday, family reunion, wedding and even a special date. The system shows all the schedule of the events so that the  customer will know if the date and time that they plan to reserve is available or not. It also has a feedback form which may contain discussion of the opinion or suggestion of the customer about the company. Review of Related Literature The following reviews are discussed to support the reasons why the problem exists. It serves as the researcher’s basis in conducting the study. In the book Restaurant and Cafeteria Management Service (2010), the very first restaurant in the world was opened in Paris in 1765. A tavern keeper, Monsieur Boulanger, served a single dish sheep’s feet simmered in a white sauce. The world restaurant is derived from the French word â€Å"restorer† meaning to â€Å"restore†. The first restaurant the dining rooms of the inns and as towns, cities, grew in population, several eating places were established serving lunch and dinner at fixed price. Boulanger’s business was different from other food businesses, like cafes and inns, because Boulanger’s business was centered on food, not alcohol (like taverns) or coffee and tea (like cafes). Customers came to Boulanger’s establishment primarily to eat, and this was a novelty in the late 18th Century, wh ere the population ate their meals at home or, if they were away from home overnight on business, at an inn. In French, the word restorative is restaurant. A local food guild (a union monopoly) sued Boulanger in court for infringing on its monopoly on the sale of cooked foods, but Boulanger won and was allowed to continue. This victory led to the rapid spread of these new restaurants across France. The researchers included this review to be familiar with the first restaurant in the world, in distinguishing when and where it started, what the processes of a restaurant are, and how it became successful. In the book entitled Basic Restaurant Service (2007), Restaurant Service demands an extensive knowledge of international cooking, of beverages and bar services. The wait staff or Restaurant Service Staff are most important contact persons in attending to the guests. It is therefore necessary to have a complete command of serving rules and to know the preparation of special dishes and drinks at the guests table. The wait staff or Restaurant Service Staff, seat the guests, take table orders correctly, prepare special tasks at the table side, serve food and beverages and present the bill and send the guests off. They are the central figures  who create a good impression of restaurant by warmly welcoming gu ests, ensuring that service is prompt and courteous and that the meal meets expectations. These qualities and professional competitiveness, practical work and theoretical knowledge are deemed necessary to carry out job. The researchers included this to know and discuss the importance of effective restaurant service staff since they are one of the keys to the success of the company. In implementing the proposed system the staff who will be assigned must be good technically to easily learn the system and to avoid facing difficulties in operating the system. According to the book Food Service Management in the Philippines (2009), Engracia â€Å"Aling Aciang† Cruz-Reyes, the matriarch founder of Aristocrat Restaurant, discussed that she believes that to find the customers, one has to go where the people are and find ways to keep them coming back. She opened a rolling store in Luneta Park an accomodating thousand of people at one time. She prepared Filipino dishes like arroz caldo, and pancit that were freshly prepared in front of the customers. Later on, to meet the changing needs of the customers she added to her line of menu items a selection of sandwiches and softdrinks. People kept coming bac k for their comfort food from Aling Aciang. Before World war II Mrs. Reyes sought out new market opportunities by locating her food business in a prime property at the Dewey Blvd, Manila. Today, the Aristocrat Restaurant has more than ten additional branches in different location all over the country. The researchers include this review for the reason that it discussed, â€Å"to find the customers, one has to go where the people are and find ways to keep them coming back†. By analyzing the quotation, nowadays many people are using Internet. The proposed system will be where people are to acquire a lot of customers and easily interact with them. In the proposed system the customer also has the privilege to make a blog and share photos so that they can share their Fortune experiences. The researchers provide the blog in finding ways to keep the customer back. The book entitled Fundamentals of Food Service Management (2009) said that, Foodservice is becoming a way of family entertainment and a source of family income for those who are engaged in food service operation. The growing number of people patronizing restaurant, cafeteria and fast food center defends largely on these for their food intake, in schools, for example, many students depend on the school food service for th eir lunch and stocks. As such better and more nutritious foods should be offered in these food services. Based on the book Food Service Management in the Philippines (2009), one of the successful company in the Philippines is the Barrio Fiesta. It is novelty and good taste are the primary reasons that keep Barrio Fiesta afloat in local food business. The restaurant was established in 1960 when Mr. Rod Ongpauco’s recipe on pig’s feet, better known as crispy pata, became sucessful. Being the first to offer the special menu item, customers flocked in and its sales rose from 20 persons per table to 300 persons per table. It is the first to feature the singing cooks and waiters to entertain guests while they are dining. A unique manner of incorporating local customs with foodservice professional setup is considered an excellent marketing strategy. From mentioned that â€Å" the chain restaurants, specially the Barrio Fiesta chain, are sucessful because of aggressive advertising, affordable price s compared to upscale restaurant and availability and accessibility. In this book, the researchers acquired knowledge about the system in restaurant and how to make it successful. One of the important aspects in a restaurant is the food service. The restaurant must have unique strategies in providing service that is why the researchers decided to develop an Online Reservation System for Fortune Seafood Restaurant. In the book Restaurant Service Basics 2nd edition (Sondra J. Dahmer and Kurt W. Kahl, 2008) Restaurant Reservation and Table Management Software has the functionality to track reservation as well as control seating and optimize server performance. It can centralize the dining reservation process, eliminate over bookings, or maximize table utilization with walk-in and wait list functionality. Reservation can be entered and modified guest phone numbers, email, mailing addresses, and preferences ca be captured. Table management software has a display of currently available and occupied tables. This system provides the host with the status of occupied tables and the approximate time when each table will again be open to seating. It can also show reserved and confirmed tables, tables to be joined by more guests in a par ty, tables needing to be cleaned, tables approaching or exceeding assigned departure times, and tables that are not to be utilized. From this information, waiting guests can be quoted realistic wait times, and servers can be given new parties of guests can be quoted realistic wait times, and servers can be given new parties of guests at a manageable pace in their  situations. Guests can even make their own reservation online over the restaurants Web site. The host can then send the guests an email confirming the reservation they made. The researchers included the literature above to know better the processes of different restaurants. The Restaurant Reservation and Table Management Software is very useful and lessens the effort in operating a restaurant. In this review the researchers obtain some ideas of the features that can be adopted for the proposed system. The book Quick Books for the Restaurant (Stephanie Murphy and Alisa Robertson Neunerker, 2010) discuss the importance of the Accounting Process to the Restaurant Manager, it is imperative for successful restaurant operators to understand financial report s, use the information to enable better decisions and take ownership of the financial performance of the operation. Restaurant operators focus on menu items, controlling costs, customer attraction and retention, supplier relationship, and employee relations issues. Each of these challenges, and a restaurant operators response to the, is affected by or has an impact on the financial structure of the business. Menu items drive inventory cost; the restaurant affects the rent or lease expenses of the operation; and turnover drivers recruiting and training costs. Restaurants operators can be overwhelmed by the complexity and details of finance, and as a result they do not give this critical issue the time and attention it deserves and requires. Business operators may focus on things they know best and ignore things with which they are less familiar. An easy to use, accurate, and current set of financial and operational reports form Quick Books will enable a restaurant operator to confidently adopt the universal language of an accounting. It can turn the mystery and overwhelming process of accounting and financial reporting into the most valuable resource for the restaurant. The review above is included by the researchers for the reason that accounti ng in a restaurant is very important and the financial report or transaction must be secured. In the proposed system the researchers make sure that it secures all the transactions especially in reservation. In the book entitled â€Å"How to Improve Dining Room Service†, Richard Saporito stated that for more than 20 years now, he is a restaurant consultant for a variety of profitable establishments. As a noted author and keynote speaker, he helped hundreds of operations around the world ranging from small independent start-ups to large scale corporate  operations with seating capacities of over 1500. In that time, he became part of some extremely successful restaurants, but also witnessed many that struggled unnecessarily. In his experience, the primary factor that separates successful restaurants from those that struggle is the level of service that is provided to the customer. He make sure, the location, menu and marketing play a part, but the most successful restaurants all have one thing in common. They provide customer service which exceeds their customer’s expectations! In the website squidoo.com Just Be Nice (J.B.N) 2009, it is stated that word of mouth is the most effective promotional method. So if your restaurant is nice, the food is good and the wait staffs are friendly and efficient, people will tell their friends. And their friends will tell their friends a nd the list goes on and on. The most effective way is on special occasion like birthdays, anniversaries and so on. According to the book entitled â€Å"A Modern Approach to Restaurant Profitability† by Lloyd M. Gordon, The Restaurant Industry is still growing in gross revenue for the twelfth straight year; first reason is that the numbers of operating facilities are increasing annually. Another factor is that each restaurant enterprise is succeeding in upgrading its revenues from the previous year. As a part of this Industry trend, you are shown how to receive your healthy share of the Industry’s rewards as you become alert to serving and satisfying patrons with the foods, beverages, service, ambiance, and hospitality they require. The researchers include the reviews to be familiarized with some restaurant techniques in terms of serving people. The company must provide customer services which go beyond their customers’ expectations, satisfying customers, and must have effective promotional method. The following studies are written work and concepts adopted by the researchers. These reviews will also help acquaint the readers with the details of arrangement among the previous studies, as well the relation of each to the present study. A study entitled â€Å"Philippines Empowers Guests through Direct Online Reservation via Own Website in Egi Club in Cebu†, reserving rooms at EGI Club in Mactan Island has just been made easier and more convenient with an  innovative booking system that was recently launched on the resort’s website (http://www.egiclubceburesort.com).EGI Club Cebu Resort’s new reservation system shows potential guests two weeks’ worth of real-time room availability matched with the lowest possible rates. This feature allows selection of accommodations based on tastes, and more importantly, budget. A 10% deposit payment, which is deducted from the total room charge, ensures the availability of the chosen room type upon the guest’s arrival at the hotel. An automatic e-mail is immediately sent after the transaction to serve as confirmation. For clarifications and concerns, a reliable customer service team is ready to address reservation issues, including modification of bookings.EGI Club Cebu Resort can be found in Lapu-Lapu City, which is a first class highly-urbanized city in the province of Cebu. The resort hotel is well known for its hospitality and high customer satisfaction brought about by its dedicated hotel staff. It is the perfect getaway because of its myriad of amenities that offer relaxation and rejuvenation. Guests may choose from a total of 120 guest rooms, which all have Internet access and comes with a double bed, IDD phone, mini-bar, and refrigerator. For sports enthusiasts, beach volleyball, jet skiing, diving and other water sports may be enjoyed at Mactan Beach. The company, through its innovative technology, helps accommodation providers maximize the business potential and performance of their websites. In the study entitled â€Å"An Online Hotel Reservation of Palazzo de Laoag† conducted by Rajzle G. Ingles of St. Paul University, Tuguegarao City, a system that will help the hotel to automatically make a reservation online is developed. The system is shown superiority in the aspects of usefulness and functionality for the following reasons: the design has been tailored-made according to the identified needs of the personnel; among its standard features are used of access keys and shortcuts that endow the system with an ease of handling and user-friendliness; structured rather than hard-coded programming was used; the system boast of error-free that can be relief to effectively handle and process data and generate reports for the customers and personnel’s. The graphical user interface is both appealing and friendly. There is a unity and consistency in the grouping of functions and objects. A screen design simulates windows application and  overall is pleasant and shows the virtue of taste in special effects. Benefiting the staff and personnel of Palazzo de Laoag Hotel as a whole, it also stands to benefits the customers who take reservations. Reservation was simplified and personnel and customer do not have to work hard for making the reservation. Repetitive routines are eliminated and customers do not have to go to the hotel. There is no question as to the acceptability of the system. For one, Palazzo de Laoag Hotel has long depended on the manual system in its reservation routines. This system offers superior alternative that makes for ease, efficiency as well accuracy. Bayani et al. (2011) in a study Computerized Table Reservation and Billing System for Kenny Rogers’s Roasters SM Pampanga discussed that the purpose of their study is to provide more efficient and helpful process of reservation and billing for Kenny Rogers’s Roasters SM Pampanga branch. This system concerning computation of bills can help KRR to easily compute bills for their customers in just a few minutes rather that computing it manually. It is easy to use because it will not require manual counting of the number of tables occupied or reserved. It can generate reports of the previous bills and customer information. The system will provide the manager of Kenny Rogers Roasters the authority to see the complete records of their customers and what they availed. It has a search feature integrated to make the process of checking faster and to check if a customer has an existing account. The study covers the development of a table reservation and billing system for Kenny Ro gers Roasters SM City Pampanga. The system of table reservation and billing is composed of two users the guest and administrator. The administrator account has the privilege of verifying, accepting or rejecting and saving the records of the customers. The employee with this type of account is the manager. Reservation through phone call will not be acceptable if the customer is not regular customer, the customer should be a member or it has an existing account. The system will prompt the user when and what time is the arrival of their customer and what table has been booked A 2011 study by Angeles et al. which is a Computer Based System for Function Hall and Catering Reservation for St. Paul Reception Garden is concerned primarily with the process of function hall and catering reservation through computer, recording of data and providing the billing  statement for the clients. This study will provide security of data through the use of username and password and can only be operated by the legal employees. Using the system will only take a few clicks to add, save, edit and retrieve the client’s information and show the billing statement afterwards. The study can also print receipts and quotations. It is also monitors the re servation of the customer by the use of sorting by date. At the end of the reservation transaction, the system provides an official receipt for the customer. The system does not support any discount cards or any credit cards. An Online Reservation System for Cattleya Garden Villas study conducted by Alfonso (2012) is a system that provides an effective online reservation system that will benefit the Cattleya Garden Villas employees and customers, educationally, economically and technologically. The study will greatly help the owner and employees, to make the procedure more streamline thus creating a hassle free and time efficient reservation process. The website will also boost online presence of Cattleya Garden Villas, making its marketing grasp larger network that what it is now.It aims to improve the Villa’s relationship to its customer by means of having a system which is more focus on their reservation needs. The system’s importance, effectiveness and speed of the processing to accommodate the customer request will save time. It will give more opportunity to serve other customers through the help of the system the clients and employees can easily interact with each other. Through the use of the system, Cattleya Garden Villas will save much time, effort and resources such as papers, registration form and portfolios in processing guest’s reservations. It will provide a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) that will handle the customer inquiry and manage the 24/7 operations. The system administrator can add, edit or change username and password and his personal information. The administrator is the one responsible for adding of new rooms, changing the room status, updating room availability and approval or cancellation of reservations. The various studies above are included by the researchers for the reason that the studies will help in identifying the requirements in the proposed system. The researchers can alter the system by comparing it to the previous study and can adopt similar features that will fit in the needs of the Fortune Seafood Restaurant. According to an article entitled â€Å"Learn How to Build a Profitable Business Online†, Mr. Ken Hubener, the writer of the  article said that â€Å"starting and operating an internet business is surprisingly similar to operating any other business. Good business practices, like building the confidence of customers through truthful advertising, providing products and services at a fair price, and developing long-term business relationships are as applicable to the Internet business as they are to any other businesses†. An increasing number are building their own websites to allow them to market their business and it has been very effective and successful to use Internet as their source of income with businesses and to try to go where the people are. The researchers include this study to differentiate an d distinguish that there is more effective way in promoting the company. The manual process of advertising the Fortune Restaurant is only in fliers and tarpaulin that is why the researchers will develop an online system to promote it on the web. In the article entitled â€Å"Online Hotel Reservation on Kerala Tourism Website, a Big Hit†, the 1888 PressRelease said that â€Å"The online accommodation reservation system offers travelers a wide range of choices from five-star hotels to home stays in remote corners of the State. With this facility, rooms can be booked online any time by visiting www.keralatourism.org. The booking can be done by using major credit cards, debit cards, net banking and other facilities like Pay Pal. The specialty of the online reservation platform is that the payment made for reservation goes directly to the account of the property owner.† Based in the article entitled, â€Å"The Suites Niagara Falls† it requested assistance for new hotel website which will launch the site within days to high exposure in the top search engines. Consequently, the management was extremely pleased and requested details of other services. They spoke their challenge managing inventory and reservations, in tracking campaigns and in promoting to past guest. Today, the embassy Suites Niagara Falls provides online reservations, reservation tracking and mass mailing services. These three key services arouse from the development of three products that have been designed to complement each othe r to meet the online goals of compatible tourism entities. It has two parts: the admin (back-end) area where staff controls rates, availability packages and the public (front-end) area where content is projected and reservations are made. In admin dashboard screens, staffs have ability to create and control room types, rates, availability, taxes, automated messages, packages and reservation  enhancers. Whether a regular room booking or package selection, the system displays content from the admin area in real-time, enabling guests to book rooms with ease. At the time of a reservation, the system takes the guest through the booking process: selection of room type, package costs and details, contact and payment information. After all details are stored in, for processing, dual confirmation/notification messages are sent to both guests and hotel staff. According to a Corporate Reservation System (CRS) an independent agency that books approximately 100,000 hotels room each year on behalf of its corporate clients. CRS pre-negotiates special rates with some 15,000 hotels worldwide, offers these discontented rates to their clients than organizes all the bookings and the paperwork. CRS do not change for this service but ins tead receives a commission from the hotels. In addition to accommodation they also organize conferences and special events. CRS was using an old DOS FoxPro system to take bookings. This performed well in the past is now creaking at the seams and needs to be replaced with a new Windows system designed to handle the increased needs of the now larger and more sophisticated organization. The overall brief was to develop a more efficient Windows based replacement to take hotel bookings, conference bookings and to organize special events. The article â€Å"A Study of Airlines’ Online Reservation Services†, stated reports on a study about examining airlines’ Web-based online reservation services. Thirty airlines from three regions (North America, Europe and Middle East, and Asia and Australia) were assessed to determine whether there were any significant differences between the three regions, in terms of the Web site attributes and services provided to travelers. In this research, the attributes selected for examination included (1) components of online reservation services, (2) provision of extra benefits, (3) factors affecting reservation time, and (4) provision of additional services/facilities. Empirical results indicated that some airlines did not provide all components in the chosen attributes and that airlines in these three regions differed significantly in certain dimensions of the chosen attributes. In particular, airlines in North America were found to have the most comprehensive Web-based reservation services. The studies are included by the researchers to have more knowledge about different online reservation systems and prove that online reservation is very effective. Having websites will allow marketing of the business online  and it has been very valuable and successful to use Internet as a source of income with businesses.