SEAT VACANCY INDICATOR FOR FAST-FOOD RESTAURANT

A Capstone/Research Project Proposal Represented to

The Faculty of Senior High School Department
Tagbilaran City Science High School

In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

JUMAWAN, JED EMERICH I.

MADANGUIT, ZUHAYR MARIEL C.
MANIWANG, CHRISTIAN NIÑO N.

OCTOBER 2019

0
 CHAPTER I

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SCOPE

Rationale

The population of the world, now somewhat in excess of seven billion people, is

growing at about two per cent a year, or faster than at any other period in man’s history.

While there has been a steady increase of population growth during the past two or three

centuries, it has been especially rapid during the past 20 years. To appreciate the pace

of population growth we should recall that world population doubled in about 1,700 years

from the time of Christ until the middle of the 17th century; it doubled again in about 200

years, doubled again in less than 100, and, if the current rate of population increase were

to remain constant, would double every 35 years (McElroy, 2013).

With a growing population on the rise, technological advancements have also

grown exponentially over the 20th and 21st century to serve and improve various areas

involved in human life. The average modern-day inhabitant lives in a fast-paced society

where just about everything is made to be quicker for convenience. Space is quickly being

occupied in urban areas and it is harder to allocate oneself in a busy location. Parking

space is easily taken, lines waiting for a multicab are getting longer, malls are easily

1
packed quickly upon opening, vacancy is getting smaller and therefore harder to obtain.

This is especially seen in fast food chain restaurants for consumers.

Nowadays, eating out is becoming a popular way of life for many families due to

changes in lifestyle. This is partly caused by the financial situation in many families which

force the wives to also work to support the family financially. This subsequently causes

the amounts of time that can be spent to do house chores diminish significantly.

Therefore, many families now count on quick service restaurants for fast, easy and

convenient food service (Dharmawirya, 2012). According to the 2014 Nielsen Shopper

Trends Report, Filipino shoppers only spend an average of P4,700 on food items from

groceries. This represented a 13% decline from 2012's P5,400. One of the reasons

behind this significant cut, the report said, is the increase of consumers who prefer to dine

out. From only 14% in 2012, the number of respondents who frequently eat out of their

houses rose to 25% this year. The latest survey was conducted among 1,783 males and

females, aged 16-65 years old, belonging to different socioeconomic classes in urban

locations throughout the Philippines (Gavilan, 2014).

Fast food restaurants are easily packed and this makes it difficult to find an

available table or seat. This is especially an issue for people on a schedule and wish to

find a location to eat as soon as possible, which is what fast food restaurants are for. In

restaurants packed full of customers, finding available seats or tables will be difficult with

the limited awareness without something to indicate some form of vacancy. This hinders

efficiency and costs time the more packed an establishment is.

As dilemmas are expressed above, the researchers assessed the problem and

designed a smart seat locator system with vacancy indicators that focuses on packed fast

2
food establishments. The smart seat locator system will allow customers to identify the

overall number of vacant seats in a restaurant establishment and will also show a display

to guide customers as to where the vacant seats are located with the premises. This

system will be demonstrated through a prototype using Arduino Mega as the

microcontroller.

Statement of the Problem

The main purpose of the study will be to design a seat vacancy indicator for fast

food restaurants based on Arduino microcontroller.

Specifically, it attempts to answer the following questions:

1. What is the accuracy of the smart seat locator system in terms of:

a. Displaying the number of vacant seats through the seven-segment

display?

b. Indicating the location of the vacant seats through the light-emitting

diode (LED) lights on the display for viewing?

2. What is the acceptability level of the customers in terms of interest and efficiency

or convenience on the designed smart seat locator system with vacancy indicator?

To assess the quantitative results of the study, the following question is to be answered

qualitatively:

3. What is the perception of the restaurant management in Tagbilaran City with fast

food restaurant areas on the smart seat locator system with vacancy indicator?

3
Hypotheses

Based on the foregoing research problem, the researchers formulate this null

hypothesis:

1. There is no significant degree of variance on the dimensions of the overall

evaluation of the smart seat locator system with vacancy indicator.

Service Learning Component

The main issue that will be tackled by the study is the inconvenience of the

customers in finding available seats if busy restaurants such as fast food chains during

rush hours. The production of this system will aim to assist citizens on picking out which

restaurants are packed and which are available on the decision making stage of picking

out a location to eat with the prototype’s indicator of how many seats are vacant, and will

support them even further in determining the location within the restaurant that is available

with the prototype’s indicator of which seats are vacant. With the application of this

prototype, restaurant establishments will be able to provide a service that caters to the

convenience of the customer. Customers, restaurant managements, and owners can

benefit from this project. This prototype can help save time and therefore increase

efficiency. The parts of the prototype are not known to have components that are harmful

to the environment

4
Significance of the Study

The study will introduce a system for visually providing information for patron use

and customer convenience and efficiency. This system which provides information

regarding the occupancy status of the seats and information regarding the seating

arrangement would be of use to the patrons of such establishments.

The study will aim to introduce a faster and more convenient way for decision

making in a customer. Availability of space in a certain location is one of the factors that

contribute to the decision of whether or not an individual will enter within its confines. As

per observation of the major traditional fast food joints in Bohol such as Jolibee, Mang

Inasal and McDonald’s, the dilemma of having a packed eating environment hinders the

customer in identifying whether or not there is an available seat left and as to where that

seat is. Customers will benefit from the study and will be able to proceed with their eating

experience in fast food restaurants with more convenience.

This study will also help location owners assess their space management if

surveyed. It will also be noted that this study will serve as a prototype and not a perfected

system, as such it will only serve to lay out the foundation for future enhancements of the

study.

Scope and Limitations of the Study

This study will be conducted at one of the researchers’ residence at Tagbilaran

City, Bohol. The time period for the construction of the prototype will take place in the

month of November 2019 to December 2019 including the programming of the prototype

5
and wiring of all the electronic components involved. The time frame for interviewing and

surveying the groups of people concerning this study will take place in January 2020 to

February 2020, including the analysis of the data that will be acquired

This study will confine itself to the construction of the smart seating locator

prototype with vacancy indicator based on Arduino microcontroller using ultrasonic

sensors to detect occupancy in each seat. This study will be limited to identifying which

seats have occupants or not, regardless of their circumstance for occupying or leaving.

The prototype will also be limited to Arduino as the microcontroller.

The focus of this project will be directed at fast food restaurants or establishments

that are known to be packed with people during rush hours specifically McDonalds. This

study will not cater to establishments that deal mainly with reservations or scheduled

appointments as there is no purpose for a vacancy indicator in an already planned layout.

The study will prioritize the detection of vacancy in the seat regardless of the circumstance

behind the occupancy.

Definition of Key Terms

Arduino. A microcontroller and an open-source platform used for building

electronic projects. It will be used to program the device’s circuit board.

Fast Food. Food that can be prepared quickly and easily and is sold in restaurants

and snack bars as a quick meal or to be taken out.

Functional. Operating in the correct way and having the right effect.

6
 LED (Light Emitting Diode). A semiconductor that emits light when a current

passes through it.

Occupancy. The action or fact of occupying a place.

Prototype. The original form of something, which has the essential feature and is

the model for subsequent forms.

Restaurant. A place where people pay to sit and eat meals that are cooked and

served on the premises.

Ultrasonic Sensor. A sensor that measures the distance to the target by

measuring the time between the emission and reception.

Ultrasound. Sound or other vibrations having an ultrasonic frequency, particularly

as used in medical imaging.

Seat Locator. A device that detects the occupancy of a seat.

7
 CHAPTER 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Arduino

Arduino is an open source tool for developing computers that can sense and

control more of the physical world than desktop computer. It is an open-source physical

computing platform based on a simple microcontroller board, and a development

environment for writing software for the board. The software is written in C or C++

programming language. The Arduino development board is an implementation of wiring,

a similar physical computing platform, which is based on the processing multimedia

programming environment (Ageel, 2018).

Arduino provides tools to assist the implementation of a system. One such function

is to detect motion or presence – this function is useful for the implementation of a seat

detection system.

Seat occupancy indicator and seating area display system

It is a desired business practice to keep track of the location of customers and to

keep track of the total number of occupied seats and thereby the total number of sales.

This helps to inform newly arrived patrons if a performance is sold out and also helps

management better keep track of up-to-date information on income generated by a

performance (Barron, 1999).

8
 An indicator and display system for theaters, auditoriums and the like provides

information regarding occupancy on individual seats and a display providing information

relating to seat occupancy and relating to the seating area. The system includes multi-

colored lights mounted on the tops of the seats for indicating the occupancy thereof. The

lights are controlled by sensors mounted in the seats and manual switches mounted on

the seats. The system also includes a display panel located in the lobby or near the

theater or auditorium which shows which seats are occupied and which are vacant. The

display panel also numerically shows the seat availability and also shows in hologram

form the seating arrangement and the location of restrooms, refreshment counter, etc.

relative to the seating area as well as aisles and other information of use to the patrons

(Barron, 1999).

Some prior art devices used to keep track of seat occupied or vacant information

include a system of switches systems are not entirely accurate in the information provided

because a sold theater seat would not necessarily be occupied until the show starts. Also,

such systems do not inform the newly arrived patron which seats are vacant. In addition,

such systems require an inordinately large amount of electrical wiring to accomplish the

task and the wire routing may not be feasible in some types of establishments (Barron,

1999).

Simpler systems using written charts and lists are commonly used to keep records

of patron seating. However, a primary disadvantage of such systems is the difficulty of

continually changing a written chart with the result that often personal memory is

substituted for the data included on such charts or for the entire chart. In addition, tying

9
up an employee's time with visual observance of the patrons in the facility and keeping

track of the whereabouts of the patrons adds to the expense of the business (Barron,

1999).

The Helbling system is specifically designed for a theater and displays the view

from particular seats as well as the layout of the seats and the interior of the facility. The

system utilizes a display panel with touch screen capabilities and displays a scene

exemplary of the particular event at the theater. However, the Helbling system does not

have a provision for indicating seat vacancy on the seats per se. In addition, the Helbling

system does not determine vacancy utilizing input directly from the seat occupant (or lack

thereof) but rather utilizes seat availability information obtained via the ticket sales

window. Thus, the information regarding seat occupancy provided by such systems may

not be accurate since some patrons may leave the theater after buying the ticket but

before the performance is over because they are dissatisfied with the performance or for

any of a variety of other reasons. In addition, such systems are not able to reliably indicate

exactly which seats are vacant and which are occupied (Barron, 1999).

Application of the concept of this seating system can be applied to restaurant

settings to support customer convenience and satisfaction.

Restaurant Table Management to Reduce Customer Waiting Times

Long waiting times can be a major source of customer dissatisfaction. Restaurant

table management is an effective operational strategy that can be used to reduce waiting

time, improve seat turnover, and increase customer satisfaction without costly capacity

expansion.

10
 Effective and efficient table management can reduce the waiting time for

customers before being seated. Customers tend to be more dissatisfied with having to

wait prior to service. Initial waiting time is a critical factor that determines customers' wait

behavior. Customers may balk upon their arrival if they see long waiting lines, or may

leave during their wait if they are not seated on or near the time expected.

It is anticipated that a table assignment policy that produces minimum waiting

times for large-size parties may not necessarily produce minimum waiting times for small-

size parties. Large-size parties require more flexibility to combine tables than small-size

parties, resulting in waiting times that could be significantly minimized. We also anticipate

that a table assignment policy that can significantly produce minimum waiting times when

a restaurant is busy may not necessarily work the same when a restaurant is slow.

Overall, the best policy should result in effective capacity management (Hwang, 2008).

A proper understanding on the effect of waiting time and time efficiency is given

importance especially when considering the impact fast food restaurants have in the

Philippines.

Status of Fast Food Restaurants in the Philippines

People are willing to queue and pay to get food. Knowing peoples’ opinions on

queuing is of interest to restaurant stakeholders since it and related actions have a direct

effect on revenue. While most previous studies focused on dine-in restaurants, we

observed queuing for fast food restaurants. Specifically, we observed the actual waiting

time of customers for a number of fast food restaurants, and compared the metrics with

waiting times that customers expected. During lunch time peak hours, customers spent

11
on average 5.4 minutes waiting before they could get their orders. The 5.4 minutes

consisted of 2.42 minutes of queuing time and 2.98 minutes of service time. This total

waiting time is only slightly below the actual expected waiting time of 5.42 minutes. How

the fast food restaurants try to manage the perceived waiting time of customers was also

discussed.

Modern commercial fast food is often highly processed and prepared in an

industrial fashion, i.e., on a large scale with standard ingredients and standardized

cooking and production methods. It is usually rapidly served in cartons or bags or in a

plastic wrapping, in a fashion that minimizes cost. In most fast food operations, menu

items are generally made from processed ingredients prepared at a central supply facility

and then shipped to individual outlets where they are reheated, cooked (usually by

microwave or deep frying) or assembled in a short amount of time. This process ensures

a consistent level of product quality, and is key to being able to deliver the order quickly

to the customer and eliminate labor and equipment costs in the individual stores (Gavilan,

2014).

12
 CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

PROCESS FLOW

In order for this project to be completed, specific process will be done in making

the project which includes the formulation of the design and making the system as well

as the programming of the Arduino and the survey and interview about the project.

The researcher will be following the process flow shown in the figure below:

Setting up the Programming the

Formulating the Electronic Circuit of Arduino using an
Product Design the System on the Arduino Software
Breadboard

Designing and
Experimentation Constructing the
Survey and Interview Miniature of the
Restaurant System

Statistical
Analysis

Figure 3.1 Process Flow

13
3.1 Formulating the Product Design

A person will be detected by an infrared proximity sensor installed in the chair or

in the table of the fast food chain. After such instances, the information from the sensor

will be sent to the Arduino and after that, the Arduino will instruct the LED Lights to turn

on indicating that the table is now occupied.

In addition, the data from the infrared proximity sensor will be sent to the sensor

and will be reflected into the seven-segment display that will be placed at the entrance of

the fast food chain. The seven-segment display will be used to determine the total number

of available spaces or table inside the fast food chain. When a person sits on the chair

and the infrared proximity sensor detects his/her motion, it will send the data to the

Arduino and the Arduino will instruct the Led lights to turn on which means the table is

now occupied and the total number of spaces available will be reduced by 1.

The seven-segment display, together with the Led lights, will be placed outside or

at the entrance of the fast food chain so that the customer will be knowledgeable

beforehand on how many tables are vacant and where are the available tables inside.

3.2 Setting Up the Electronic Circuit of the Prototype on the Breadboard

Before wiring to the structured fast food chain prototype, the electronic circuit of

the system will be first arranged into the breadboard. The following electric components

will be used setting up the electronic circuit of the system:

14
2. Arduino Mega

Due to the many wires that will be used in the product, the researchers used

Arduino Mega because it is a microcontroller that has 54 digital input/output

pins. It will give the project a plenty of room and opportunities maintaining

the simplicity and effectiveness of the Arduino platform.

3. Breadboard

There will be two (2) breadboards that will be used. One (1) breadboard will

be used for the ultrasonic sensors that will be interconnected with each

other. The other one (1) breadboard will be used for the Led lights that will

be connected as input and output with respect to their specific and assigned

digital pins in the Arduino.

4. Green Light-emitting Diode (LED)

Ten (10) green-light emitting diode will be used that will be turned on as

soon as the infrared sensor detects motion on the chair that means that the

table is occupied. It will be turned off as soon as the person leaves the table

indicating that it is available again.

1. Ultrasonic Sensor

Ten (10) ultrasonic sensors will be used in the product design because it

measures the distance to an object using ultrasonic waves. It uses sonar to

determine the distance to an object. It offers excellent non-contact range

detection with high accuracy and stable readings.

15
2. 1k ohm Resistor

The one thousand ohms (1000 Ω) resistors will be used to reduce the

current flow, adjust signal levels, divide voltages, and connect the two

terminal ends of the breadboard.

3. Seven-segment Display

Two (2) seven-segment display that will be mounted at the counter of the

fast food chain will be used to detect the available spaces inside the fast

food.

4. Solid and Stranded Wires

Solid wires and stranded wires will be the two types of wires that will be

used in this project. Solid wires will be used to insert in the holes of the

digital pins in the Arduino Mega and the breadboard. Stranded wires will be

used to connect components and parts far from the breadboard and Arduino

and insert them to the assigned pins.

Different color of the wires will be utilized to indicate the use and roles of

each wires in the electronic component.

16
Figure 3.2 Arduino Setup

17
3.3 Programming the Arduino using an Arduino Software

The fast food system that indicates vacant seats inside the fast food will be using

Arduino 2560 as the microcontroller. For the system to work and cooperate, a code must

be programmed to the Arduino using an Arduino software.

3.4 Designing and Constructing the Miniature of the Restaurant System

After completing the electronic circuit system and programming follow the

construction of the structure of the miniature fast food restaurant.

The base will be made out of plywood with a Styrofoam on top of it for the wires to

pass through easily. The remaining details of the miniature fast food restaurant will be

using cardboard, construction materials, table toys and chairs, and wood. After then,

underneath the base is where the electronic circuit and components will be arranged on

to their specific spaces.

18
 Figure 3.3 Design of the Fast Food Miniature

 Seven Segment Display

 Ultrasonic Sensor
 LED lights
 Entrance

3.5 Survey and Interview

Certain people and establishments will be interviewed and will be given with survey

about this project: the fast food establishments and the fast food restaurant customers.

The response of these people will determine the success rate of this capstone project.

19
 3.5.1 Interview the Fast Food Establishment and their Manager

The researchers will make a survey on which are the top 3 busiest fast food

restaurants in Tagbilaran City namely; Jollibee, McDonalds and Mang Inasal, as the

recipient for the survey and interview. To get their approval, a formal letter of request

directed to the establishment’s manager will be sent prior for the capstone project

interview. The questions that will be used contains an overall evaluation of the fast food

restaurant system with vacancy indicator prototype. The managers and other

administrators will be asked to evaluate and rate the overall output and performance of

the system.

3.5.2 Interview the Customers

In relation to the location of the proposed capstone project, the researchers will

also interview and give survey to the customers. A total of sixty (60) customers will be

asked to answer a survey to reach the maximum reliability of data. This interview should

be done for it will mostly benefit the customers.

The survey questionnaire will contain if the customers are interested in the system

we will introduce to them and if ever, will this be an efficient and convenient system for

fast food restaurants here in Tagbilaran City.

20
SYMBOL SCORE INTERPRETATION MEANING
Strongly Interested The system should be
STI implemented
4
The system should be
I 3 Interested improved before
implementation

SLI 2 Slightly Interested The system has potential

to be implemented

NI 1 Not Interested There is no need to

implement this system

Table 3.1 Interpretation of the Given Scales (Interest)

SYMBOL SCORE INTERPRETATION MEANING

Highly efficient and The system helps greatly
HEC 4 convenient in the setting
Efficient and
EC 3 convenient The system helps in the
setting
Low efficient and
LEC 2 convenient The system helps
somewhat in the setting
Not efficient and
NEC 1 convenient at all The system does not
help in the setting

Table 3.2 Interpretation of the Given Scales (Efficient and Convenient)

21
 In addition to the responses that the respondents will give, the researchers will

also ask them for suggestions and recommendations in the survey questionnaire because

it will be a great help for the system to be improved, if ever. The response of the

respondents will help the researchers to determine the strengths and also the

weaknesses of the system.

3.6 Experimentation

An experimentation will be held to determine the functionality of each component

in the system. Five (5) trials will be conducted for each component in the electronic

system. A figurine toy will be used to sit on the chair in which the sensor will be attached

and check whether the component will function properly. If the led light turns on, it means

that the component worked properly. Each proper function corresponds to one check in

the table presented below:

COMPONENT TRIAL 1 TRIAL 2 TRIAL 3 TRIAL 4 TRIAL 5

Table 3.3 Template for the data of the experimentation per trial

22
3.7 Statistical Analysis

The data from the survey at the three fast food restaurants will be gathered. The

ratings of the respondents in the survey will be tallied according to the dimensions we

set for the project.

To find out if the project will be effective enough and contains significant degree

of variance existed in the dimensions, the researcher will be using one-way ANOVA as

the statistical tool.

23
 REFERENCES

Baron, F., Abbot, R. (1999). Seat occupancy indicator and seating area display

system. Retrieved from https://patents.google.com/patent/US6140921A/en

Nielsen, N. (2014, December). FILIPINOS FLOCK TO FASTFOOD

RESTAURANTS AND CONVENIENCE STORES TO GET THEIR MEALS. Retrieved

from https://www.nielsen.com/ph/en/insights/article/2014/filipinos-flock-to-fastfood-

convenience-stores-to-get-meals/

Gavilan, J. (2014, October). More Filipinos choose to dine out than make own

meals. Retrieved from https://www.rappler.com/move-ph/issues/hunger/72785-2014-

nielson-shoppers-trend-report

Allen, W. (1963). The Growth of World Population. Retrieved from

https://www.nap.edu/read/9543/chapter/1

Aqeel, A. (2018, June). Introduction to Arduino Mega 2560. Retrieved from

https://www.theengineeringprojects.com/2018/06/introduction-to-arduino-mega-

2560.html

Hwang, J. (2008, December). Restaurant Table Management to Reduce Customer

Waiting Times. Retrieved from

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15378020802519603

24
 Bao, Y. (2007, November). The Availability of Fast-Food and Full-Service

Restaurants in the United States. Retrieved from

https://www.researchgate.net/publications/301740727

25