System, method and apparatus for managing made-to-order food tickets for a restaurant service

• US 9,009,067 B1
• Filed: 01/16/2013
• Issued: 04/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GrubHub Inc.
• Original Assignee: GrubHub Inc.
• Inventors: Scotto, Stefano Alexander, Battle, Jacob Lyman, Evnin, Joshua, Danielson, Zach, Adams, Kristie
• Primary Examiner(s): Hayles, Ashford S
• Application Number:
  US13/743,009
• Time in Patent Office: 818 Days
• Field of Search: 705/15
• US Class Current: 705/15
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants

Abstract

A customer service system operated by a restaurant service provides a restaurant service server. From a database, the restaurant service server retrieves a ticket that is generated by a restaurant service server application. The restaurant service server applies a diner credit policy to the ticket, and issues a diner credit for the diner associated with the ticket.

Claims

1. A customer service system for managing made-to-order food tickets for a restaurant service comprising:

i) a restaurant service server including a software application and operatively coupled to a database;

ii) the software application retrieves a ticket from the database, the ticket generated and stored into the database by a restaurant service server application, the ticket generated in response to;

(1) a failure to transmit an order to a restaurant by the restaurant service server or confirm the order by the restaurant;

(2) a late order message sent to the restaurant service server over a wide area network from a delivery driver mobile device;

or

(3) a restaurant cancellation message sent to the restaurant service server over the wide area network from an on-site service appliance;

iii) the software application determines a type of the ticket;

iv) the software application retrieves a diner credit policy for the type from the database;

v) the software application sets a diner credit amount in compliance with the diner credit policy for the ticket; and

vi) the software application stores the diner credit amount for the ticket into the database.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the restaurant cancellation message comprises a restaurant cancellation reason.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the restaurant cancellation reason is one of a delivery driver unavailable reason, a restaurant closed reason, an out of delivery area reason, a restaurant busy reason, or a not serving diner reason.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the diner credit policy comprises a minimum diner credit amount and a maximum diner credit amount.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein:

i) the diner credit policy comprises a minimum late time and a maximum late time;

ii) the set diner credit amount is between the minimum diner credit and the maximum diner credit; and

iii) the type of the ticket indicates a late order status.

6. The system of claim 3 wherein the software application further:

i) receives a request for the ticket and the diner credit policy from a customer service representative device over a network connection;

ii) sends the ticket and the diner credit policy to the customer service representative device over the network connection; and

iii) receives the set diner credit amount for the ticket from the customer service representative device over the network connection.

7. The system of claim 3 wherein the diner credit amount correlates with a diner repeat status.

8. A method for managing made-to-order food tickets for a restaurant service, the method operating within a restaurant service server comprising:

i) retrieving a ticket from a database, the ticket generated by a restaurant service server application running on the restaurant service server, the ticket generated in response to;

(1) a failure to transmit an order to a restaurant by the restaurant service server or confirm the order by the restaurant;

(2) a late order message sent to the restaurant service server over a wide area network from a delivery driver mobile device;

or

(3) a restaurant cancellation message sent to the restaurant service server over the wide area network from an on-site service appliance;

ii) determining a type of the ticket;

iii) retrieving a diner credit policy for the type from the database;

iv) setting a diner credit amount in compliance with the diner credit policy for the ticket; and

v) storing the diner credit amount for the ticket into the database.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the restaurant cancellation message comprises a restaurant cancellation reason.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the restaurant cancellation reason is one of a delivery driver unavailable reason, a restaurant closed reason, an out of delivery area reason, a restaurant busy reason, or a not serving diner reason.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the diner credit policy comprises a minimum diner credit amount and a maximum diner credit amount.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein:

i) the diner credit policy comprises a minimum late time and a maximum late time;

ii) the set diner credit amount is between the minimum diner credit and the maximum diner credit; and

iii) the type of the ticket indicates a late order status.

13. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

i) receiving a request for the ticket and the diner credit policy from a customer service representative device over a network connection;

ii) sending the ticket and the diner credit policy to the customer service representative device over the network connection; and

iii) receiving the set diner credit amount for the ticket from the customer service representative device over the network connection.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the diner credit amount correlates with a diner repeat status.