System and method for improving customer wait time, customer service, and marketing efficiency in the restaurant, retail, hospitality, travel, and entertainment industries

• US 9,390,424 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2011
• Issued: 07/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bradley Marshall Hendrickson
• Original Assignee: Bradley Marshall Hendrickson
• Inventors: Hendrickson, Bradley Marshall
• Primary Examiner(s): Iwarere, Seye
• Application Number:
  US13/088,046
• Publication Number:
  US 20120016745A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,915 Days
• Field of Search: 705/5, 705/15
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0271 Personalized advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants

Abstract

A system and method including an Internet preordering system accessible online or onsite at a free-standing kiosk located in or near client properties in which customers may create profiles for the requested services and provide such information to the service provider in advance of the customer'"'"'s arrival for the requested services. When the customer arrives, the customer identifies himself/herself and the preorder is accessed, verified and/or modified. The preorder is then forwarded to the service provider and the delivery of the service is optimally timed to the readiness of the customer. The customer'"'"'s profile and preorder information are maintained in a database and used for in-house precision marketing campaigns and cross-promotional opportunities. For example, in a restaurant embodiment, a registered customer is given access to menus and may create menu preferences for a participating restaurant. The registered customer may also make a reservation at a participating restaurant for a party of any size in advance (for example, up to 24 hours) of the reservation time. The food and/or drink preorder for each guest in the party may be completed in advance and maintained on the server, with the reservation time, for access when the party arrives at the designated reservation time. After a verification process, the customer may retrieve the party'"'"'s preorder, make any desired changes, and then verify the preorder at the kiosk. Once the preorder is verified, the customer may finalize the preorder and proceed to the hostess kiosk where the preorder is accessed by the restaurant staff. Either when the party is seated or at an appropriate time prior to seating (based on a comparison of the seating wait queue to the kitchen wait queue), the preorder is forwarded for preparation so that the ordered food and/or drink arrives shortly after the customer'"'"'s party is seated.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for improving efficiency of delivering products and/or services to a customer at a restaurant, shopping, travel, or entertainment venue, comprising:

a computer receiving from the customer, prior to arrival at said venue, a reservation including a preorder of the products and/or services the customer wishes to receive upon arrival at the restaurant, shopping, travel, or entertainment venue;

further comprising a customer payment account for the preorder of products and/or services prior to receiving delivery of products and/or services;

the computer validating the reservation upon receipt of an indication that the customer has arrived at the selected restaurant, shopping, travel, or entertainment venue and entering the customer in a preparation queue of a vendor management system;

the vendor management system determining when a wait time for the customer in the queue is less than or equal to a preparation time for preparing the preorder of products and/or services and forwarding the preorder of products and/or services of the validated reservation to a preparation queue vendor management system, and/or other vendor system for preparation at or before the time the customer is available to receive delivery of products and/or services; and

storing in a database a record of the customer'"'"'s purchases in a customer profile.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the customer profile stored in the database includes at least the customer'"'"'s preferences for restaurants, shopping, travel, entertainment, and/or combinations thereof.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the customer'"'"'s reservation includes a preorder of products and/or services for members of a party;

and

wherein the validating includes validating the reservation when at least one member of the party is present at the restaurant, shopping, travel, or entertainment venue and available to receive delivery of products and/or services at the selected restaurant, shopping, travel, or entertainment venue.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the reservation is created by the customer accessing a website including a menu for the restaurant, shopping, travel, or entertainment venue from which one or more members of the party create the preorder of products and/or services.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising selecting at least a portion of the preorder of products and/or services from a list of favorite menu items off of the restaurant, shopping, travel, or entertainment menu for at least one member of the party, said list of favorite menu items being stored in the customer profile for said at least one member of the party.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the reservation is created by the customer accessing a kiosk or computer terminal located at or near the restaurant, shopping, travel, or entertainment venue including a menu for the restaurant, shopping, travel, or venue from which one or more members of the party create the preorder of products and/or services.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising selecting at least a portion of the preorder of products and/or services from a list of favorite menu items off of the restaurant, shopping, travel, or entertainment menu for at least one member of the party, said list of favorite menu items being stored in the customer profile for said at least one member of the party.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the reservation is accessed by the customer and the presence of said at least one member of the party at the restaurant, shopping, travel, or entertainment venue is validated using a kiosk or computer terminal located at or near the restaurant, shopping, travel, or entertainment venue, and the contents of the reservation are modified as appropriate, approved, and confirmed by said at least one member of the party.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the confirmed reservation is forwarded to a vendor management system for placing the party in a queue to receive delivery of products and/or services.

10. The method of claim 3, wherein the customer profile identifies preferences of the customer including a list of favorite menu items available from said restaurant, shopping, travel, or entertainment venue.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the customer is offered special offers from the restaurant, shopping, travel, or entertainment venue based on the contents of the customer'"'"'s profile.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the customer profile is linked to a unique customer identifier and access to the customer profile is denied without said unique customer identifier.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the unique customer identifier comprises a biometric scan, an access card, a retinal scan, a password, profile name, biometric identification data, email address and the like, some other unique identification, or key fob or the like.

14. The method of claim 3, further comprising storing the customer'"'"'s preorder in a database and using the customer'"'"'s preorder in precision marketing to the customer and/or providing discount offers, special offers, and/or gifting options to the customer.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the customer profile further includes the customer'"'"'s travel preferences, shopping preferences, entertainment preferences, hospitality preferences, and/or combinations thereof.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the reservation is part of an event package that utilizes the customer profile to preselect travel, shopping, entertainment, hospitality, and dining services for the customer based on the customer'"'"'s preferences in the customer profile.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the event package comprises a travel itinerary specifying travel, shopping, entertainment, hospitality, and dining services based on the customer profile, further comprising using a handheld GPS device to guide the customer through the travel itinerary based on the customer'"'"'s location as determined by the handheld GPS device.

18. A computer-implemented system that improves efficiency of delivering products and/or services to a customer at a restaurant, shopping, travel, or entertainment venue, comprising:

a customer mobile device and application program;

a vendor point of sale (POS) register and/or vendor kiosk;

a vendor server; and

a vendor computer comprising an operating system, a processor, a database, a memory and/or remote memory storage;

wherein the vendor computer receives from a customer, via Internet or other means of establishng a communications link between the computers, prior to arrival at said venue, a reservation including a preorder of the products and/or services the customer wishes to receive upon arrival at the restaurant, shopping, travel, or entertainment venue;

further comprising a customer payment account for the preorder of products and/or services prior to receiving delivery of products and/or services;

the customer mobile device, vendor POS register and/or vendor kiosk, vendor server, and/or vendor computer validates the reservation upon receipt of an indication that the customer has arrived at the selected restaurant, shopping, travel, or entertainment venue and enters the customer in a preparation queue of a vendor management system;

the vendor management system determines when a wait time for the customer in the queue is less than or equal to a preparation time for preparing the preorder of products and/or services and forwards the preorder of products and/or services of the validated reservation to the preparation queue, vendor management system, and/or other vendor system for preparation at or before the time the customer is available to receive delivery of products and/or services; and

storing, in a database, a record of the customer'"'"'s purchases in a customer profile.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the customer profile stored in the database includes at least the customer'"'"'s preferences for restaurants, shopping, travel, entertainment, and/or combinations thereof.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the customer'"'"'s reservation includes a preorder of products and/or services for members of a party;

and

wherein the validating includes validating the reservation when at least one member of the party is present at the restaurant, shopping, travel, or entertainment venue and available to receive delivery of products and/or services at the selected restaurant, shopping, travel, or entertainment venue.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the reservation is created by the customer accessing a website or application program including a menu for the restaurant, shopping, travel, or entertainment venue from which one or more members of the party create the preorder of products and/or services.

22. The system of claim 21, further comprising selecting at least a portion of the preorder of products and/or services from a list of favorite menu items off of the restaurant, shopping, travel, or entertainment menu for at least one member of the party, said list of favorite menu items being stored in the customer profile for said at least one member of the party.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein the reservation is created by the customer accessing a touch screen device, kiosk, or computer terminal located at or near the restaurant, shopping, travel, or entertainment venue including a menu for the restaurant, shopping, travel, or venue from which one or more members of the party create the preorder of products and/or services.

24. The system of claim 23, further comprising selecting at least a portion of the preorder of products and/or services from a list of favorite menu items off of the restaurant, shopping, travel, or entertainment menu for at least one member of the party, said list of favorite menu items being stored in the customer profile for said at least one member of the party.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein the reservation is accessed by the customer and the presence of said at least one member of the party at the restaurant, shopping, travel, or entertainment venue is validated using a touch screen device, kiosk, or computer terminal located at or near the restaurant, shopping, travel, or entertainment venue, and the contents of the reservation are modified as appropriate, approved, and confirmed by said at least one member of the party.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the confirmed reservation is forwarded to a vendor management system for placing the party in a queue to receive delivery of products and/or services.

27. The system of claim 20, wherein the customer profile identifies preferences of the customer including a list of favorite menu items available from said restaurant, shopping, travel, or entertainment venue.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the customer is offered special offers from the restaurant, shopping, travel, or entertainment venue based on the contents of the customer'"'"'s profile.

29. The system of claim 27, wherein the customer profile is linked to a unique customer identifier and access to the customer profile is denied without said unique customer identifier.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the unique customer identifier comprises a biometric scan, an access card, a retinal scan, a password, profile name, biometric identification data, email address and the like, some other unique identification, or key fob or the like.

31. The system of claim 20, further comprising storing the customer'"'"'s preorder in a database and using the customer'"'"'s preorder in precision marketing to the customer and/or providing discount offers, special offers, and/or gifting options to the customer.

32. The system of claim 27, wherein the customer profile further includes the customer'"'"'s travel preferences, shopping preferences, entertainment preferences, hospitality preferences, and/or combinations thereof.

33. The system of claim 18, wherein the reservation is part of an event package that utilizes the customer profile to preselect travel, shopping, entertainment, hospitality, and/or dining services for the customer based on the customer'"'"'s preferences in the customer profile.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the event package comprises a travel itinerary specifying travel, shopping, entertainment, hospitality, and/or dining services based on the customer profile, further comprising using a handheld GPS device to guide the customer through the travel itinerary based on the customer'"'"'s location as determined by the handheld GPS device or application program.