Smart Canteen Application for Digital Order Management and Real-Time Status Tracking

Traditional canteen systems suffer from long queues, manual order recording, billing errors, lack of order tracking, and inefficient communication between customers and canteen staff. This paper presents a Smart Canteen Application designed to digitize and automate the food ordering and management process using a mobile-based system integrated with an admin control panel. The system enables users to register, log in, browse menus, add items to cart, select payment methods (Cash on Delivery or Online Payment), and receive real-time order status notifications such as Preparing, Ready, and Completed. The admin panel manages food items, accepts or rejects orders, updates order status, and monitors daily transactions. The architecture follows a client-server model with a mobile frontend and a centralized backend database. The system reduces waiting time, improves order accuracy, enhances communication, and ensures better inventory and order management. Experimental testing shows reduced average waiting time by 40% and improved order accuracy to 98%. The proposed solution contributes to efficient digital transformation in institutional canteen environments.