SmartFood

Login menu
Select restaurant
Main screen
Side menu
Friendly Chikorita

Inspiration

We were waiting for the waiter in a restaurant the day before to the hackathon and it came to our minds... How could we ease and speed up the process of taking the orders? Taking them from our smartphones!

What it does (or it will do)

SmartFood is an Android App (under construction) that allows you not just to make your order previously to your arrival to the restaurant, but also checking if your favorite table is available! The core of the App is the pre-order so you do not have to wait for the waiter, but among other features you will find: -Restaurant navigation: look for your restaurant and navigate through their menu. -Check what tables are available and choose one. -Make your order so the restaurant can prepare it at your desired time. Also add anything you want while you are eating. -Show all the info about the dishes: ingredients, allergens, etc. -History of your most visited restaurants and favorite dishes. -Share the bill with your friends if they are using the App too. -Rating of the dishes. -User-friendly interface. To start navigating, just tap in the icon in the center of the main screen (see attached image).

How we built it

We decided to go for Android (and use Android-Studio). We had never used this software before but we were sure it would be the most attractive option for the customer. Moreover, we used Hostinger to set our App database with information about restaurants, dishes, customers, etc.

Challenges we ran into

Most of our time was spent trying to get familiar with the Android Studio environment, which was completely new to us. We lost a lot of time with beginners' mistakes. Also, we first tried to use Scalingo's resources but we were unable to connect (and the staff was not very helful/available at crucial hours).

Accomplishments that we're proud of

During the last 36h we started an app from scratch with no prior knowledge of Android developing, Android Studio or Java. Eventhough we did not fulfill all our objectives (we were far too optimistic at first glance) we have setteled a solid base that can help us implememt the remaining functionalities of the app. We are proud of the huge progress we accomplished in so little time, as well as the amazingly collavorative atmosphere that we created within the team.

What we learned

We learned a lot about Android and database managing. It was our first time in a hackathon so the experience was really enlightening. We also learned how time consuming and intricate Android developing can be, even starting from an idea that at first seemed "straightforward".

What's next for SmartFood

First, we need to finish all the features and redesign the style of the App (we had troubles so we did not have enough time to do that). Also, we want to integrate Estimote Beacons with our App so the restaurant can perform a live tracing of your gastronomic experience.