Concurrent Slot Management in a Smart Canteen System: Design and Institutional Pilot of SPOON

Harsh Shukla; Arjun Yadav; Vinitkumar Jayaprakash Dongre; Vinod Salunkhe

doi:10.57159/jcmm.5.4.26761

Authors

Harsh Shukla Department of Information Technology, Thakur College of Engineering and Technology, Kandivali (East), Mumbai, Maharashtra, India https://orcid.org/0009-0002-5586-2591
Arjun Yadav Department of Information Technology, Thakur College of Engineering and Technology, Kandivali (East), Mumbai, Maharashtra, India https://orcid.org/0009-0002-5809-5674
Vinitkumar Jayaprakash Dongre Department of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering, Thakur College of Engineering and Technology, Kandivali (East), Mumbai, Maharashtra, India https://orcid.org/0009-0008-0681-698X
Vinod Salunkhe Department of Civil Engineering, Thakur College of Engineering and Technology, Kandivali (East), Mumbai, Maharashtra, India https://orcid.org/0009-0007-5776-0616

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.57159/jcmm.5.4.26761

Keywords:

Smart Canteen Management, Food Ordering System, Virtual Queue Management, Real-Time Synchronization, Digital Payment, Pre-Order Scheduling

Abstract

Efficient canteen management is an essential part of any institution in which a large number of orders must be processed within a short time interval. Traditional canteen systems rely on manual tokens and verbal order handling, and they frequently lead to miscommunication and mismanagement during order preparation and delivery. This study introduces SPOON, a real-time canteen management system that streamlines order processing, improves coordination among canteen staff, supports better resource utilization, and reduces the time users spend in the canteen. The proposed system integrates a cloud-based backend for real-time data synchronization with a streamlined workflow that simplifies both ordering and order management. Users can place an order from any location and need to be present at the counter only when the order is ready, which saves time and reduces crowding during peak hours. The system also supports pre-orders, allowing users to schedule a collection time in advance, and it applies atomic slot assignment at the database level so that concurrent orders receive unique pickup slots. Concurrency handling ensures that users receive real-time updates across the entire order lifecycle. In a two-week institutional pilot, the mean waiting time fell from 40.4 minutes under the traditional system to 7.8 minutes with SPOON, and the daily order volume rose by approximately 38.9 percent.

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