INTRODUCTION

College canteens typically struggle with overcrowding during fixed lunch breaks, resulting

in long queues and wasted time for students who often miss out on meals. The existing

manual system causes delays, unfair order handling, payment complications, and lacks

options for order tracking or cancellations. This project aims to develop a Digital Canteen

Website using the MERN stack, enabling students to place orders online in advance through

a simple e-menu after login. Orders are instantly notified to kitchen staff for timely

preparation, and students can pick up their food securely via OTP verification. Additional

features like digital wallets for seamless payment and refunds, group ordering for collective

convenience, and a live queue display to track orders in real time will help reduce wait

times, improve fairness, and enhance overall user experience, effectively transforming the

traditional canteen system into a smart, efficient platform.

Traditional canteen operations rely heavily on manual order taking, billing, and queuing,

which results in several operational challenges:

• Long wait times that reduce effective lunch break duration.

• Order mismanagement, where some customers receive orders faster than others

despite ordering later.

• Limited payment options, usually cash-based, causing inconvenience and lack of

transaction traceability.

• No easy option for cancellation or refunds.

• Lack of order tracking and transparency.

Various existing food ordering platforms, such as Zomato and Swiggy, provide robust real-

time ordering systems but are not tailored for controlled environments like colleges where

pre-scheduling and efficient queue management are essential. QR code-based menu apps

offer a digital menu but lack dynamic order management and billing integration.

Our system takes inspiration from these platforms but uniquely targets institutional

canteens with features like advance ordering with minimum preparation lead time, OTP-

secured pickup, digital wallet refunds, group orders, and live queue display.
Proposed system

The proposed system is a full-stack web application designed with a user-friendly

interface and robust backend services to facilitate efficient canteen operations. The key

components are:

User Features:

• User Registration and Authentication with secure login.

• Menu Browsing with real-time item availability.

• Advance Order Placement, requiring orders to be placed at least 1 hour before

pickup time.

• Real-time Order Tracking showing current status (Pending, Preparing, Ready,

Completed).

• OTP-Based Pickup Verification ensuring secure collection of orders.

• Digital Wallet Integration: Users can add money to their wallet and use it for

payments. On order cancellation, refunds go back into the wallet.

• Group Ordering: Multiple users can join a group order session, add their items, and

place a single consolidated order.

• Order Cancellation before preparation starts, with refund processed to wallet.

• Order History and Profile Management for transparency and convenience.

• Admin Login and Authentication.

• Order Management Dashboard with real-time order queue, allowing status updates.

• Menu Management: Add, edit, or remove menu items and mark items out of stock.

• Live Queue Board display showing order numbers and statuses publicly on canteen

screens.

• Analytics and Reporting: Visual charts of orders, popular items, revenue, and

cancellations.

• Group Order Monitoring.

• Wallet Transaction Logs for audit.

1. Develop a dynamic web-based canteen management system using the MERN stack

to streamline food ordering and reduce manual efforts in handling customers, food

items, and sales data.

2. Minimize waiting time by allowing students and staff to place orders in advance

through an intuitive online platform.

3. Ensure fairness and transparency in order preparation and pickup using real-time

queue numbering systems and OTP-based collection.

4. Maintain accurate records of customers, food items, orders, and sales, enabling

efficient tracking and management of canteen operations.

5. Integrate a secure digital wallet system that allows flexible payment options and

stores refunds for cancel orders for future use.

6. Enable group ordering functionality to allow multiple users to place and manage

orders collectively.

7. Provide real-time queue status and order tracking through a live digital display,

enhancing user experience and reducing uncertainty.

8. Implement robust validation mechanisms for customer sign-up, login, and order

input to ensure data integrity and prevent invalid entries.

and order records, ensuring smooth and organized operations.

10. Offer search and filter capabilities to easily navigate data related to shops, food

items, customers, and orders.

11. Support analytics and reporting for administrators to monitor sales trends, peak

times, and operational efficiency.

Hardware:

Client Devices: Smartphones, tablets, laptops with web browsers.

Server: Cloud or local server with Node.js and MongoDB environment.

Public Display Screen: For live queue board, e.g., a monitor or TV.

Software:

Frontend: React.js, HTML, CSS, JavaScript.

Backend: Node.js, Express.js.

Database: MongoDB.

Real-time Communication: Socket.IO for live updates.

Authentication: JWT or session-based.

PDF Generation: Libraries like jsPDF for downloadable bills.

Hosting: Netlify, Render, or similar platforms.

The Digital Canteen Management System offers an efficient and modern solution to the

long-standing issues of time wastage, overcrowding, and order mismanagement in

traditional college canteens. By leveraging the MERN stack, this dynamic web platform

enables users to place advance orders, make secure payments, track their queue status, and

enjoy a smoother pickup experience via OTP verification. Features such as group ordering,

digital wallets, and real-time live queue boards enhance convenience, transparency, and

user satisfaction.

Overall, the system not only improves the canteen experience for students and staff but also

simplifies operations for administrators and kitchen staff. This project demonstrates how

technology can be effectively used to optimize daily campus life and lays the groundwork

for future scalability, such as mobile app integration or multi-outlet support.

1. Swiggy – India’s leading online food ordering and delivery platform, known for its

real-time tracking and pre-order features.

2. Zomato – Popular food delivery and restaurant aggregator platform that inspired

the user interface and order flow design.

3. Razorpay / Stripe – For understanding digital wallet systems and refund

mechanisms in online payment gateways.

4. College Campus Canteens – Observations from existing manual systems in college

canteens provided insight into real-world challenges.

5. Group Ordering Concepts – Studied from corporate food delivery systems and bulk

ordering apps.

6. Live Queue Management Systems – Inspired by systems used in banks, hospitals,

and railway stations to display real-time status.