Quick hack for implementing KOT in restaurant - Safwan Erooth | ERPNext Conference 2022

Summary

The speaker discusses overcoming social anxiety to network and help a friend implement a restaurant's kitchen printer system using ERP Next. They detail a simple yet effective hack involving a Flask app and local printing, overcoming cloud limitations. The system has been operational for eight months without issues. They also mention implementing a display for an ice cream chain and working on a solution for real-time order updates in multiple restaurants, aiming to package their solution into a market-ready app.

Takeaways

• 😀 The speaker has recently overcome social anxiety and is now friends with Rishabh after a talk.
• 👥 The speaker was initially reluctant to network but ended up giving a flash talk with the help of Hamza.
• 🍽️ The discussion revolves around implementing restaurant solutions using ERPNext, a cloud-based business management software.
• 🖨️ A challenge was integrating a kitchen printer with ERPNext, which required a solution for network printing.
• 💡 The team devised a hack using a Flask application to handle printing from the cloud to a local kitchen printer.
• 🛠️ They used a simple setup with a post machine, a local Flask API, and a network-connected kitchen printer.
• 📊 The implementation included a display for kitchen staff to track order preparation and delivery status.
• 🚀 The solution has been running without issues for eight months, with only minor support requests.
• 🔒 Browser security was a hurdle when trying to connect to localhost from the cloud, requiring workarounds.
• 📈 Analytics were implemented to track the average time taken to deliver each order.
• 📱 The team is now looking to bundle their scripts into a prepay app for distribution in the marketplace.

Q & A

What was the speaker's initial mood before attending the event?

The speaker was not in the mood to network and was experiencing social anxiety after a long period of not speaking to the public.

Who helped the speaker overcome their social anxiety?

A person named Hamza helped the speaker meet people and introduced them to others.

What was the main challenge the speaker faced with the restaurant implementation project?

The main challenge was integrating a cloud application with a printer located elsewhere, which required a solution for network printing.

Why was using a cloud-based network printing solution not feasible for the speaker's project?

The speaker's project was a small one with a limited team and time, and the available cloud-based solutions required subscriptions that were not suitable for their needs.

What was the 'hack' solution the speaker's team implemented for the restaurant's printing needs?

They developed a small Flask application that exposed an API on localhost to handle printing tasks, bypassing the need for expensive cloud-based solutions.

How does the Flask application interact with the point of sale system in the restaurant?

The point of sale system sends the bill items to the Flask application, which then appends the data into an HTML, converts it to a PDF, and prints it.

What is the purpose of the web page implemented in the ice cream counters?

The web page is used to display and manage invoices in the kitchen, showing the status of preparation and delivery, and allowing kitchen staff to update the order status.

How often does the web page in the ice cream counters update the invoice status?

The web page pulls data from the ERP Next API every five seconds to update the invoice status.

What analytics feature was implemented to track the average delivery time of kots?

The system provides a report that shows the average time taken from invoice creation to completion of each kot.

What issues did the speaker encounter when trying to make calls to localhost from the cloud?

Web browsers typically do not allow calls to localhost from the cloud, which required workarounds such as disabling browser security or adding a local certificate to localhost.

What is the speaker's plan for the future regarding the restaurant implementation project?

The speaker plans to bundle the scripts and Flask application into a pre-packaged app for distribution on the marketplace and explore integration with existing apps like 'restaurant posts'.