Virtual gastronomy

This learning resource has been developed in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and tries to show the possibilities to realize a virtual gastronomy with an OpenSource tool. The basic idea tries to provide an option to the heavily battered gastronomy, to create a virtual infrastructure of social interaction and to map the activities that otherwise occur in gastronomy between guests and the operator as far as possible with digital tools.

Challenges

Challenges for the operators are central:

Access to an open source video conferencing server,
Coordination of simultaneous deliveries of meals,
Preparatory deliveries of beverages,
Settlement system for orders with several suppliers

Task

Analyze what functions a pub has and consider how the requirements of guests can be mapped by epidemoplogical secure processes. Add examples of how small and medium-sized businesses can still make a living under the difficult conditions and at the same time take into account the guests' communication and culinary wishes.
How do you network small and medium-sized enterprises to realize this goal of a virtual pub?
What function can a video conferencing system take over? Which needs of guests cannot be represented in a virtual pub? Complete the sections below and share your idea so that as many catering businesses as possible can benefit?
How can you share a OpenSource Videoconferencing System between companies in such a way that during the day the videoconferencing system is used by companies and in the evening by the virtual pub!
(Open Innovation) Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many areas in business and administration must undergo a digital transformation. However, small and medium-sized enterprises do not have a development department for such transformation processes. Explain the importance of [[v:en:Open Innovation Ecosystem open innovation processes so that small and medium-sized enterprises can jointly create this transformation. To do this, it must be ensured that the ideas provided by individuals in the community remain available to the community and can be further developed. How can an Open Community Approach contribute to building a community knowledge base for small and medium-sized enterprises? What kind of requirements for a legal framework need to be considered to ensure that this community resource of innovations remains available to the community?

delivery service and food

A joint virtual meal with video conference is about joint conversations that are usually held at the table in the gatronomy. With virtual gastronomy, the 'simultaneous delivery of food to the guests is a central requirement. If you have reserved a table in a virtual pub at 8pm, the food should be delivered to the guests at different places at the same time, e.g. at 8:15pm.

Which time of preparation for the food and the transport to the guests has to be considered?
Different dishes need different preparation times and the guests live at different distances from the gatronomy (e.g. soup, salad compared to a more complex dish) How do you calculate the time when you have to start preparing the dishes so that the guests can eat at the same time in the virtual pub with a video conference?
How would one have to organize a meeting of friends with food, if some guests in Munich and other guests in Kiel would like to be present at the common meal?

Pub Quiz

How can a pub game or a quiz that was conducted in a pub also be conducted in a virtual pub?

Distribute quizzes to the guests: Online survey (e.g. Lime Survey), HTML forms, send the entered data as mail at Submit, PDF forms, online voting, ...
How is the evaluation done? Automated, manual, ...
How does the feedback about winners take place? This coming weekend, directly in the Videoconference, ...

Display of tables with video conference systems

At a table one would like to talk undisturbed in the group. If necessary the pub owner comes to the tables and talks to the guests and then leaves the table again. Questions such as whether the food was tasty from the delivery service and whether everything was on time are ways of checking the quality of service in the virtual pub.

(Tables) tables are therefore separate video conference rooms.
'(pub/common room) There are also activities available for all guests to do together. That would be in the OpenSource Videoconferencing System e.g. the common room, where a pub quiz or a music event with streamed music from a band is possible.

Music

In the background, you can give the guests at the table a URL to an Internet radio, e.g. with smooth jazz for musical accompaniment, which can be streamed to the guests in parallel and create the same mood. It could also be streamed to a live performance of a band, taking into account epidemioligical conditions, which is then shown as a YouTube video in the presentation area of the video conferencing system.

Panorama pictures

Panorama pictures (360-degree images) allow you to look around in a place you may not have entered or not yet entered. If necessary, the 360-degree images (with e.g. AFrame) can replace standard photographs. These can be created with special 360-degree images or with the open source software Hugin with normal cameras.

AFrame example of a 360 degree image.

Environment, exterior view, surroundings

If guests from another location are guests in the virtual pub, 360-degree images can also be provided as a link, showing the outside view of the pub on the one hand or showing sights in a nearby park on the other.

Interior view

This can be used analogously also for the interior view of the real pub. This may also be helpful after COVID-19 restrictions have been relaxed, if external guests are later also connected to a table via video conference, who may come from another city and would like to get to know the restaurant where the guests would actually have liked to meet.

External links

Scanable questionnaires with automatic optical recognition with SDAPS-Creator for a Pub Quiz.
SDAPS OpenSource optical Markup Recognition by Benjamin Berg