Display of some of the features in the DINE application made by ITS students

ITS Campus, ITS News – The regulation limiting 30 minutes of eating in place during the Implementation of Level 4 Community Activity Restrictions (PPKM) in a number of regions in Indonesia is quite overwhelming for various parties. To overcome this, three students of the Institut Teknologi Sepuluh November (ITS) created a unique application for the dine-in method in cafes or restaurants that can provide a different experience to its users.

They are Muhammad Rafi Hayla Arifa, Salsabila Irbah, Khairi Wiryawan. All three are students of the Department of Informatics Engineering, Faculty of Electrical Technology and Intelligent Informatics (FTEIC) ITS who joined a team called Dine.Co.

(from left) Muhammad Rafi Hayla Arifa, Salsabila Irbah, Khairi Wiryawan who are members of the Dine.Co-Team showing their application

Team leader Muhammad Rafi Hayla Arifa said that it all started with the team’s concern with the effects of the PPKM policy that made it difficult for business actors and buyers in the foods and beverages (F&B) business sector. “Many of them complained about the difficulty of dine-in procedures, starting from place reservations, queue information to contact information for cafes or restaurants that could be contacted,” he said.

According to Pihay, as he is familiarly called, given the current problems, technology is needed to accommodate people’s concerns and become a solution to these problems. “So we are here to bring innovations that are adaptive to people’s lives in the new normal era like today,” said the student from Jakarta.

Furthermore, Pihay explained, there are several looks and features in the DINE application made by his team. First, there is a search bar feature to find the location of a cafe or restaurant. Users can also choose a location from the closest to a category based on a country’s food characteristics.

Then there is also a detailed display of cafe or restaurant information, ranging from operating hours to information related to cafe or restaurant employee vaccinations. This view also features an attractive discount section, cafe or restaurant reviews, and a live chat. “This live chat feature is intended for users if they want to ask for more in-depth information,” he explained.

This third-year student continued, users can also see the menu of a cafe or restaurant, complete with prices and illustrations. The application is also equipped with a reservation feature to dine in at the desired cafe or restaurant. Later, users will get a QR Code scanned and validated when they come to the cafeteria or restaurant. “So that when in a cafe or restaurant, the timer on the DINE application will run according to the policies of each government,” he said.

This alumnus of SMA Negeri 78 Jakarta revealed that his DINE application has several advantages. These include minimizing the number of transmissions of the Covid-19 virus by ordering online, avoiding queues to get seats, and limiting the capacity of cafe or restaurant visitors. In addition, according to Pihay, this application can also increase efficiency both from the user or visitor side and the cafe or restaurant manager.

Thanks to the team’s hard work, their innovation has also won third place in the UI/UX Design Competition held by Telkom University last 12 September. In this competition, the Dine.Co team managed to outperform ten other finalists selected from universities throughout Indonesia.

Pihay hopes that the DINE application can be developed again to provide benefits for all people in living a new everyday life and can be the first step for Indonesia towards the digitalization era. “Hopefully, with this innovation, we can be more enthusiastic about continuing to make achievements for ourselves and our beloved campus ITS,” he concluded hopefully. (ITS Public Relation)

Reporter: Mukhammad Akbar Makhbubi