Quick Start

Introduction

This quickstart guide walks you through the essential steps to get your restaurant site operational, from logging in as an admin to processing your first customer order.

Before starting, ensure you’ve completed the Installation guide and have the application running at http://localhost:8000

Overview

In this guide, you’ll:

Log in as an admin user
Create food categories
Add menu items with details
Test the customer ordering flow
Manage orders in the admin panel

Step-by-Step Guide

Access the Application

Open your browser and navigate to the application:

http://localhost:8000

You should see the restaurant homepage with a navigation menu.

Click the Login button in the navigation menu and use the seeded admin credentials:

Email: admin@gmail.com
Password: admin1234

After successful login, you’ll be redirected to the admin dashboard at /admin/dashboard.

The system uses Laravel Jetstream for authentication, which includes features like two-factor authentication and session management.

Explore the Admin Dashboard

The admin dashboard provides access to:

Users Management - Create and manage staff accounts
Food Menu - Add and edit menu items
Categories - Organize menu items
Tables - Manage restaurant tables
Reservations - Handle table bookings
Orders - View and process customer orders
Chefs - Manage chef profiles

Navigate through the sidebar to familiarize yourself with the interface.

Create Menu Categories

Before adding food items, create some categories:

Go to Admin > Categories (or use the existing seeded categories)
Click Add Category
Create categories like:
- Appetizers
- Main Courses
- Desserts
- Beverages
- Specials

Categories are automatically seeded during installation via CategorySeeder, but you can add more as needed.

Add Your First Menu Item

Now add a food item to the menu:

Navigate to Admin > Foods in the sidebar
Click Create Food or Add New Item
Fill in the details:

Title: Grilled Salmon
Price: 24.99
Category: Main Courses
Description: Fresh Atlantic salmon grilled to perfection
Ingredients: Salmon, olive oil, lemon, herbs
Proteins: 35g
Calories: 450
Size: 250g
Image: Upload an image (optional)

Click Save to create the item

The food item is stored in the food table:

Schema::create('food', function (Blueprint $table) {
    $table->id();
    $table->string("title")->nullable();
    $table->decimal('price', 8, 2)->nullable();
    $table->string("image")->nullable();
    $table->string("description")->nullable();
    $table->text('ingredients')->nullable();
    $table->string('proteins')->nullable();
    $table->integer('calories')->nullable();
    $table->string('size')->nullable();
    $table->foreignId('category_id')
          ->nullable()
          ->constrained('categories')
          ->onDelete('set null');
    $table->timestamps();
});

Add More Menu Items

Create a few more items to populate your menu:

Title: Caesar Salad
Price: 8.99
Category: Appetizers
Description: Classic Caesar with crispy romaine
Ingredients: Romaine lettuce, Caesar dressing, parmesan, croutons
Calories: 220
Size: Medium

Test the Customer Experience

Now test the ordering flow from a customer’s perspective:

Log out from the admin account
Register a new customer account or use the seeded customer:
```
Email: user@gmail.com
Password: user1234
```
You’ll be redirected to the homepage

Browse the Menu

As a customer:

Click Menu in the navigation
Browse the food items you created
Click on an item to view details

The menu view is powered by the comidaview route:

routes/web.php

Route::get('/menu', [HomeController::class, 'comidaview'])->name('menu');

HomeController.php

public function comidaview()
{
    $foods = Food::with('category')->paginate(24);
    $user = Auth::user();
    $count = $user ? Cart::where('user_id', $user->id)->count() : 0;
    
    return view('comidaview', compact('foods','count'));
}

Add Items to Cart

Select items and add them to your cart:

Click on a food item (e.g., “Grilled Salmon”)
View the detailed information
Click Add to Cart
The cart count in the navigation will update

The cart is managed through authenticated routes:

routes/web.php

Route::middleware(['auth'])->group(function () {
    Route::get('/cart', [CartController::class, 'index'])->name('cart.index');
    Route::post('/cart/{food}', [CartController::class, 'store'])->name('cart.store');
    Route::delete('/cart/{cart}', [CartController::class, 'destroy'])->name('cart.destroy');
});

Only authenticated users can add items to cart. Guest users will be redirected to login.

View and Update Cart

Check your cart:

Click the Cart icon in the navigation
Review the items and quantities
Update quantities or remove items as needed
See the total price update dynamically

Place an Order

Complete the checkout process:

From the cart page, click Proceed to Checkout

Fill in delivery details:

Name: John Doe
Phone: +1 (555) 123-4567
Address: 123 Main St, Apt 4B, New York, NY 10001

Review your order items
Click Confirm Order

The order is processed by the orderConfirm method:

HomeController.php

public function orderConfirm(Request $request)
{
    $request->validate([
        'name' => 'required|string|max:255',
        'phone' => 'required|string|max:40',
        'address' => 'nullable|string',
    ]);
    
    $user = Auth::user();
    
    DB::beginTransaction();
    try {
        $order = Order::create([
            'user_id' => $user ? $user->id : null,
            'customer_name' => $request->name,
            'phone' => $request->phone,
            'address' => $request->address,
            'total' => 0,
            'status' => 'pending',
        ]);
        
        $total = 0;
        foreach ($normalized as $it) {
            $orderItem = $order->items()->create([
                'food_id' => $it['food_id'] ?? null,
                'title'   => $it['title'],
                'price'   => $it['price'],
                'quantity'=> $it['quantity'],
                'subtotal'=> $it['subtotal'],
            ]);
            $total += $it['subtotal'];
        }
        
        $order->update(['total' => $total]);
        
        // Clear cart items
        if ($user) {
            Cart::where('user_id', $user->id)->delete();
        }
        
        DB::commit();
        return redirect()->route('home')
            ->with('success', 'Order created successfully. ID: ' . $order->id);
    } catch (\Throwable $e) {
        DB::rollBack();
        return redirect()->back()
            ->with('error', 'Could not process order. Please try again.');
    }
}

Orders are created in a database transaction to ensure data consistency. If any part fails, all changes are rolled back.

View Orders as Admin

Switch back to the admin account to manage orders:

Log out from the customer account
Log in as admin (admin@gmail.com / admin1234)
Go to Admin > Orders
You’ll see the order you just placed
Click to view order details:
- Customer information
- Order items with quantities
- Total amount
- Order status (pending, preparing, delivered)

The orders route is protected by role middleware:

routes/web.php

Route::middleware('role:admin')->group(function () {
    Route::get('orders', [AdminOrderController::class, 'index'])
        ->name('orders.index');
    Route::get('orders/{order}', [AdminOrderController::class, 'show'])
        ->name('orders.show');
});

Test Other User Roles

Explore the different role capabilities:Chef Account (chef@gmail.com / chef1234):

Access admin panel
Manage food menu items
View chef profile
Cannot access user management

routes/web.php

Route::middleware('role:admin,chef')->group(function () {
    Route::resource('foods', AdminFoodController::class)->names('foods');
});

Waiter Account (mesero@gmail.com / mesero1234):

Access admin panel
Manage tables and reservations
Assign tables to customers
Cannot manage menu items

routes/web.php

Route::middleware('role:admin,mesero')->group(function () {
    Route::resource('tables', AdminTableController::class)->names('tables');
    Route::get('reservations', [AdminReservationController::class, 'index']);
});

Manage Tables (Optional)

If you’re running a dine-in restaurant:

Log in as admin or waiter
Go to Admin > Tables
Click Add Table

Create tables:

Table Number: 1
Capacity: 4
Status: Available
Location: Window Side

Repeat for multiple tables
Update table status as customers arrive:
- Available
- Reserved
- Occupied

Understanding the Data Flow

Order Processing Flow

Role-Based Access

The system uses Spatie Laravel Permission for role management:

User Model

use Spatie\Permission\Traits\HasRoles;

class User extends Authenticatable
{
    use HasRoles;
    
    // Check if user has a role
    if ($user->hasRole('admin')) {
        // Admin access
    }
    
    // Check multiple roles
    if ($user->hasAnyRole(['admin', 'chef', 'mesero'])) {
        // Access admin panel
    }
}

Database Relationships

// Food belongs to Category
Food::with('category')->get();

// Order has many OrderItems
$order = Order::with('items')->find(1);

// User has many Orders
$userOrders = User::find(1)->orders;

// Cart belongs to User and Food
$cartItems = Cart::with('food', 'user')->get();

Configuration Tips

Customize Application Name

Update your .env file:

.env

APP_NAME="My Restaurant Name"
VITE_APP_NAME="${APP_NAME}"

Set Application URL

.env

APP_URL=http://myrestaurant.test

Configure File Uploads

For food images, ensure storage is properly linked:

php artisan storage:link

Images are stored in storage/app/public/ and accessed via public/storage/.

Common Tasks

Create a New Admin User

php artisan tinker

$user = User::create([
    'name' => 'New Admin',
    'email' => 'newadmin@restaurant.com',
    'password' => Hash::make('secure-password'),
    'usertype' => 'admin'
]);

$user->assignRole('admin');

Create a custom seeder:

database/seeders/MenuSeeder.php

use App\Models\Food;
use App\Models\Category;

class MenuSeeder extends Seeder
{
    public function run()
    {
        $appetizers = Category::where('name', 'Appetizers')->first();
        
        $items = [
            ['title' => 'Spring Rolls', 'price' => 6.99, 'calories' => 180],
            ['title' => 'Bruschetta', 'price' => 7.99, 'calories' => 150],
            ['title' => 'Calamari', 'price' => 9.99, 'calories' => 280],
        ];
        
        foreach ($items as $item) {
            Food::create([
                ...$item,
                'category_id' => $appetizers->id,
                'description' => 'Delicious ' . $item['title'],
            ]);
        }
    }
}

Run the seeder:

php artisan db:seed --class=MenuSeeder

Clear All Orders (Development)

php artisan tinker

Order::truncate();
OrderItem::truncate();
Cart::truncate();

Only use truncate in development. In production, use soft deletes or archive old orders.

Testing the API

If you plan to use the API endpoints:

Authenticate with Sanctum

curl -X POST http://localhost:8000/login \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "email": "admin@gmail.com",
    "password": "admin1234"
  }'

curl http://localhost:8000/api/foods \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN"

Next Steps

Now that you have a working restaurant site:

Authentication Guide

Deep dive into the multi-role authentication system

Menu Management

Learn advanced menu management features

Order Processing

Understand the complete order workflow

Configuration

Customize the configuration of your restaurant site

Troubleshooting

Cannot Add Items to Cart

Issue: “Please login to add items to cart” messageSolution: Cart functionality requires authentication. Ensure you’re logged in:

// Cart routes require auth middleware
Route::middleware(['auth'])->group(function () {
    Route::post('/cart/{food}', [CartController::class, 'store']);
});

Order Confirmation Fails

Issue: Order not created, transaction rolled backPossible Causes:

Missing required fields (name, phone)
Food item doesn’t exist
Database connection issue

Debug:

# Check Laravel logs
tail -f storage/logs/laravel.log

# Test database connection
php artisan db:show

Role Middleware Blocking Access

Issue: Redirected when accessing admin routesSolution: Verify user has correct role assigned:

php artisan tinker

$user = User::where('email', 'your@email.com')->first();
$user->roles; // Check assigned roles
$user->assignRole('admin'); // Assign role if missing

Images Not Displaying

Issue: Food images showing broken linksSolution:

# Ensure storage is linked
php artisan storage:link

# Check file permissions
chmod -R 775 storage/app/public

# Verify image path in database
# Should be: storage/foods/filename.jpg

For production deployment, remember to:

Set APP_ENV=production
Set APP_DEBUG=false
Run php artisan config:cache
Run php artisan route:cache
Run php artisan view:cache
Use npm run build for optimized assets

Get Started

Core Features

User Roles

Guides

Introduction

Overview

Step-by-Step Guide

Understanding the Data Flow

Order Processing Flow

Role-Based Access

Database Relationships

Configuration Tips

Customize Application Name

Set Application URL

Configure File Uploads

Common Tasks

Create a New Admin User

Bulk Import Menu Items

Clear All Orders (Development)

Testing the API

Authenticate with Sanctum

Fetch Menu Items

Next Steps

Authentication Guide

Menu Management

Order Processing

Configuration

Troubleshooting

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get Started

Core Features

User Roles

Guides

​Introduction

​Overview

​Step-by-Step Guide

​Understanding the Data Flow

​Order Processing Flow

​Role-Based Access

​Database Relationships

​Configuration Tips

​Customize Application Name

​Set Application URL

​Configure File Uploads

​Common Tasks

​Create a New Admin User

​Bulk Import Menu Items

​Clear All Orders (Development)

​Testing the API

​Authenticate with Sanctum

​Fetch Menu Items

​Next Steps

Authentication Guide

Menu Management

Order Processing

Configuration

​Troubleshooting

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Introduction

Overview

Step-by-Step Guide

Understanding the Data Flow

Order Processing Flow

Role-Based Access

Database Relationships

Configuration Tips

Customize Application Name

Set Application URL

Configure File Uploads

Common Tasks

Create a New Admin User

Bulk Import Menu Items

Clear All Orders (Development)

Testing the API

Authenticate with Sanctum

Fetch Menu Items

Next Steps

Troubleshooting