This guide explains RestroAI the way a restaurant team uses it in real life:
log in, set up the restaurant, build the menu, take orders, send food to the
kitchen, accept payments, track stock, and read reports. Each section explains
the page, the important fields, and simple examples a non-technical user can follow.
Screenshots on this page are real captures from the local demo tenant
RestroAI Demo Restaurant. Your colors, logo, branch names,
and records may look different, but the workflow and field meaning are the same.
Owner or Admin
Sets up branches, tables, staff, permissions, payments, MFA, and live settings.
Manager
Reviews menu changes, handles voids/refunds, monitors reports, and manages shifts.
Cashier and Waiter
Opens shifts, creates orders, sends tickets, takes payments, and prints receipts.
Kitchen and Host
Kitchen works KDS tickets. Host manages tables, reservations, waitlist, and guests.
1. Login Workflow
Tenant staff sign in from a restaurant-specific URL, for example
/r/restroai-demo/login. The central platform admin uses the normal
admin login. Keep those two areas separate: central admin manages SaaS tenants,
while tenant staff run one restaurant.
Real tenant login screen. Staff enter email and password for their restaurant workspace.
Field or Control
What It Means
Example
Email
The staff account email created by the Owner or Manager.
owner@restroai-demo.test
Password
The private password for that staff account. In production, use a strong password.
Use a phrase such as RiverTable92!, not a shared PIN.
Forgot password?
Sends a reset link through the configured mail system.
If a cashier forgets the password, they request reset here instead of sharing another account.
2FA code
Shown after password only when two-factor authentication is enabled.
Owners and Managers should use an authenticator app before going live.
2. Owner Dashboard Workflow
The dashboard is the morning check. Use it to confirm the restaurant is active,
see notifications, and jump into the modules that need attention.
Real tenant dashboard with restaurant status, notifications, and module shortcuts.
Area
How To Read It
Plain Example
Status pill
Shows whether the tenant is active, pending, suspended, or blocked by subscription.
If it says Active, staff can use restaurant modules.
Notifications
Important alerts such as voids, payment recovery, low stock, or setup warnings.
A manager sees a void notification and opens it before approving cash close.
Quick module cards
Fast links to setup, menu, POS, KDS, inventory, guests, reports, and demo studio.
Click POS when lunch service starts.
3. Restaurant Setup Workflow
Setup is where the restaurant shape is created: branches, floors, tables, kitchen
stations, receipt settings, and staff assignment. Do this before taking live orders.
Real setup command center. Use it to check branch readiness, table setup, staff coverage, and plan limits.
Branch Fields
Field
Meaning
Example
Branch name
The outlet name printed in reports, orders, and receipts.
Main Branch, Downtown, Airport Kiosk
Timezone
Controls shift dates, report dates, reservation times, and receipt timestamps.
America/New_York for a New York restaurant.
Currency
The money symbol and currency used for orders and reports.
USD, PKR, GBP
Service modes
Which sales types the branch accepts.
Dine-in and takeaway enabled, delivery disabled.
Receipt header/footer
Text printed on customer receipts.
Header: "Welcome to Main Branch". Footer: "Thank you, visit again."
Floor And Table Fields
Field
Meaning
Example
Floor name
The dining area name.
Ground Floor, Patio, VIP Room
Table number
The label staff and guests recognize.
A1, T12, Patio-4
Capacity
How many guests fit at the table.
4 means the host should seat up to four guests there.
Shape
How the table appears on the map.
Round for a cafe table, booth for wall seating.
Station
Kitchen station or service area linked to the table.
Patio tables can route to the Patio Service station.
4. Staff, Roles, Permissions, And Security
Staff accounts decide who can see and change each part of the restaurant.
The app now enforces permissions on routes, not just hidden buttons, so a staff
member cannot reach a protected page by typing the URL.
Real staff screen. Owners can create staff, assign roles, and control account status.
Owner
Full control. Protect this account with MFA.
Manager
Runs operations, approvals, reports, refunds, and staff workflows.
Cashier
Uses POS, payments, receipts, and shifts.
Waiter
Uses waiter PWA, tables, order send, and bill requests.
Kitchen
Uses KDS tickets and station workflow.
Host
Handles seating, tables, reservations, waitlist, and guest flow.
Staff Field
What It Controls
Example
Name
Shown in orders, audit logs, approvals, and staff lists.
Aisha Khan
Email
Login identity and password reset destination.
aisha.cashier@example.com
Role
Permission package for the employee.
Cashier can use POS, but cannot edit Owner accounts.
Status
Whether the account can sign in.
Set inactive when an employee leaves.
Branch assignment
Which branch the staff member works in.
Waiter assigned to Downtown only.
Real tenant two-factor screen. Owners and Managers should enable authenticator-app MFA before live use.
Owner safety rules: only Owners can create or edit Owner users, the last active Owner is protected,
and the app blocks self-demotion or self-disable. When role, password, or status changes, old sessions
are invalidated so the change takes effect quickly.
5. Menu Workflow
Menu work starts with categories and items, then moves through variants, modifiers,
pricing, availability, QA, review, and publish. For everyday users, think of it as:
create the dish, decide where it sells, check it, then publish it.
Real menu operations screen. Use it for drafts, QA, imports, exports, media, AI, and publish checks.
Menu Item Fields
Field
Meaning
Example
Name
Customer-facing dish name.
Spicy Chicken Burger
SKU
Internal unique code for reports/imports.
SP-BURGER
Category
Where the item appears in the menu.
Burgers, Drinks, Desserts
Base price
Default selling price before branch or variant overrides.
8.99
Variants
Sizes or versions of the same item.
Small, Regular, Large
Modifiers
Choices or add-ons.
Cheese +1.00, Extra Sauce +0.50
Station route
Where the kitchen ticket should go.
Burgers route to Grill, coffee routes to Bar.
Allergens
Food safety notes used by staff and guests.
Contains gluten, dairy, egg.
Real menu imports screen. Upload CSV, XLSX, or JSON, validate first, then commit to draft revisions.
Real menu exports screen. Export files are private and downloaded only after login and permission check.
Import/Export Field
What It Means
Example
Format
The file type.
CSV for spreadsheet edits, JSON for full backups.
Validate
Checks the file without changing the live menu.
Use before importing 500 items from a spreadsheet.
Commit
Creates draft revisions, still not live until approved and published.
Manager reviews new pricing before customers see it.
Download
Downloads private generated files through an authenticated route.
Exports are no longer served from public storage.
6. POS Cashier Workflow
POS is the sales counter. A normal shift is: open shift, pick service mode,
create order, add items, send to kitchen, take payment, print receipt, close shift.
Real POS terminal. Cashiers create orders, add items, send tickets, take payment, and print receipts.
POS Field
Meaning
Example
Branch
Outlet where the sale happens.
Main Branch lunch counter.
Service mode
Dine-in, takeaway, delivery, or QR.
Dine-in for Table A3, takeaway for counter pickup.
Table
Required for dine-in table orders.
Table T5 has four guests.
Customer
Optional guest profile tied to loyalty, reservations, or receipt history.
Avery Lee, a returning loyalty customer.
Discount
Approved discount on the bill.
10 percent manager discount for a service issue.
Tender
Payment method.
Cash, manual card, wallet, bank transfer, complimentary.
Real POS operations screen. Managers watch open shifts, pending payments, stale orders, refunds, and recovery tasks.
Production payment rule: the simulator is for local/demo only. Live mode requires production gateway
credentials and signed webhook handling. Keep PAYMENT_SIMULATOR_ENABLED=false in production.
7. Kitchen Display Workflow
KDS turns sent orders into kitchen tickets. Kitchen staff should use it like a production board:
start the ticket, mark items ready, then mark served when the food leaves the station.
Real KDS board. Tickets are grouped by station and status so the kitchen can move orders forward.
Control
Meaning
Example
Station
Filters tickets for a kitchen area.
Grill sees burgers, Bar sees drinks.
Start
Marks that prep has begun.
Cook taps Start when the burger goes on the grill.
Ready
Food is ready for pickup or service.
Kitchen marks fries ready when plated.
Served
Food has left the station.
Waiter collects order and marks served.
8. Table Map And QR Ordering Workflow
QR ordering connects a real table to a guest ordering link. Staff publish table maps,
print QR codes, and approve guest orders before they become POS/KDS work.
Real table map screen. Managers publish floor layouts and check QR ordering readiness.
Real QR table manager. Regenerate, print, or disable QR codes per table.
QR Field
Meaning
Example
Token
Private random code behind the QR URL.
Regenerate when a printed QR code is lost or copied.
Print
Creates a table card for guests to scan.
Print one QR stand for Table A1.
Disable
Stops guest ordering for that table.
Disable patio QR during rain closure.
Approval queue
Guest submitted orders wait for staff review.
Waiter approves a guest order before kitchen receives it.
9. Inventory Workflow
Inventory answers the restaurant question: "Do we have enough stock, and what did it cost?"
Set up units, ingredients, suppliers, recipes, purchase orders, counts, wastage, and alerts.
Real inventory command center. Use it to monitor stock alerts, movements, purchases, recipes, and counts.
Inventory Field
Meaning
Example
Ingredient
Raw item tracked in stock.
Chicken Patty, Burger Bun, Tomato.
Unit
How stock is measured.
kg, gram, piece, liter.
Reorder level
Low-stock warning threshold.
Alert when chicken falls below 5 kg.
Recipe
Ingredients used by one menu item.
One burger uses 1 bun, 1 patty, 20 g sauce.
Stock movement
Every stock increase or decrease.
Purchase receive adds 20 kg chicken; POS sale deducts recipe stock.
Wastage
Stock lost due to spoilage, breakage, or mistake.
2 liters sauce discarded after expiry.
10. Customers, Loyalty, Reservations, And Waitlist
Guest tools help the restaurant remember customers, reward repeat visits,
sell gift cards, handle coupons, take reservations, and manage the waitlist.
Real customer command center. It groups profiles, loyalty, coupons, gift cards, reservations, and reminders.
Guest Field
Meaning
Example
Name / Email / Phone
Basic profile used for receipts, reservations, and reminders.
Avery Lee, avery@example.test, +1 555 0100.
Loyalty points
Points earned or redeemed from purchases.
Earn 1 point per dollar, redeem 100 points for 5 off.
Reservation time
Date and time the guest plans to arrive.
Friday 7:30 PM for four guests.
Waitlist status
Tracks waiting, notified, seated, cancelled, or no-show.
Host marks party as seated when Table T8 is ready.
11. Reports And AI Workflow
Reports show what happened. AI insights help explain what to do next. Managers should
review the data, filter by branch or date, export only when allowed, and verify AI suggestions
before acting.
Real reports screen. Use filters, widgets, snapshots, exports, and saved views for business review.
Real AI insights screen. AI output should be reviewed by a manager before operational changes.
Report Field
Meaning
Example
Date range
Time window for the report.
Today, last 7 days, this month.
Branch
Limits report to one outlet or all outlets.
Compare Downtown vs Airport Kiosk.
Export
Creates a downloadable report file when the user has permission.
Manager exports monthly sales for accounting.
AI action
Suggested action based on report evidence.
"Prep more burger patties before Friday dinner rush."
12. Testing And Live Readiness Workflow
Local testing and live production are intentionally different. Local mode can use debug,
log mail, sandbox payments, and simulator links. Live mode must use secure settings.
Setting
Testing Value
Live Value
APP_ENV
local
production
APP_DEBUG
true for development only
false
APP_URL
http://localhost
Your HTTPS domain, for example https://pos.example.com
SESSION_SECURE_COOKIE
Optional locally
true
SESSION_ENCRYPT
Can be false locally
true
PAYMENTS_MODE
sandbox
production
PAYMENT_SIMULATOR_ENABLED
true only for local/demo
false
INSTALLER_ENABLED
Can be true before setup
false after install
For live deployment, point the web server document root to /public.
Shared hosting fallback protections are included, but /public is still the cleanest setup.
Keep storage/app/installed present after installation.
13. Daily Opening Checklist
Owner or Manager logs in and checks dashboard notifications.
Cashier opens the correct branch shift and confirms starting cash.
Kitchen opens KDS and checks station filters.
Manager checks menu availability for sold-out items.
Host checks table map, reservations, and waitlist.
Inventory manager reviews low-stock alerts before service.
During service, POS sends orders to KDS and QR orders wait for approval.
At closing, cashier reconciles payments, manager reviews voids/refunds, and reports are checked.
