Admin Dashboard Guide: Menu, Users, Reports, and Settings

The admin dashboard is the central control panel of RestaurantManage — where restaurant owners and managers edit the menu, manage categories, configure user roles, adjust restaurant settings, generate QR codes, and view reports. It provides full control over every aspect of your restaurant's digital operations from a single web interface. This guide covers each section of the admin dashboard in detail so you can manage your restaurant efficiently and confidently.

How Do I Edit the Menu?

The menu editor is the most-used section of the admin dashboard. Navigate to Menu from the sidebar to see all your categories and items. To add a new item, select a category and click 'Add Item.' Fill in the item name, price, description, and upload a photo. You can set allergen labels, add calorie information, and mark items as available or unavailable. Items can be reordered by drag-and-drop. All changes publish instantly — the live menu updates the moment you click save.

Adding and Editing Menu Items

Each menu item has a rich set of fields to help customers make informed choices. The required fields are name and price. Optional but highly recommended fields include: a short description (appears below the item name on the QR menu), a photo (increases click-through and order rates), calorie count, preparation time, and allergen labels. You can also toggle an item's availability — marking it unavailable grays it out on the customer menu without removing it from the system. To edit an existing item, click the pencil icon next to its name. All edits are saved instantly and reflected live on your QR menu.

Uploading and Managing Item Photos

High-quality photos significantly increase order rates for menu items. When uploading a photo, the system accepts JPEG, PNG, and WebP formats. Recommended dimensions are at least 800×600 pixels with a 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratio. RestaurantManage automatically optimizes and resizes uploaded images for fast delivery on mobile devices — you do not need to manually compress images before uploading. Each item can have one primary photo. If no photo is uploaded, the item displays a placeholder image. You can replace or remove an item photo at any time without affecting other item data.

Setting Allergen Labels

Allergen labeling is a legal requirement in many countries and a critical part of customer safety. RestaurantManage supports the 14 major allergens defined by EU food information regulations: gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, peanuts, soybeans, milk, nuts, celery, mustard, sesame, sulphur dioxide, lupin, and molluscs. When editing a menu item, select all applicable allergens from the checklist. Selected allergens appear as icons on the QR menu, giving customers clear, at-a-glance dietary information. Keeping allergen data accurate and up to date protects both your customers and your business.

How Do I Manage Categories?

Categories organize your menu into logical groups that customers browse. Common examples include Appetizers, Main Courses, Drinks, Desserts, and Daily Specials. Categories can be reordered, hidden, and customized. Thoughtful category structure improves the customer browsing experience and helps highlight high-margin items.

Creating and Reordering Categories

To create a new category, go to the Menu section and click 'Add Category.' Enter a category name and an optional description. Once created, the category appears in the sidebar and is immediately available to add items to. To reorder categories, drag them up or down in the category list — the order you set here is exactly how they appear on the customer QR menu. Put your most popular or highest-margin category (such as 'Main Courses' or 'Chef Specials') at the top so customers see it first.

Hiding Categories for Seasonal Menus

Sometimes you need to temporarily remove a section from your menu — for example, hiding a 'Summer Specials' category during winter, or removing a 'Lunch' category during dinner-only service. Rather than deleting the category and losing all the items inside it, you can hide the entire category with a single toggle. Hidden categories and all their items disappear from the customer QR menu immediately but remain in the admin dashboard for easy re-activation. This is the recommended approach for seasonal or time-limited menu sections.

Best Practices for Category Structure

A well-organized category structure makes it easier for customers to find what they want quickly. Industry research suggests that 4 to 7 categories is ideal for most restaurant types — fewer categories reduce browsing friction. Avoid overly generic names like 'Food' or 'Drinks'; instead use descriptive names like 'Grilled Mains,' 'Cold Beverages,' or 'House Desserts.' If your menu has more than 10 categories, consider consolidating smaller sections. Also place high-profit items (premium dishes, beverages with good margins) in categories that appear early in the list.

How Do I Manage User Roles and Access?

RestaurantManage uses role-based access control with five distinct roles. Each role limits what the user can see and do within the system. Managing roles properly ensures staff see only the panels relevant to their job — reducing confusion, improving security, and protecting sensitive business data.

The Five User Roles Explained

• Admin: Full access to all panels — menu editor, user management, restaurant settings, QR codes, reports, cashier panel, kitchen display, and customer orders. Typically assigned to the restaurant manager or IT admin.
• Restaurant Owner: Same access as Admin, plus dedicated access to the Reports section for revenue and performance analytics. Designed for business owners who need financial visibility without day-to-day management tasks.
• Cashier: Access to the cashier panel (payment processing, bill splitting, receipt printing), kitchen display (to monitor order status), and customer orders view. Cannot edit the menu or manage users.
• Kitchen: Access to the kitchen display panel only — sees incoming orders, updates order status (Received → Preparing → Ready), and monitors the queue. No access to payment or menu editing.
• Waiter: Uses the mobile waiter app (not the web panel) to take orders at tables. Also has read access to the kitchen display to check order status. Cannot process payments or edit the menu.

Creating and Inviting Staff Accounts

To add a new staff member, go to the Users section in the admin dashboard and click 'Add User.' Enter the staff member's full name, email address, and select their role from the dropdown. The system creates an account and provides login credentials. Share the web panel URL (or mobile app download link for waiters) along with the credentials. Each staff member logs in with their own email and password, so their actions are tracked individually. There is no limit on the number of staff accounts you can create.

Changing Roles and Deactivating Accounts

You can change a staff member's role at any time from the Users section. Click the edit icon next to the user, select the new role from the dropdown, and save. The change takes effect immediately — the user will see the updated panel access on their next login or page refresh. To temporarily suspend a staff member's access without deleting their account, use the deactivate toggle. Deactivated accounts cannot log in but their history remains intact. You can reactivate them at any time. To permanently delete an account, use the delete option — this action cannot be undone.

How Do I Configure Restaurant Settings?

The Settings section lets you customize your restaurant's profile and operational preferences. This is where you configure the foundational details that affect how your restaurant appears to customers and how the system calculates taxes, displays prices, and handles multi-language support.

Tax Configuration

RestaurantManage includes a flexible tax system designed to handle VAT, sales tax, and service charges across different countries and regions. In the Tax Settings area, you can create tax categories (for example: 'Standard Rate,' 'Reduced Rate,' 'Zero Rate') and assign country-specific tax percentages to each. Menu items can be assigned to a tax category so the correct rate is applied automatically. Taxes are calculated on every order and displayed on printed receipts. If your jurisdiction has multiple tax tiers (such as different rates for food vs. alcohol), you can create separate tax categories for each.

Language and Currency Settings

RestaurantManage supports 7 interface languages: Turkish, English, Arabic, Spanish, French, Portuguese, and German. The default language you select in Settings is used for the admin dashboard interface and as the primary language for the QR menu. When a customer scans a QR code, the menu is displayed in their device's preferred language if a translation is available. Arabic is fully supported with right-to-left (RTL) text rendering — selecting Arabic automatically applies RTL layout to the menu. For currency, enter your local currency symbol and code (e.g., USD, EUR, TRY, GBP) — this is displayed on all menus, orders, and receipts.

Uploading Your Restaurant Logo

Your restaurant logo appears on the customer-facing QR menu and on printed receipts. To upload a logo, go to Settings and click 'Upload Logo.' The system accepts PNG or JPEG files; PNG with a transparent background is recommended for the best appearance on receipts. Recommended dimensions are at least 300×300 pixels. The logo is resized automatically for different contexts (QR menu header, receipt header). Keeping your logo up to date reinforces your restaurant's brand identity across all customer touchpoints.

How Do I View Reports and Analytics?

The Reports section provides actionable insights into your restaurant's performance. Access it from the sidebar. Reports are available to Admin and Restaurant Owner roles. The data updates in real time as orders are placed and paid.

Available Report Types

RestaurantManage offers several report views to help you understand your business performance. The Sales Summary shows total revenue, total orders, and average order value for any date range. The Popular Items report ranks your menu items by order count and revenue — use this to identify your best-sellers and consider promoting them, and to identify underperformers that may warrant menu changes. The Daily Breakdown shows hour-by-hour revenue throughout the day, helping you identify peak hours for staffing decisions. You can filter all reports by date range, payment method (cash, card, or other), and order source (QR menu, waiter app, or cashier).

Exporting Reports to PDF

Any report view can be exported to a PDF file using the built-in PDF generator (powered by jsPDF). Click the 'Export PDF' button in the top-right corner of the report section. The generated PDF includes your restaurant name, logo, the selected date range, all charts as images, and the underlying data in table format. PDF reports are useful for sharing performance summaries with business partners, accountants, or for your own record-keeping. The export captures exactly the view currently displayed, including any filters you have applied.

Real-Time Dashboard Metrics

At the top of the Reports section (and also visible in the admin dashboard overview), a real-time metrics strip shows the current operational snapshot of your restaurant: number of currently occupied tables, number of active orders in progress, orders ready to be served, and today's total revenue. These metrics update automatically via SignalR — no page refresh is needed. This live view lets managers spot bottlenecks instantly, such as a backlog of ready orders waiting to be served, or unusually low table turnover during a busy period.

Admin Dashboard Feature Overview

• Menu management: Add, edit, reorder, and toggle availability of items and categories
• User management: Create accounts, assign roles, and control panel access
• QR code generation: Download restaurant and table-specific QR codes
• Restaurant settings: Name, language, currency, tax rules, and business hours
• Reports: Revenue, orders, popular items, and exportable PDF reports
• Allergen and calorie tracking: Label items with dietary information for customer safety

Related Guides

• Getting started: Step-by-step setup from registration to first order
• Cashier panel: Payments, bill splitting, and receipt printing
• Restaurant management guide: In-depth article about restaurant management systems