Getting Started with RestaurantManage: Complete Setup Guide

Getting started with RestaurantManage is the process of setting up your free restaurant management system from scratch — including registration, menu creation, QR code generation, and placing your first test order. The entire setup takes under 10 minutes and requires no technical skills, no credit card, and no software installation. This guide walks you through each step in detail so your restaurant can start accepting digital orders today.

How Do I Create a Free Account?

Registration takes less than two minutes. Visit the sign-up page and enter your name, email address, and a password. You will receive a confirmation email — click the link to verify your account. No credit card or payment information is required for the free QR menu plan.

What Happens After Email Verification?

Once you click the verification link, you are taken directly to the admin dashboard. The first thing you will see is a short onboarding prompt asking you to name your restaurant. This name appears on your customer-facing QR menu, on receipts, and inside all staff panels. You can change it at any time from the restaurant settings section. After naming your restaurant, the dashboard is fully ready — no additional configuration is required before you can start adding your menu.

Choosing Your Restaurant Language and Currency

RestaurantManage supports seven interface languages: English, Turkish, Arabic, Spanish, French, Portuguese, and German. You can set a default language for your admin and staff panels from the settings menu. Arabic automatically activates a right-to-left layout throughout the interface. Currency is configured separately — enter your local currency symbol and it will appear consistently across menu prices, order totals, and printed receipts. Both language and currency can be changed at any time without affecting your existing menu data or order history.

How Do I Add My Menu Items?

After logging in, open the admin dashboard and navigate to the menu section. Start by creating categories such as Appetizers, Main Courses, Drinks, and Desserts. Within each category, add individual items with a name, price, description, and photo. Changes save instantly and appear on the customer-facing QR menu in real time — no page refresh or republishing needed.

Best Practices for Menu Photos

High-quality photos are the single biggest factor in increasing average order value on a QR menu. Customers who see a photo of a dish order it significantly more often than when no photo is shown. Use natural lighting whenever possible — photograph dishes near a window rather than under harsh kitchen fluorescents. Shoot from directly above (flat lay) for plates and bowls, or at a 45-degree angle for drinks and tall items. RestaurantManage automatically resizes and optimizes uploaded images for fast loading on mobile devices, so you can upload your original high-resolution photos without worrying about file size. Aim for at least 800×600 pixels per image. Consistent backgrounds — a wooden board, a white plate on a neutral surface — make your menu look professional and cohesive.

Writing Effective Item Descriptions

A good menu description does two things: it tells the customer exactly what they are getting and it makes them want to order it. Keep descriptions between 20 and 50 words. Lead with the most distinctive ingredient or preparation method — "Slow-braised lamb shoulder with roasted garlic jus" is more compelling than "Lamb with sauce." Mention texture, temperature, and portion size when relevant. Avoid generic words like "delicious" or "tasty" — these add no information. If an item is a house specialty or a bestseller, say so directly: "Our most popular starter, served since 2018." Descriptions also help customers with dietary needs make safe choices, so mention dominant allergens even if you flag them separately.

Setting Up Allergen and Calorie Information

Allergen transparency is increasingly important — and in many countries legally required for food businesses. RestaurantManage lets you tag each menu item with the common allergens: gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, peanuts, soybeans, dairy, nuts, celery, mustard, sesame, sulphites, and lupin. These tags display visually on the customer menu so guests can quickly identify safe options without having to ask staff. Calorie counts can also be added per item; these appear alongside the price on the menu. Both allergen labels and calorie values are optional but highly recommended — restaurants that display this information see fewer order errors and higher customer satisfaction.

How Do I Generate and Print QR Codes?

RestaurantManage automatically generates a unique QR code for your restaurant. From the admin dashboard, go to the QR code section to download your code as a high-resolution image. You can print it on table tents, stickers, or laminated cards. Customers scan the code with any smartphone camera and see your full menu instantly in their browser — no app download required.

Single vs. Table-Specific QR Codes

RestaurantManage offers two QR code modes. A single restaurant QR code links to your full menu without any table context — suitable for counter-service restaurants, food trucks, or takeaway operations where customers order at a central point. Table-specific QR codes link each order to a numbered table, allowing kitchen staff and waiters to know exactly where to deliver the food. When a customer scans table 7's QR code, every order they place is automatically tagged with "Table 7" in the kitchen display and cashier panel. For full-service restaurants we strongly recommend table-specific codes — they eliminate table mix-ups and speed up delivery. You can generate and download all your table QR codes at once from the admin dashboard. See also our QR menu setup guide for a full walkthrough.

Where to Place QR Codes in Your Restaurant

Placement determines how easily customers discover and use your QR menu. The primary position is always the center of the table — either as a standing table tent or a flat laminated card. Place it where it is immediately visible when a guest sits down, not tucked behind condiments or at the edge of the table. Secondary placements that increase scan rates include the front door or entrance (so customers know before they sit that you use a QR menu), the host stand or reception, and the bar counter for drink orders. If you have a wall menu or chalkboard, add a QR code there too with a label like "Scan to order from your table." Avoid placing codes where they can be easily knocked over, obscured by table decorations, or damaged by spills — laminated flat cards outperform paper table tents in terms of durability.

QR Code Design and Print Tips

A QR code must be at least 3×3 cm (about 1.2 inches) to scan reliably from a comfortable reading distance. For table cards, 5×5 cm or larger is ideal. Always print on white or very light backgrounds — dark backgrounds dramatically reduce scan reliability even if the code looks correct to the eye. After printing, test every single code with at least two different phones before placing them on tables. Print a few spare codes and store them so you can replace damaged or dirty ones quickly. If you want to match your restaurant's branding, you can place your logo in the center of the QR code — RestaurantManage supports this in the download settings. Keep the logo small (under 20% of the code area) to avoid interfering with error correction.

How Do I Place a Test Order?

Before going live, test the full order flow yourself. Scan your restaurant's QR code with your phone, browse the menu, and place a test order. Open the kitchen display on a tablet or second screen — your order should appear within one second via real-time WebSocket connection. Update the order status from Received to Preparing to Ready, and watch the status change reflect on the customer's order tracking page.

What to Verify During Testing

A thorough test covers more than just placing an order. Work through this checklist before going live: confirm that your restaurant name and logo appear correctly on the menu page; verify that all categories and items are visible with correct prices and photos; check that allergen tags display on items where you set them; place an order and confirm it appears on the kitchen display within one second; update the order status to Preparing and then Ready, and verify the status change is visible on the customer tracking page; if you have table-specific QR codes, scan from two different tables and confirm orders are tagged with the correct table numbers; and finally, if you use the cashier panel, confirm that completed kitchen orders appear in the payment queue.

Testing on Multiple Devices

Customers will access your QR menu on a wide variety of devices — iPhones, Android phones of different screen sizes, and occasionally tablets. Before going live, test the menu on at least two different devices: one iOS device (iPhone) and one Android device. Pay attention to how photos load, how text wraps on smaller screens, and whether the order button is easy to tap. The kitchen display itself should be tested on the actual tablet or screen you plan to use in the kitchen — some older Android tablets may require a forced page refresh if the WebSocket connection is slow to establish. If you have a cashier station, log in with a cashier-role account on that device and verify you can see and process the test order you placed.

What Are the Next Steps After Setup?

Once your test order succeeds, your restaurant is ready to go live. Print enough QR codes for every table and place them where customers can easily scan. Train your kitchen staff to use the kitchen display system. Explore the cashier panel for payments and receipt printing. For tableside ordering by waiters, see the waiter app guide.

Training Kitchen Staff

Kitchen staff typically need less than 15 minutes of training to use the kitchen display comfortably. The key concepts to cover are: how to identify a new order (it appears highlighted at the top of the queue), how to update order status (tap the order card to progress it from Received → Preparing → Ready), how to read item notes and special requests, and what to do if the connection indicator turns red (refresh the browser page — the system reconnects automatically). We recommend running a live drill during a quiet period before the first real service: have a manager scan a QR code and place several test orders while kitchen staff practice processing them on the display. For a detailed training reference, share the kitchen display guide with your team.

Setting Up the Cashier Panel

The cashier panel is where orders move from "ready" to "paid." It shows all active tables, their current order totals, and allows the cashier to process payment, apply discounts, split bills, and print or email receipts. To set it up, log in on your cash register or point-of-sale device using a cashier-role account. The panel shows a live view of all tables — tables with pending orders are highlighted. When a customer asks for the bill, select their table, review the items, choose the payment method (cash, card, or split), and complete the transaction. Full details are in the cashier panel guide.

Inviting Your Team Members

RestaurantManage uses a role-based access system so each staff member sees only the interface relevant to their job. From the admin dashboard, go to Team Members and invite colleagues by email. Assign each person a role: admin (full access), kitchen (kitchen display only), cashier (cashier panel and kitchen view), or waiter (mobile waiter app). Each invited member receives an email with a link to set their password. You can revoke access at any time by removing a team member from the dashboard. There is no limit on the number of team members you can invite.

Quick Setup Checklist

1. Register: Create your free account at restaurantmanage.com/register
2. Name your restaurant: Set your restaurant name, language, and currency in settings
3. Build your menu: Add categories, items, photos, prices, allergen info, and descriptions
4. Download QR codes: Generate table-specific codes, print and laminate them
5. Test the full flow: Scan → order → kitchen display → status update → cashier panel
6. Invite your team: Add kitchen, cashier, and waiter accounts with the right roles
7. Go live: Place QR codes on tables, brief your staff, and start accepting real orders