Admin Panel

The Dashboard is the first screen you see when you open the Admin Panel. It provides a real-time, consolidated view of your restaurant's financial and operational performance for the current business day. Rather than navigating between multiple reports, the Dashboard pulls together your most critical metrics -- revenue, tips, customer traffic, order volume, payment method distribution, exchange rates, and discount impact -- into a single, always-current view.

The Dashboard is organized into three tabs: Overview, Analytics, and Discount Analysis. The Overview tab is your at-a-glance summary with KPI cards and payment breakdowns. The Analytics tab offers trend visualizations and deeper performance data for identifying patterns across shifts. The Discount Analysis tab breaks down every discount applied during the day, showing which discount types are used most, their total value, and their percentage impact on revenue.

For example, if your lunch shift generated $2,400 in revenue with 85 orders and you want to see how that compares to your typical lunch performance, or you want to know whether your new “Happy Hour 2-for-1” discount is driving more traffic or simply reducing your average ticket size, the Dashboard is where you go. Think of it as your restaurant's cockpit -- a single screen that tells you how the day is going without leaving your chair.

Important points to keep in mind

• Dashboard data is scoped to the current business day. If no business day is open (see Close Day), the Dashboard will show zeroes or the last closed day's summary.
• KPI cards update in real time via WebSocket. You do not need to refresh the page to see the latest numbers -- they reflect every payment processed and every order placed as it happens.
• The exchange rate displayed on the Dashboard is the rate set during the active cashier turn. If multiple cashier turns are active with different rates, the Dashboard uses the most recently opened turn's rate for its conversion display.
• Discount Analysis only reflects discounts applied during the current business day. For historical discount reporting, use the Reports section's Discounts Report.
• Revenue figures include all completed payments (cash and card) but do not include tips. Tips are tracked separately in their own KPI card.

KPI metrics reference

How to use

1. Navigate to Dashboard from the Admin Panel sidebar. The page loads with the Overview tab selected by default.
2. Review the four KPI summary cards at the top of the page. Each card displays the metric name, the current value in large text, and an icon. These cards provide an immediate snapshot: daily revenue, tips collected, customer count, and total orders.
3. Scroll down to the Payment Method Breakdown section. This shows a proportional chart of cash vs. card payments, with exact amounts and percentages for each method. Use this to understand customer payment preferences and plan your cash handling accordingly.
4. If your restaurant handles multi-currency transactions (e.g., MXN and USD), review the Exchange Rate section. This displays the current exchange rate being used for USD-to-MXN conversions and the total USD revenue collected during the day, converted to MXN equivalent.
5. Switch to the Analytics tab by clicking the tab header. This tab presents trend visualizations -- bar charts and line graphs -- that help you identify patterns such as peak ordering hours, revenue distribution across time periods, and comparative performance metrics.
6. Switch to the Discount Analysis tab to see a detailed breakdown of all discounts applied during the current business day. The tab shows each discount type by name, how many times it was applied, the total discount value, and the percentage of overall revenue it represents. Use this to determine whether promotions are achieving their intended effect.

The Close Day feature manages the lifecycle of a business day -- the formal period during which your restaurant accepts orders and processes payments. Every business day must be explicitly opened before any cashier can start a turn, and explicitly closed once all activity is complete. This ensures clean financial boundaries: all revenue, discounts, cancellations, and cash movements are contained within a single, auditable day record.

Think of a business day as a container that wraps all of the day's operations. When you open a day, you are telling the system “we are now accepting business.” Cashiers can open turns, waiters can take orders, and the kitchen begins receiving tickets. When you close the day, you are finalizing the financial record and generating the Z Report (Corte Z) -- a summary document used for daily reconciliation and regulatory compliance.

For example, if your restaurant opens at 11 AM and the last table pays at 11:30 PM, the business day spans that entire window. The supervisor opens the day at 11 AM, and once the night cashier closes their turn after the last payment, the supervisor can close the day and print the Z Report showing all revenue, tips, discounts, and cancellations for that period.

Important points to keep in mind

• A business day must be open before any cashier can open a turn. If a cashier tries to start their shift and no business day is active, they will be blocked.
• You cannot close the business day until every cashier turn has been closed. The Close Day button remains disabled as long as any turn is still active.
• Closing the day is irreversible. Once closed, you cannot reopen the same business day or add transactions to it. Double-check that all payments have been processed before closing.
• The Z Report (Corte Z) is generated automatically when the day is closed. It includes total revenue by payment method, total tips, total discounts applied, total cancellations, and a per-turn breakdown.
• Only users with admin or supervisor permissions can open and close business days. Regular cashiers and waiters do not have access to this feature.

Live metrics panel

How to use

1. Navigate to Close Day from the Admin Panel sidebar. The page displays the current business day status.
2. Opening a day: If no business day is currently open, you will see an Open Day button. Click it to start a new business day. The system records the opening timestamp and begins tracking all activity.
3. Monitoring during the day: While the business day is active, the page displays a live metrics panel showing running totals for revenue, active turns, discounts, and cancellations. These update in real time as cashiers process payments and apply discounts.
4. Preparing to close: When the day is winding down, verify that all cashier turns have been closed. The page lists all turns for the day with their status. If any turn shows as “Active,” contact that cashier and ask them to close their turn first (see Cashier > Close Turn).
5. Closing the day: Once all turns are closed, the Close Day button becomes active. Click it to finalize the business day. The system locks the day record and generates the Z Report.
6. Reviewing the Z Report: After closing, the Z Report (Corte Z) summary appears on screen. It shows total revenue broken down by payment method (cash MXN, cash USD, card), total tips, total discounts, total cancellations, and a per-cashier turn summary. You can print this report for your physical records.

Menu Management is the foundation of your restaurant's digital operations. It is where you build, organize, and maintain the complete menu structure that appears on the Waiter module's ordering screen, the Cashier's order view, and any customer-facing displays. Your menu is organized in a hierarchy: Menus contain Categories, categories contain Items, and items can have Modifiers and Recipes linked to them.

There are two ways to build your menu: manually, by creating categories and items one at a time, or using the AI Image Analysis feature, which extracts items and categories from a photograph of your existing physical menu. The AI approach is ideal for initial setup -- upload a clear photo of your printed menu and the system will detect items, descriptions, and prices automatically. You then review and adjust the results before saving.

For example, a restaurant with a Lunch menu and a Dinner menu would create two separate menus. The Lunch menu might have categories like “Sandwiches,” “Soups,” and “Salads,” while the Dinner menu has “Appetizers,” “Steaks,” and “Desserts.” A Grilled Cheese item that appears on both menus can share the same recipe and modifier groups, but each instance can have different pricing if lunch and dinner prices differ.

Important points to keep in mind

• Categories are shared across menus. If you create a “Drinks” category and assign it to both your Lunch and Dinner menus, editing the category name or adding items to it affects both menus.
• Each menu item can be linked to one Recipe (for cost tracking and kitchen instructions) and assigned to one Kitchen Station (for KDS routing). Both are optional but recommended for a complete setup.
• The AI Image Analysis feature works best with clearly printed menus in good lighting. Handwritten menus, menus with heavy decorative fonts, or low-resolution photos may produce less accurate results that require more manual correction.
• Menu Groups provide an additional organizational layer above menus. You can group menus together (e.g., a “Weekend Brunch” group that contains both the Brunch menu and the Drinks menu) for display and filtering on the Waiter module.
• Deleting a category removes all items within it from every menu the category is assigned to. Always verify which menus use a category before deleting it.

Menu item fields

How to use: Manual menu creation

1. Navigate to Menu Management from the Admin Panel sidebar. You will see a list of existing menus (if any) or an empty state.
2. Create a menu: Click the create button and enter a menu name (e.g., “Dinner Menu”). Optionally assign the menu to a Menu Group if you have multiple menus that should be grouped together.
3. Add categories: Within the menu, click the add category button. Enter the category name (e.g., “Appetizers”). Repeat for each category you need. Categories appear as collapsible sections within the menu.
4. Add items to a category: Expand a category and click the add item button. Fill in the item name, description, and price. Optionally upload an image by clicking the image upload area. Assign a recipe and prep station from the dropdown selectors if they have been configured.
5. Assign modifier groups: While editing an item, scroll to the Modifiers section and select which Modifier Groups should be available for this item (e.g., attach the “Burger Toppings” modifier group to all burger items).
6. Save and review: After adding all items, review your menu structure. Items can be reordered within categories using drag and drop, and categories can be reordered within the menu.

How to use: AI Image Analysis

1. In Menu Management, click the AI Analysis option (typically shown as a button with an AI/camera icon).
2. Upload a clear photograph of your physical menu. For best results, use a flat, evenly lit photo with no shadows or glare. The text should be clearly legible.
3. The AI processes the image and extracts detected items, organizing them into categories. This may take a few seconds depending on the complexity of the menu.
4. Review the extracted results. The system presents the detected categories and items in an editable preview. Check item names, descriptions, and prices for accuracy. Correct any misreadings (e.g., a price of “$12.50” read as “$1250”).
5. Once satisfied with the results, click save to add the extracted items to your menu. You can then further edit any item to add images, link recipes, assign stations, or attach modifier groups.

Modifiers represent the customization options that your guests can choose when ordering a menu item. They cover everything from burger toppings and sauce selections to cooking temperatures, side choices, size upgrades, and add-on proteins. In MeZero, modifiers are managed at two levels: individual Modifiers (the options themselves, like “Extra Cheese” or “Medium Rare”) and Modifier Groups (bundles of related modifiers, like “Burger Toppings” or “Cooking Temperature”).

The workflow is: first create individual modifiers, then organize them into groups, and finally assign those groups to menu items in Menu Management. When a waiter taps a menu item on the ordering screen, the system displays the assigned modifier groups, and the waiter selects the guest's choices. The selected modifiers appear on the kitchen ticket, on the KDS screen, and on the receipt.

For example, a “Classic Burger” item might have two modifier groups attached: “Burger Toppings” (containing Extra Cheese +$1.50, Bacon +$2.00, Avocado +$2.50, Jalapeños +$0.75) and “Cooking Temperature” (containing Rare, Medium Rare, Medium, Medium Well, Well Done -- all at no extra charge). When a guest orders the burger, the waiter selects the desired toppings and cooking temperature, and the system adds the price impact of any paid modifiers to the item total.

Important points to keep in mind

• A single modifier can belong to multiple modifier groups. For example, “Extra Cheese” could appear in both a “Burger Toppings” group and a “Sandwich Add-Ons” group.
• A single modifier group can be assigned to multiple menu items. If your “Cooking Temperature” group applies to all steaks and burgers, you only need to create it once and assign it to each relevant item.
• Each modifier has a price impact field. Set this to 0 for no-cost modifiers (like cooking temperature) or to a positive amount for up-charge modifiers (like extra toppings). The price impact is added to the item's base price at order time.
• Modifiers can be set to active or inactive. Inactive modifiers do not appear on the waiter's ordering screen. Use this to temporarily disable a modifier when an ingredient is out of stock.
• Deleting a modifier that belongs to active modifier groups will remove it from all groups. Review group assignments before deleting.

Modifier properties

How to use

1. Navigate to Modifiers from the Admin Panel sidebar. The page has two tabs: Modifiers (individual options) and Modifier Groups (bundles).
2. Create a modifier: On the Modifiers tab, click the create button. Enter the modifier name, an optional description, select a category for organization, set the price impact (enter 0 for no extra charge), and toggle the active/inactive switch. Click save.
3. Create a modifier group: Switch to the Modifier Groups tab and click create. Enter the group name (e.g., “Burger Toppings”) and description. Then select which individual modifiers belong to this group by checking them from the available modifiers list. Click save.
4. Assign groups to menu items: Go to Menu Management, edit the menu item you want to customize, and in the Modifiers section, select the relevant modifier groups. The waiter will see these groups when ordering that item.
5. Filter and manage: Use the filter options at the top of the Modifiers tab to view modifiers by status (active/inactive) or by category. Use the search bar to find specific modifiers by name. Edit or delete modifiers and groups using the action buttons on each row.

The Discounts section is where you create, schedule, and manage all promotional discounts your restaurant offers. Discounts can be percentage-based (e.g., 15% off) or fixed-amount (e.g., $5.00 off). Each discount can be scheduled with start and end dates for time-limited promotions, toggled active or inactive on demand, and organized into custom Discount Types (categories) for cleaner reporting and management.

Discounts configured here become available to cashiers and waiters when they apply discounts to orders in the Cashier module. Depending on the discount type settings, some discounts may be applied freely by any cashier, while others are marked as “protected” and require manager authorization before they can be applied. This two-tier system lets you offer everyday discounts (like an employee meal discount) without manager intervention, while keeping high-value discounts (like a 50% complaint resolution discount) under supervisor control.

For example, a restaurant running a Happy Hour promotion from 4 PM to 6 PM on weekdays would create a 20% discount named “Happy Hour 20%” with a Promotional discount type, set the start and end dates, and activate it. During Happy Hour, any cashier can apply this discount to a table's order. After 6 PM, the discount automatically becomes unavailable. The Dashboard's Discount Analysis tab and the Reports section's Discounts Report will then show how many times it was used and its total impact on revenue.

Important points to keep in mind

• Discounts are applied at the order level (to the entire table's bill), not to individual items. The discount value is calculated against the order total.
• If a table has a split check, the discount is proportionally distributed across all sub-checks based on the value of items in each sub-check.
• Protected discount types always require a manager to enter their credentials before the discount is applied. This adds a security layer for high-value or sensitive discounts.
• Time-scheduled discounts become available automatically at the start date and unavailable after the end date. You do not need to manually activate or deactivate them.
• The stats overview at the top of the Discounts page shows the number of active discounts and their aggregate impact, giving you a quick health check on your promotional activity.

Discount fields

How to use

1. Navigate to Discounts from the Admin Panel sidebar. The page displays the stats overview at the top and the list of all discounts below.
2. Review the stats overview: At the top of the page, summary cards show the total number of active discounts, total discount value applied, and other aggregate metrics for a quick assessment of your current promotional activity.
3. Create a discount: Click the create button. Select the discount type (percentage or fixed amount), enter the value, provide a name and description. Optionally set start and end dates for automatic scheduling. Choose whether the discount should be protected (requiring manager approval). Click save.
4. Activate or deactivate: Toggle the active/inactive switch on any discount to immediately make it available or unavailable to cashiers and waiters, regardless of its scheduled dates.
5. Search and filter: Use the search bar to find discounts by name. Use filter options to narrow by status (active/inactive), type (percentage/fixed), or discount category.
6. Manage Discount Types: Click the Discount Types sub-page link to define custom categories such as Loyalty, Promotional, Employee, or Complaint Resolution. These categories help you organize discounts and produce more meaningful reports.

Kitchen Stations represent the physical prep areas in your kitchen -- the grill station, the cold bar, the fryer, the pastry station, and so on. By creating stations and linking menu categories to them, you control how the Kitchen Display System (KDS) routes incoming orders. When a waiter places an order containing a burger (linked to the “Burgers” category) and a salad (linked to the “Salads” category), the burger appears on the Grill Station's KDS screen and the salad appears on the Cold Bar's KDS screen -- automatically, without any manual sorting.

Stations are configured here in the Admin Panel and then used as filters in the KDS module. A kitchen with three prep areas (Grill, Cold Bar, and Desserts) would have three stations, each with a dedicated screen or a shared screen with station filters. The station setup also supports a drag-and-drop interface for assigning unassigned menu categories to stations visually.

For example, a seafood restaurant might create stations for “Raw Bar” (handling the Oysters and Ceviche categories), “Grill” (handling Grilled Fish and Steaks), and “Pastry” (handling Desserts). When a table orders oysters, grilled salmon, and cheesecake, each item routes to the correct station instantly, and the cooks at each station see only the items they need to prepare.

Important points to keep in mind

• Each menu category can only be assigned to one station at a time. If you need the same items to appear on multiple stations, create separate categories and assign each to a different station.
• Menu items that belong to categories with no station assignment will not appear on the KDS at all. Always verify that every active category is assigned to a station.
• Stations can optionally have custom workflow statuses beyond the default Placed, Preparing, and Ready pipeline. This is useful if your kitchen has intermediate steps.
• Deleting a station returns its assigned categories to the unassigned pool. Those categories' items will stop appearing on the KDS until reassigned.

How to use

1. Navigate to Kitchen Stations from the Admin Panel sidebar. The page displays a grid of existing station cards and a sidebar of unassigned categories on the right.
2. Add a station: Click the add button. Enter the station name (e.g., “Grill Station”) and an optional description. Click save.
3. Assign categories via drag and drop: Unassigned menu categories appear in the right sidebar. Drag a category from the sidebar and drop it onto a station card to assign it. The category moves from the unassigned pool to the station.
4. Assign categories via edit: Alternatively, click a station card to open its detail panel. Use the category selector to add or remove categories from the station.
5. Search categories: If you have many categories, use the search and filter controls above the unassigned sidebar to find specific categories quickly.
6. Edit or delete stations: Click a station card to edit its name, description, or category assignments. To delete a station, open its detail panel and click delete. Categories are returned to the unassigned pool.

Display Links let you control the content shown on TV screens, digital menu boards, and other customer-facing displays throughout your restaurant. Each display link is a configuration that maps specific menu categories to a physical screen, with optional time-based scheduling so the content changes automatically throughout the day -- for example, showing the breakfast menu from 7 AM to 11 AM, then switching to the lunch menu at 11:01 AM.

Think of a display link as a “playlist” for a screen. You define what categories to show and when to show them, then connect the physical display to the link using a generated URL or pairing code. The screen renders the assigned menu content in a customer-friendly format, and content transitions happen automatically based on your schedule. A restaurant with a lobby screen, a bar-area screen, and a drive-through board would create three separate display links, each with its own category selection and schedule.

Important points to keep in mind

• Display links show categories from your menu as configured in Menu Management. If you update category names, item prices, or images in Menu Management, those changes are reflected on the display automatically.
• Multiple display links can show the same categories. A lobby screen and a bar screen can both display the “Cocktails” category simultaneously.
• Schedule windows must not overlap for the same display link. If you need overlapping content, create separate display links for each screen.

How to use

1. Navigate to Display Links from the Admin Panel sidebar.
2. Create a display link: Click create and enter a descriptive name (e.g., “Lobby Menu Board” or “Bar Area Screen”).
3. Assign menu categories: Select which categories should appear on this display. A bar screen might show only Cocktails and Beer, while a lobby board shows Appetizers, Entrees, and Desserts.
4. Set a display schedule: Configure time windows for each content set. For example, set the Breakfast categories to display from 7:00 AM to 10:59 AM and the Lunch categories from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Content transitions happen automatically.
5. Connect the physical screen: The system generates a URL or pairing code for the display link. Open this URL on the physical screen's browser, or use the pairing code to connect it. The screen begins rendering the assigned content immediately.
6. Edit display links at any time to update categories, schedules, or names. Changes are reflected on connected screens in real time.

In-Screen Ads lets you create and manage promotional campaigns that appear on customer-facing devices such as ordering kiosks, table-side tablets, and digital displays. Each promotion can be linked to specific menu items, scheduled with start and end dates, and toggled active or inactive at any time. Use In-Screen Ads to upsell high-margin items, spotlight new additions to the menu, or run seasonal campaigns that drive customer attention to featured dishes.

For example, if you launch a new seasonal dessert, you could create an In-Screen Ad with an appetizing image and a short description, link it to the dessert menu item, schedule it for the month of December, and activate it. When a customer is browsing the menu on a kiosk or display, the promotion appears as a highlighted feature, drawing their attention to the new offering. Combine this with a Discount (e.g., “10% off your first seasonal dessert”) for a complete promotional strategy.

Important points to keep in mind

• Promotions are displayed only on customer-facing devices, not on the Waiter or Cashier modules. They are designed to catch the customer's eye during browsing.
• Scheduled promotions become active automatically at the start date and deactivate at the end date. No manual intervention is needed during the campaign period.
• Multiple promotions can be active simultaneously. If several promotions are linked to different items, each appears when the customer browses the relevant section.

How to use

1. Navigate to In-Screen Ads from the Admin Panel sidebar.
2. Create a promotion: Click create and enter the promotion name, a compelling description, and upload visual assets (images or graphics) that will be displayed to customers.
3. Set a schedule: Choose start and end dates to define the campaign window. The promotion automatically activates and deactivates based on these dates.
4. Assign to menu items: Link the promotion to one or more specific menu items. When a customer browses the linked item's category, the promotion appears as a featured highlight.
5. Activate: Toggle the status switch to make the promotion live immediately, or leave it inactive to prepare it ahead of its scheduled start date.
6. Edit or delete promotions at any time. Deactivating a running promotion immediately removes it from all customer-facing screens.

The Printer Service is where you register, configure, and monitor your restaurant's thermal receipt printers. The system supports multiple printers across different locations (cashier station, kitchen, bar) and provides real-time status monitoring for each device -- including online/offline status, last heartbeat timestamp, queued job count, and uptime. You can also design custom receipt templates using the built-in ZPL template editor and assign different templates to different printers.

The Printer Service has two main areas: Device Management (for registering printers and monitoring their health) and Template Management (for creating and editing ZPL receipt templates). Once configured here, printers become available in the Cashier module's Printing feature, allowing cashiers to print receipts and check summaries during service.

For example, a restaurant might have three printers: one at the front register for customer receipts (using a branded template with logo and footer text), one in the kitchen for order tickets (using a compact template with large fonts for readability), and one at the bar for drink tickets. Each printer is registered with its IP address, assigned the appropriate template, and monitored for connectivity.

Important points to keep in mind

• Printers must be registered in the Printer Service before they appear in the Cashier module's printer selection list. If cashiers report that no printers are available, check that devices are registered and showing as online here.
• The heartbeat indicator shows when the printer last communicated with the server. A stale heartbeat (several minutes old) typically means the printer has lost its network connection or has been powered off.
• ZPL (Zebra Programming Language) templates define the receipt layout. Changes to a template immediately affect all printers using that template.
• Queued jobs count shows how many print jobs are waiting. A high queue count may indicate a paper jam, connectivity issue, or printer hardware problem.

Device status indicators

How to use

1. Navigate to Printer Service from the Admin Panel sidebar.
2. Add a device: Click the add button. Enter the printer's name (e.g., “Front Register Printer”), IP address, and port number. Click save to register the device.
3. Monitor status: The device list displays each registered printer with its current status: online/offline indicator, last heartbeat timestamp, number of queued jobs, and uptime duration. Review this panel regularly, especially before peak service hours.
4. Create or edit templates: Navigate to the ZPL template management section. Use the built-in editor to create receipt templates that define the layout, text, logo placement, and formatting for printed receipts. Preview templates before saving.
5. Assign templates to devices: Link a template to a specific printer so that printer uses your custom design. For example, assign a branded customer receipt template to the front register printer and a compact kitchen ticket template to the kitchen printer.

Serving Stations represent the physical locations where completed dishes are staged for pickup by wait staff -- the expediting pass, the bar pickup window, the cold food counter, and so on. While Kitchen Stations define where items are prepared, Serving Stations define where items are picked up after preparation. By linking serving stations to menu items, the system tells waiters exactly where to collect each dish.

For example, a restaurant with a hot food pass and a separate bar pickup window would create two serving stations: “Hot Pass” and “Bar Pickup.” Burger and steak items would be linked to Hot Pass, while cocktails and draft beers would be linked to Bar Pickup. When a waiter's order is ready, the Kitchen Pickup screen shows which serving station to visit, eliminating guesswork during busy service.

Important points to keep in mind

• Serving stations are different from kitchen stations. Kitchen stations control where items are cooked (KDS routing). Serving stations control where items are staged for pickup (waiter pickup routing).
• An item can have both a kitchen station (for KDS) and a serving station (for waiter pickup). They can be at the same location or different locations.
• Serving station names should match the physical labels in your kitchen so waiters can identify the correct pickup point instantly.

How to use

1. Navigate to Serving Stations from the Admin Panel sidebar.
2. Add a station: Click the add button and enter a name that matches the physical location (e.g., “Hot Pass”, “Bar Pickup”, “Cold Food Counter”).
3. Link to menu items: Assign relevant menu items to each serving station so the system knows where each completed dish will be staged for pickup.
4. Edit or delete stations as your service flow evolves. When you delete a station, linked items lose their serving station assignment.

Staff Management is where you maintain your restaurant's team roster. Every employee who needs access to the MeZero system -- waiters, cashiers, kitchen staff, managers -- gets an account here. Each staff account is associated with a role that determines what the person can see and do in the system, linking Staff Management directly to the permission framework defined in Users & Roles.

The staff list serves as your single source of truth for who works at your restaurant and what access they have. When you onboard a new hire, you create their account here and assign a role. When someone leaves, you deactivate their account here. Deactivated accounts retain their historical data (orders processed, turns closed) for audit purposes but can no longer log into the system.

For example, when hiring a new waiter named Maria, you would create her staff account, enter her name and contact information, and assign the “Waiter” role. Maria can then log in to the Waiter module and take orders, but she cannot access the Admin Panel, process payments (Cashier-only), or manage recipes. If Maria is later promoted to a supervisor role, you update her role assignment here.

Important points to keep in mind

• Roles must be created in Users & Roles before you can assign them to staff. Set up your role structure first.
• Deactivating a staff account does not delete their historical data. Past orders, cashier turns, and other activity associated with the account remain in the system for reporting and audit purposes.
• Staff names appear throughout the system -- on orders (as the assigned waiter), on cashier turns, and in reports. Use consistent, recognizable names.
• A staff member can only have one role at a time. If someone performs multiple functions (e.g., both waiter and cashier), either create a combined role in Users & Roles or assign the role with the broader permission set.

How to use

1. Navigate to Staff Management from the Admin Panel sidebar. The page displays your complete staff roster with name, role, status, and contact details.
2. Add a staff member: Click the create button. Enter the staff member's name, contact details (email, phone), and any other required information.
3. Assign a role: Select the appropriate role from the dropdown (e.g., Waiter, Cashier, Kitchen Staff, Manager). The role determines the person's permissions across the entire system.
4. Search and filter: Use the search bar to find staff by name. Use filters to narrow the list by role (e.g., show only Waiters) or by status (active/inactive).
5. Edit or deactivate: Click the action buttons on a staff row to edit their details, change their role, or deactivate their account.

Users & Roles is the access control center for your MeZero system. It uses role-based access control (RBAC), meaning that permissions are assigned to roles, and roles are assigned to users. The page has two tabs: Users (for managing individual system accounts) and Roles (for defining permission sets). This is separate from Staff Management, which manages the employee roster; Users & Roles handles the technical access layer.

The Roles tab displays a permission hierarchy -- a tree structure showing every capability in the system (e.g., “View Dashboard,” “Process Payments,” “Manage Menu,” “Close Business Day”). When creating or editing a role, you check the permissions that role should have. For example, a “Waiter” role might have “View Floor Map,” “Take Orders,” and “View Kitchen Pickup,” while a “Manager” role has all permissions including “Close Business Day” and “Manage Staff.”

For example, you might define four roles: Admin (full access), Manager (operations + reports but not system settings), Cashier (payment processing + turn management), and Waiter (order taking + kitchen pickup). Each new staff member is assigned one of these roles, and they can only access the parts of the system their role permits.

Important points to keep in mind

• Follow the principle of least privilege: give each role only the permissions it actually needs. A waiter should not have access to financial reports, and kitchen staff should not have discount management capabilities.
• Changing a role's permissions immediately affects all users assigned to that role. If you remove “View Reports” from the Manager role, all managers lose access to reports immediately.
• There must always be at least one user with full admin permissions. The system prevents you from removing all admin-level accounts to avoid lockout.
• The Users tab manages system login accounts. Staff Management manages the employee roster. In most setups, each staff member has a corresponding user account, but they are managed in different sections.

How to use

1. Navigate to Users & Roles from the Admin Panel sidebar.
2. Users tab: View all system user accounts. Each row shows the user's name, assigned role, and status. Click a user to edit their information, change their role assignment, or deactivate their account.
3. Roles tab: View all defined roles and their permission summaries. Click on a role to see the full permission tree with checkmarks indicating which permissions are granted.
4. Create a role: On the Roles tab, click the create button. Enter a role name (e.g., “Shift Supervisor”), then walk through the permission hierarchy and check the boxes for each capability this role should have. Click save.
5. Edit a role: Click an existing role to modify its permissions. Add or remove permissions as needed. Changes take effect immediately for all users with that role.
6. Assign a role to a user: On the Users tab, click a user account and select the appropriate role from the role dropdown. The user's access changes immediately.

Inventory tracking lets you monitor every ingredient and stock item in your restaurant. Each inventory item has a current quantity, a unit of measurement, a category for organization, and a reorder level that triggers a low-stock alert when the quantity falls below the threshold. The inventory system integrates with Recipes -- when you build a recipe with inventory items, the system can calculate the cost of each dish based on current ingredient prices.

Keeping inventory accurate is essential for preventing stockouts during service and for maintaining accurate food cost calculations. The recommended workflow is: add all ingredients during initial setup, update quantities whenever you receive a delivery or perform a physical count, and review low-stock alerts daily before placing orders with suppliers.

For example, if your restaurant uses 20 kg of chicken breast per day and your supplier needs 2 days' notice for delivery, you would set the reorder level for chicken breast to at least 40 kg. When your stock drops below 40 kg, the system flags it as low stock, giving you enough lead time to reorder before you run out.

Important points to keep in mind

• Inventory quantities are updated manually. The system does not automatically deduct ingredients when orders are placed. You must update quantities when receiving deliveries and during physical stock counts.
• Inventory items linked to recipes affect the recipe's cost calculation. If you update an ingredient's price in inventory, the cost of every recipe using that ingredient updates automatically.
• Low-stock alerts are based on the reorder level you set. Items below their reorder level appear in a dedicated low-stock section for easy review.
• Organize items into categories (Proteins, Vegetables, Dairy, Dry Goods, Beverages) to make the inventory list manageable, especially as it grows.

Inventory item fields

How to use

1. Navigate to Inventory from the Admin Panel sidebar.
2. Add an item: Click the add button. Enter the item name, select or create a category, set the current quantity, choose the unit of measurement, define the reorder level, and enter the cost per unit. Click save.
3. Update quantities: When you receive a delivery or perform a physical count, find the item in the list and update its quantity to reflect the actual stock on hand.
4. Review low-stock alerts: Check the low-stock section to see all items that have fallen below their reorder level. Use this as your daily ordering guide.
5. Manage categories: Create categories to organize your inventory. Use the search and filter controls to quickly find items in a large inventory.

Recipes define the exact ingredient lists, quantities, preparation instructions, and prep times for your menu items. They serve two purposes: providing a standardized reference for your kitchen team (so every cook prepares every dish consistently) and enabling automatic food cost tracking (the system calculates the cost of each recipe based on the ingredient quantities and their current Inventory prices).

Each recipe consists of a name, description, a list of ingredients (pulled from your inventory with specified quantities), step-by-step preparation instructions, and an estimated prep time. Once created, a recipe is linked to one or more menu items in Menu Management. When the linked menu item is sold, the system knows exactly what ingredients went into it and can calculate the per-dish food cost.

For example, a “Classic Caesar Salad” recipe might list: 200g romaine lettuce ($0.80), 30ml Caesar dressing ($0.45), 20g parmesan ($0.60), and 15g croutons ($0.15). The system calculates the total food cost at $2.00. If the salad sells for $12.00, your food cost percentage is 16.7%. When the price of parmesan increases, the recipe cost updates automatically, and you can spot margin changes before they erode profitability.

Important points to keep in mind

• Recipe ingredients are linked to Inventory items. You must add ingredients to Inventory before you can use them in recipes.
• Recipe costs update automatically when inventory prices change. This gives you a live view of your food cost margins without manual recalculation.
• A single recipe can be linked to multiple menu items (e.g., the same “Caesar Salad” recipe for both the lunch and dinner menu versions).
• Preparation instructions are for internal reference. They are not displayed to customers or on the waiter ordering screen.
• The prep time estimate is informational and can be used by the kitchen to plan timing. It does not currently affect KDS time calculations.

How to use

1. Navigate to Recipes from the Admin Panel sidebar.
2. Create a recipe: Click the create button. Enter the recipe name (e.g., “Classic Caesar Salad”) and a description.
3. Add ingredients: Build the ingredient list by selecting items from your Inventory and specifying the quantity needed for one serving. The system uses each ingredient's unit price to calculate the per-ingredient cost.
4. Add preparation instructions: Write step-by-step instructions for the kitchen team. Be specific enough that any cook can reproduce the dish consistently.
5. Set prep time: Enter the estimated time to prepare one serving (in minutes).
6. Review cost summary: The system displays the total recipe cost per serving, calculated from ingredient quantities and prices. Compare this to the menu item's selling price to assess your food cost margin.
7. Link to a menu item: Go to Menu Management, edit the relevant menu item, and associate this recipe in the recipe field.

The Floor Map is your restaurant's digital blueprint. It is an interactive, drag-and-drop canvas where you create tables, set their seating capacity, position them to mirror your physical layout, and organize them into zones or sections. The floor map you design here is the same map that appears in the Waiter module's Dashboard and the Cashier module's Table Management -- waiters tap tables on this map to take orders, and cashiers select tables to process payments.

Tables support multiple shapes (rectangular, round, diamond) and each table can be assigned a number, a seating capacity, and a zone. Zones are named sections of your restaurant (e.g., “Main Hall,” “Patio,” “Bar Area,” “Private Dining”) that allow waiters to filter the map and view only the tables in their section.

For example, a restaurant with 30 tables spread across a main dining room, a patio, and a private event room would create three zones and place each table in the corresponding zone. During service, a waiter assigned to the patio can filter the map to show only patio tables, reducing clutter and speeding up table selection.

Important points to keep in mind

• The floor map is shared across all modules. Changes you make here are immediately reflected in the Waiter and Cashier modules. Do not rearrange tables during active service unless necessary.
• Table numbers must be unique across the entire restaurant. The system prevents duplicate table numbers.
• Zones are used for filtering in the Waiter module. Define zones that match how you assign staff sections (e.g., one waiter per zone).
• Table positions on the map are saved as coordinates. If you resize the map canvas, table positions persist and do not need to be re-placed.
• Deleting a table that has an active order session is not possible. Close the table session first before removing it from the map.

How to use

1. Navigate to Floor Map from the Admin Panel sidebar. The interactive canvas loads with any existing tables.
2. Add a table: Click the add button. Enter the table number, seating capacity, and select a table shape (rectangular, round, or diamond). The table appears on the canvas.
3. Position the table: Click and drag the table to the correct position on the canvas. Match the digital layout to your physical restaurant as closely as possible.
4. Configure zones: Create named sections (e.g., “Terrace,” “Bar Area,” “Main Hall”) and assign each table to a zone. Zones appear as filter options in the Waiter module.
5. Edit or delete tables: Click a table on the canvas to edit its number, capacity, shape, or zone. Delete tables that no longer exist in your physical layout.
6. Save your layout: Save the map after making changes. The updated layout is immediately visible to waiters and cashiers during service.

The Reports section provides four dedicated report types that let you analyze your restaurant's historical performance across multiple dimensions -- cashier accountability, discount effectiveness, order patterns, and menu popularity. While the Dashboard shows you what is happening today in real time, Reports give you the historical, date-filtered view you need for weekly reviews, monthly reconciliation, and strategic planning.

Each report supports date range filtering (select a start and end date to scope the data), column sorting (click a column header to sort), and in most cases data export. Reports pull from the same underlying data that powers the Dashboard and Close Day Z Reports, but with greater flexibility for custom date ranges and drill-down analysis.

For example, if you want to evaluate whether a new Happy Hour promotion is working, run the Discounts Report for the past 30 days to see how frequently the discount was applied, its total value, and whether order volume during Happy Hour hours increased compared to the previous 30 days. Then cross-reference with the Top Selling Items report to see if the promoted items are actually selling more.

Report types

How to use

1. Navigate to Reports from the Admin Panel sidebar.
2. Select the report type you want to view: Cashier Turn Report, Discounts Report, Historical Orders, or Top Selling Items.
3. Set the date range using the date picker. By default, most reports show the current day. Adjust the start and end dates to the period you want to analyze.
4. Apply additional filters if available (e.g., filter by specific cashier in the Cashier Turn Report, or by waiter name in Historical Orders).
5. Review the data in the table view. Click column headers to sort by any column. Look for patterns, outliers, and trends that require attention.
6. Export the data if you need to share it with your accounting team or import it into external tools.

The AI Assistant is a conversational interface that lets you query your restaurant data using natural language. Instead of navigating to a specific report and setting filters manually, you simply type a question -- “What were our top 5 selling items last week?” or “How much revenue did the patio generate yesterday?” -- and the AI queries your data and returns an answer, often with supporting tables or visualizations.

The assistant maintains conversational context, so you can ask follow-up questions to drill deeper. If the first answer shows that your top-selling item was the Classic Burger, you can follow up with “How many Classic Burgers did we sell each day this week?” without repeating context. The AI can also provide recommendations based on data trends, such as suggesting which underperforming discounts to discontinue or which menu items to promote.

For example, during a weekly management meeting, instead of pulling up three different reports manually, you can ask: “Compare this week's revenue to last week by day,” then “Which cashier processed the most revenue this week?” and “What was our average ticket size on Friday vs. Saturday?” -- all in a single conversation, getting answers in seconds.

Important points to keep in mind

• The AI queries your actual restaurant data. Answers are based on real transactions, orders, and metrics stored in your MeZero system.
• Specific questions yield more actionable answers. “What was my average ticket size this week compared to last week?” is better than “How is my restaurant doing?”
• The assistant maintains context within a conversation. Follow-up questions can reference previous answers without repeating the full context.
• For official financial reporting or audit purposes, use the structured Reports section. The AI Assistant is best for quick, ad-hoc queries and exploratory analysis.

Example questions

How to use

1. Navigate to AI Assistant from the Admin Panel sidebar. The chat interface loads with an empty conversation.
2. Type your question in natural language in the chat input field. Be specific about what data you want and the time period you are interested in.
3. The AI processes your question, queries your restaurant data, and returns an answer. Answers may include text explanations, data tables, or visualizations depending on the question.
4. Ask follow-up questions to drill deeper. For example, after asking about top-selling items, follow up with “Show me the daily trend for the top item.”
5. Use the AI for recommendations by asking advice-oriented questions: “Based on this month's data, which menu items have the lowest sales-to-cost ratio?”