WatchBite
A full-stack restaurant management and customer ordering system with social features
Role
Full-stack developer
Timeline
8 weeks
Team
2 developers
Platform
Web application (React + Node.js/Express)
Status
Live
Overview
WatchBite is a comprehensive restaurant management and ordering platform combining an admin dashboard for operations management with a customer-facing app featuring social capabilities, real-time menu updates, and an integrated marketplace for restaurant discovery.
Problem
Restaurants needed a unified platform to manage operations, menus, and orders while customers wanted seamless ordering with social discovery features and community engagement.
Solution
A full-stack React + Node.js application with PostgreSQL backend, featuring clean API architecture, secure authentication, and seamless real-time data synchronization.
Goals
Build a scalable admin dashboard for restaurant operations
Create an intuitive customer ordering experience
Integrate social features for customer engagement
Enable real-time menu synchronization
Support multiple payment methods
Key Contributions
Architected full-stack application structure
Implemented React-based admin dashboard and customer frontend
Built Express API with authentication and authorization
Designed PostgreSQL schema for multi-tenant support
Integrated OAuth and JWT authentication
Approach
Separated admin and customer interfaces for distinct workflows
Implemented context API for state management
Built role-based access control with JWT
Created real-time menu sync between admin and customer views
Results
Platform enables restaurants to manage operations efficiently while providing customers with an engaging ordering and social discovery experience.
Metrics
8+
Admin Features
12+
Customer Features
9
Database Tables
Testimonial
“A complete solution for modern restaurant operations and customer engagement.”
Project Developer — Full-stack Team
Project Overview
WatchBite is a full-stack restaurant management and customer ordering system built with React and Node.js. It combines powerful admin tools for restaurant operations with an engaging customer app featuring social networking capabilities.
Key Features
Customer Features
- 🍽️ Browse menu with real-time updates
- 🛒 Shopping cart and order management
- 👥 Social features (stories, friends, tagging)
- 📱 User profiles with dietary preferences
- 🏪 Restaurant marketplace for discovery
- 💳 Multiple payment integrations
- 📦 Real-time order tracking with ETA
Admin Features
- 📊 Comprehensive dashboard with analytics
- 🍴 Menu CRUD operations
- 👨💼 Staff management system
- 📝 Order management and tracking
- 🎟️ Promo code system
- 🏪 Restaurant approval workflows
- 📖 Story moderation tools
- 👥 User management
Technologies & Stack
Frontend:
- React 18 with Router
- Context API for state management
- CSS3 with custom styling
- React Easy Crop for image editing
Backend:
- Node.js with Express 5
- PostgreSQL for data persistence
- JWT authentication
- Passport.js for OAuth support
- bcrypt for secure password hashing
Architecture
The application features a clean separation of concerns:
- Admin Dashboard: Dedicated React app for restaurant operations
- Customer Frontend: Customer-facing React app for ordering and social features
- Backend API: Express.js REST API with comprehensive route structure
- Database: PostgreSQL with normalized schema supporting users, orders, menus, and social features
Core Capabilities
- Authentication: JWT-based with OAuth support (Google, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)
- Real-time Sync: Menu items update immediately across all interfaces
- Image Management: Upload and crop functionality for menu items and profiles
- Social Network: Stories, friend connections, and community engagement
- Payment Integration: Supports multiple payment methods (Card, PayPal, Google Pay, Apple Pay)
- Order Management: Complete order lifecycle from creation to delivery
Database Schema
The system includes 9 core tables:
- Users (customer accounts)
- Menu Items
- Orders
- Promo Codes
- Staff Members
- Stories (social content)
- Restaurants (marketplace)
- Friends (user connections)
- Restaurant Favorites
Impact
WatchBite successfully delivers a modern solution for restaurant operations and customer engagement, enabling seamless coordination between restaurant management and customer ordering while fostering community interaction through integrated social features.
- Mobile application for on-the-go access
- Real-time notifications and alerting
Project Links
- GitHub Repository
View the complete source code on GitHub
- Live Demo
Check out the demo video and previews