Quick Start Guide

Get your food business live on Menuraq in under 15 minutes. This guide walks you from account creation to publishing your first digital menu.

Prerequisites

A valid email address
Your business name and basic details
A menu to digitize (or ideas for one)

Step 1: Create an Account

Navigate to /auth/signup and fill in the registration form:

Full name , your name or the business owner's name
Email , your working email address (verification required)
Password , minimum 6 characters

Accept the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, then click Create account.

Screenshot Placeholder: Sign-up form showing the three fields, Google OAuth button, and terms checkbox.

You can also sign up with Google OAuth by clicking "Continue with Google".

Step 2: Verify Your Email

After signing up, check your inbox for a verification email from Menuraq.

Open the email and click the verification link
You will be redirected to /auth/verify which processes the verification
On success, you'll see "Email verified" and a Continue to Dashboard button

Screenshot Placeholder: Email verification success screen with the checkmark icon and "Continue to Dashboard" button.

If the link expires, request a new one from the sign-in page or onboarding flow.

Step 3: Complete Workspace Onboarding

The onboarding wizard at /dashboard/onboarding creates your first Business, Branch, and Menu in a guided 6-step flow:

Step 3a: Welcome (Step 1)

Review what gets created: a business workspace, your first branch, and a draft menu. Click Get Started.

If your email is unverified, you'll see a prompt to verify first , you can continue without verifying, but it's recommended.

Screenshot Placeholder: Onboarding welcome screen with progress sidebar and "Get Started" button.

Step 3b: Business Details (Step 2)

Enter:

Restaurant name , the name of your food business
Business URL slug , your public URL (e.g., blue-olive becomes menuraq.com/business/blue-olive)
Business logo (optional) , upload a logo image (max 2MB, resized to 400x400)

The slug is checked for availability in real time.

Step 3c: Choose a Plan (Step 3)

Select your starting plan:

Digital Menu Only , QR menus, templates, promotions, analytics, public profile
Full POS System , everything above plus floor service, counter ordering, KDS, and shifts

Screenshot Placeholder: Plan selection cards showing the two options with descriptions and "Selected" indicators.

You can upgrade from Menu Only to Full POS later.

Step 3d: Create Branch & Menu (Step 4)

Branch name , e.g., "Main Branch" or "Downtown Location"
Menu title , e.g., "Our Menu" or "Breakfast Menu"

Click Create Workspace to generate your business, branch, and draft menu.

Step 3e: Business Type (Step 5)

Select your business type:

Restaurant, Cafe, Bar, Quick Service, Catering, Hotel, or Commissary Kitchen

Each type presets the operating modes (dine-in, counter pickup, delivery, etc.) that apply to your venue. You can fine-tune individual modes below the type selector.

Screenshot Placeholder: Business type selector radio list with a collapsible "Fine-tune what you offer" section.

Step 3f: Done (Step 6)

Your workspace is created. Click Go to Dashboard (or Continue to POS if you chose the Full POS plan).

Screenshot Placeholder: Completion screen showing the workspace created confirmation with Business, Branch, and Menu summary cards.

Step 4: Set Up Your Business Profile

Go to /dashboard/business-profile to complete your business identity:

Identity , business name, tagline, description, logo
Contact , business email, phone, website, social links
Branch , branch address, location coordinates, operating hours
Places , Menuraq Places discovery profile for customer findability

The profile completion ring shows your progress. High-priority items are surfaced first.

Screenshot Placeholder: Business Profile page showing the completion ring and section cards.

Step 5: Create Your First Branch

If you didn't create one during onboarding, go to /dashboard/menus and click Add Branch. Each branch can have:

Independent menus and categories
Unique operating modes
Its own QR codes and public URL
Separate billing subscription

Step 6: Build Your First Menu

Navigate to /dashboard/menus. If you completed onboarding, a draft menu already exists. Select your branch, then start building:

Add Categories

Click Add Category
Enter a name (e.g., "Appetizers", "Main Course", "Desserts")
Drag to reorder , categories display in the order you set

Add Menu Items

Click Add Item inside a category
Fill in:

Name , the dish name
Description , brief ingredient or preparation notes
Price , customer-facing price
Image (optional) , a photo of the dish
Sell state , Available, Sold Out, or Hidden

Add Option Groups for customizations (e.g., "Choose your side: Fries or Salad")

Screenshot Placeholder: Menu editor showing the category list, item form with fields, and option group configuration.

Step 7: Add Categories and Menu Items (Continued)

Option Groups

Option groups let customers customize their order:

Single select , pick one option (e.g., protein choice)
Multi-select , pick multiple (e.g., toppings)
Each option can have a price modifier

Selling Surfaces

Control where each item appears:

Menu , public customer-facing menu
POS , point-of-sale interface
KDS , kitchen display system
Only items assigned to a surface appear on that surface

Step 8: Preview Your Menu

Visit /preview/[slug] where [slug] is your menu's URL slug. This shows the customer-facing view with:

Category navigation
Item cards with prices and images
Option group selection
Server-side rendered content for fast loading

Screenshot Placeholder: Menu preview showing a styled digital menu with categories and items.

Step 9: Generate QR Codes

Go to /dashboard/qr to generate QR codes for your branch:

Select the branch
Choose QR code settings:

Label , internal name for this QR code
Surface , which menu surface to link to (Menu, POS, Kiosk)
Size , QR code dimensions
Foreground color , customize the QR code color

Click Generate
Download as PNG or SVG

Screenshot Placeholder: QR code generator with customization options and download buttons.