Project Overall into:  

We are seeking a team of diligent students to help us build a comprehensive reservation application aimed at simplifying restaurant operations and enhancing customer experiences. This app will offer a live view of the restaurant's floorplan, enabling customers to book available tables and pre-order their meals. Upon arrival, their orders will be relayed directly to the kitchen, ensuring efficient service. Furthermore, the application will allow restaurants to manage seating statuses and streamline their day-to-day operations. An intuitive pre-order system will include a dynamic menu, a user-friendly cart feature, and a secure payment gateway.

Requirements: 

User Authentication: The app should support secure user registration, login, and profile management features.

Real-time Floorplan View: Users should be able to view a live, simplistic representation of the restaurant's floorplan, showing the current status of tables (available, occupied, needs cleaning, etc.).

Reservation System: Users should be able to reserve available tables, with their reservation reflected in real-time on the floorplan.

Pre-order System: An intuitive interface should allow users to view the restaurant's menu, select items, add them to a cart, and pay in advance. Upon the customer's arrival, these orders should be automatically sent to the kitchen for preparation.

Restaurant Management Interface: Restaurants should have a separate interface allowing them to update table statuses, manage the menu, and view incoming orders and reservations.

Secure Payment Gateway: A reliable and secure system should be implemented for handling transactions.

Notifications: Users should receive confirmation and reminder notifications for their reservations and updates on their pre-orders.

Front End:

For the front end, we suggest using ReactJS. Its component-based architecture will enable the team to build a highly interactive user interface. React Native can be used if a mobile application is also planned.

Back End:

Node.js is recommended for the back end due to its efficient handling of asynchronous requests and good performance in real-time applications, which will be critical for the live floorplan feature. Express.js can be used as the server framework.

Front and back end development

Databasing

Working as a team

In this project, students will gain comprehensive knowledge in real-world software development practices including project management, user-centered design, real-time data management, eCommerce systems, and notification systems implementation. They will also gain insights into restaurant operations and the associated challenges. Valuable skills in building scalable systems, data security principles, and potentially cross-platform development will also be nurtured. This project offers a practical learning experience, simulating a professional work environment, which will be invaluable in future career endeavors.