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Deminut Digital Menu & Ordering Platform

Deminut Hospitality / Food Service
72+
Database Migrations
2
Payment Gateways
Real-time
Order Updates

Situation

Restaurants needed more than just QR menus—they needed a complete digital transformation. From printed menus that couldn't be updated, to manual order taking, to disconnected payment systems, the entire workflow was ripe for innovation.

Task

Build a comprehensive restaurant digitalization platform: QR menus with real-time updates, online ordering, kitchen display system, thermal printer integration, and payment processing with MercadoPago and dLocal.

Action

Developed a multi-app ecosystem: Express API with MySQL and Sequelize, Next.js 14 admin dashboard with Redux Toolkit, customer-facing menu PWA, thermal printer bridge for order tickets, and AdminJS backoffice. Integrated MercadoPago OAuth and dLocal for payments, Resend for transactional emails.

Result

Production platform serving restaurants in Uruguay. Features include bulk menu import/export via Excel, real-time order notifications, thermal printer support, and multi-currency payment processing. The admin panel manages stores, menus with sections and items, orders, and customer data.

Technologies Used

Next.js 14 Express MySQL Sequelize Redux Toolkit MercadoPago

The Challenge

Restaurant digitalization goes beyond a simple QR code. Owners need menu management, order routing to the kitchen, payment collection, and business analytics—all working together seamlessly. Deminut aimed to be the all-in-one solution for restaurants of any size.

Our Approach

We built Deminut as an ecosystem of interconnected applications:

  1. API Backend — Node.js/Express with MySQL and 72+ Sequelize migrations for robust data modeling
  2. Admin Dashboard — Next.js 14 with Redux Toolkit for state management and Axios for API communication
  3. Customer Menu — PWA that loads menus instantly via QR codes
  4. Printer Bridge — Desktop app that receives orders and prints tickets on thermal printers

Technical Architecture

Backend (deminut-api)

  • Express 5 with ES modules and Passport JWT authentication
  • Sequelize ORM with MySQL for complex relational data (menus → sections → items → options)
  • AdminJS panel for superadmin operations
  • Swagger/OpenAPI documentation for all endpoints
  • Pino structured logging for production debugging

Frontend (deminut-spa)

  • Next.js 14 with App Router
  • Redux Toolkit with async thunks and automatic status/error tracking
  • Redux Persist for offline-capable state
  • Custom hooks like useActionStatus for loading states

Key Features

  • Bulk Menu Import/Export — Upload/download entire menus via Excel with Zod validation
  • Payment Integration — MercadoPago OAuth flow and dLocal for enterprise payments
  • Thermal Printing — Native printer bridge for order tickets
  • Email Notifications — Resend integration for order confirmations and marketing
  • Multi-Timezone — Stores operate in their local timezone
  • Image Optimization — Sharp-based processing for menu item photos

The Results

Deminut powers restaurant operations with:

  • 72+ database migrations — Battle-tested, evolving data model
  • 2 payment gateways — MercadoPago and dLocal support
  • Real-time orders — Instant kitchen notifications
  • Printer integration — Native thermal printer support
  • Production deployment — Running on Coolify with MySQL

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