Logged in user home page with AI recommendations
Home page with bolt logo
Home page map view
Restaurant image home page
Restaurant Over view
Restaurant Menu
Sign in page
Booking screen
Menu item page
Preorder cart
Social feed
Restaurant dashboard analytics
restaurant dashboard
Restaurant notifications
Restaurant owner predictive insights
User profile
Cuisines page
cuisines dark mode
restaurant setting page

RestaurantFinder - Restaurant Finder for Africa

🌍 Inspiration

Despite the internet's rapid global growth, Zimbabwe and many neighboring countries still lack modern, digital-first solutions for restaurants. Booking a table, checking menus, or confirming hours is often unreliable. I personally experienced this frustration when I once drove over two hours to a restaurant I found online—only to discover it had been closed for months.

That moment—and many others while traveling abroad—made me realize how underserved our region is. I wanted to build something that could bridge this gap. RestaurantFinder is my response: a mobile-first, AI-powered, and socially-driven platform for discovering and booking restaurants, designed specifically for emerging markets.

🍽️ What It Does

The Restaurant Finder is a Progressive Web App (PWA) that allows diners to:

Discover restaurants nearby with up-to-date, verified information
View menus with live pricing and dish details
Pre-order meals before arrival to reduce wait time
Chat directly with restaurant owners
Post reviews, photos, and share experiences
Access the app offline (even without internet) thanks to PWA support

For restaurant owners, it offers:

A digital storefront—even without existing web presence
Tools to manage bookings and menus
Customer communication via direct messages
Future plans for AI-powered features like menu optimization and demand prediction
A dashboard that provides real time analytics from booking, orders and user engagement
Loyalty programs management and analysis
Event/Promotion management and analysis

🛠️ How We Built It

RestaurantFinder was built using Bolt.new, which allowed me to prototype quickly using visual tools and minimal code:

Frontend: Next.js, Tailwind CSS, Bolt visual builder
Backend: Next.js API routes, Bolt-generated logic, Prisma ORM
Database: PostgeSQL and SQLite for offline functionality
Authentication: NextAuth with JWT
Deployment: Netlify for frontend, Supabase for database and storage
PWA: Added support for offline use, so mobile users can still access key features without connectivity
Caching: Redis
State Manager: React Query and ContextAPI

One major discovery was realizing I could build over 90% of the frontend without writing code, speeding up development dramatically.

⚠️ Challenges We Ran Into

Token limits: Bolt token usage increased quickly due to the scale of the app, so I had to be efficient and sometimes switch to manual development.
Advanced features: Custom workflows like chat, preordering, and offline caching required stepping outside of Bolt's visual interface.
Scope control: With so many powerful features available, I had to carefully limit the MVP to ensure focus and polish.
PWA fine-tuning: Ensuring reliable offline caching on different devices needed extra testing and tweaks.

🏆 Accomplishments That We’re Proud Of

Shipped a fully functional MVP with real-time restaurant discovery, preordering, chat, and reviews
Successfully integrated PWA support for offline-first usability
Used Bolt to visually build the majority of the UI and logic with minimal code
Designed a system that directly addresses the needs of underserved communities
Created the foundation of a broader restaurant management suite

📚 What We Learned

No-code and low-code platforms are extremely powerful when paired with custom code
Mobile-first and offline-first design is essential for accessibility in developing regions
AI + social design boosts user engagement and helps restaurants better serve their communities
The Bolt ecosystem significantly accelerates full-stack prototyping with real, deployable code

🔮 What’s Next for The Restaurant Finder

RestaurantFinder is just the beginning. Here's what's next:

RestaurantFinder for Restaurants: A dashboard for owners to manage menus, bookings, and analytics
Point-of-Sale system: Fully integrated with the same backend and PWA model
Waiter Assistant App: For managing orders tableside in real time
AI Features: Dynamic pricing, customer insights, and demand forecasting
Offline-first mobile app: Expanding on the current PWA with native app versions

Our long-term goal is to digitally empower restaurants across Africa, starting with Zimbabwe and scaling regionally.