Building DineHub: A Reservation System for Small Restaurants
In 2025, I built DineHub, a reservation platform designed for small restaurants and cafés that can't afford enterprise solutions. Think OpenTable, but simpler and more accessible.
The Challenge
Small restaurants struggle with reservation management. They either rely on phone calls and paper notebooks, or pay hefty fees for platforms designed for larger establishments. I wanted to create something that sits in the middle, modern, automated, but affordable.
What I Built
DineHub is a Progressive Web App that lets restaurants:
- Manage reservations from a clean dashboard
- Embed a booking widget on their website
- Automatically send confirmation and reminder emails
- View availability in real-time
- Access everything offline (yes, even without internet)
The Tech Stack
I built it with Next.js and Firebase because they made it possible to move fast and keep costs low. The PWA approach means restaurant owners can "install" it on their phones and use it like a native app, no app store required.
The hardest part was preventing double-bookings. When two customers try to book the same table at the same time, the system needs to handle it gracefully. I used Firestore transactions to make sure only one booking goes through, and the other person sees updated availability immediately.
Real-World Testing
I piloted DineHub with a restaurant in Germany over the summer. They processed over 150 reservations without any double-bookings or technical issues. The feedback was encouraging, it worked smoothly and saved them time on manual booking management.
What I Learned
Building a reservation system taught me a lot about real-time data management, user experience design, and the importance of reliable infrastructure. The key lessons:
- PWAs are powerful, you get an app-like experience without the friction of app stores
- Start simple and add complexity only when users actually need it
- Transactions and data integrity are everything in booking systems
DineHub is production-ready and continues to evolve based on user feedback.