Vendor Guide

How to use it:

1. Go to the vendor signup page: click 'Vendor Login' → 'Register your truck'.
2. Fill in your truck name, email, password, cuisine type, phone, address, and description.
3. Optionally enter a promo code if you have one (gives you 1 free month of Pro).
4. Click 'Register Your Truck' — you'll be logged in and taken to your dashboard instantly.

How to use it:

1. Click the ⚙️ Settings tab in your dashboard.
2. In the left column, edit your truck's name, description, cuisine type, phone, and address.
3. Under '🎨 Branding' (right column), click '📁 Choose File' to upload a square logo image. Then click '💾 Save All Settings'.
4. Under 'Website', enter your truck's website or social page URL.
5. Under '📬 Mailing Address', enter your billing address — this is separate from your truck's service location.
6. Under '📋 Menu Display', choose how customers see your menu: Built-in Menu (free), Photo of Menu (requires Pro), or External Link (requires Pro).
7. Click '💾 Save All Settings' at the bottom to save everything.

How to use it:

1. Enter your current password.
2. Enter and confirm a new password.
3. Click the change password button.

How to use it:

1. Click the Menu tab. You'll see your current items listed with a count (e.g. 'Menu (3/5 items)').
2. Click '+ Add Item' to open the add-item form.
3. Enter: Item Name, Description, Price, Category (type a new one or reuse existing), and optional Image URL.
4. Toggle 'Available' on/off to control whether customers can order this item right now.
5. Click 'Add Item' to save. The item appears in your menu list.
6. To edit an item, click the 'Edit' button next to it. Update any field and save.
7. To delete an item, click 'Delete' next to it.
8. To feature an item, click '⭐ Feature' — it gets a '⭐ Featured' badge. Click 'Unfeature' to remove.
9. Free tier: maximum 5 menu items. Upgrade to Pro for unlimited items.

How to use it:

1. Click the Schedule tab. You'll see a monthly calendar view.
2. Use the ← → arrows to navigate between months.
3. Click '+ Add Schedule' to open the schedule form.
4. Choose a Day of Week from the dropdown (Sunday–Saturday).
5. Enter a Start Time and End Time (e.g. 11:00–14:00).
6. Enter a Location Name (e.g. 'Downtown Food Park').
7. Tick the 'Recurring weekly' box for a schedule that repeats every week. Uncheck it for a one-off date and enter the Specific Date.
8. Click 'Add Schedule' to save.
9. Click any day on the calendar to see all schedules for that day in the detail panel below.
10. In the detail panel, click 'Edit' to modify a schedule or 'Del' to remove it.
11. Free tier: maximum 1 schedule entry. Upgrade to Pro for unlimited schedules.

How to use it:

1. Navigate to the ⚙️ Settings tab.
2. Scroll to the '📍 Go Live' / '🔴 Live now' toggle card in the left column.
3. Free accounts: type the address where you're parked in the text field, then click '📍 Go Live'. You'll see a green confirmation message.
4. Pro accounts: you have two options — (a) click '📍 Go Live' and allow browser geolocation for automatic GPS detection, or (b) type an address manually to override GPS, then click the button.
5. When live, the toggle shows '🔴 Live now' with a pulsing green dot and the time you went live.
6. To go offline, click the 'Go Offline' button (appears when you're live). Your truck will be removed from the discovery map.
7. Note: Auto-offline scheduling is a Pro feature — free accounts must go offline manually.

How to use it:

1. Click the 📋 Bookings tab. The tab shows '🟢' when the live feed is connected.
2. Bookings are grouped by customer/order group. Each group shows: customer name, booking time, phone, email, notes, items ordered with prices, and total.
3. Each booking has a status badge: pending (yellow), confirmed (blue), 🔔 In Process (orange — when a customer checks in), cancelled (red), or completed (gray).
4. New bookings pulse with an orange ring to catch your attention.
5. Action buttons appear based on status: '✅ Confirm' for pending, '✓ Mark Complete' for confirmed.
6. When a customer checks in via their app, the booking status changes to '🔔 In Process' — look for the pulsing bell icon.

How to use it:

1. Navigate to the ⚙️ Settings tab and scroll to the '👥 Employee Accounts' section in the right column.
2. Fill in the employee's Name, Email, and Password.
3. Click 'Add Employee'. The employee appears in the list below.
4. Employees log in at /employee/login using the email and password you set.
5. Employees see a simplified dashboard with two tabs: 📋 Bookings and Menu. They can manage orders and edit menu items.
6. To remove an employee, click 'Remove' next to their name.
7. Important: If your Pro subscription expires or is cancelled, all employee accounts are automatically locked — they cannot log in. When you upgrade back to Pro, employees are automatically re-enabled.

How to use it:

1. Open the ⚙️ Settings tab. Look for the '💎 Subscription' card in the right column.
2. If you're on the Free plan, the card shows 'Free Plan' with an 'Upgrade to Pro' button. Click the 'Subscribe — $9.95/month' button to be redirected to Stripe checkout.
3. After payment, your account is upgraded immediately and the card shows 'You're on Pro!' with your subscription status.
4. If you're on Pro via a promo/free months, the card shows how many free months remain.
5. If you're on a paid Pro subscription, you'll see 'Manage Billing' (opens Stripe Customer Portal) and 'Cancel Subscription' links.
6. If your subscription is past due, a warning is displayed. Use 'Manage Billing' to update your payment method in Stripe.
7. You can also view the 'Why go Pro?' link for a comparison of plans.

How to use it:

1. Click the 📩 Requests tab. You'll see a list of pending stop requests.
2. Each request shows: the requested location (📍), preferred date and time (📅), any notes from the customer, and the customer's name and email.
3. To approve a request: click '✅ Approve'. The request is automatically added to your schedule and the customer is notified.
4. To decline a request: click '✕ Decline'. The request is removed from your list.
5. A success/error message appears at the top of the tab after each action.
6. Approved requests create schedule entries that appear in your Schedule tab.

How to use it:

1. Click the Reviews tab. You'll see two panels side by side.
2. Left panel: 'Pending Reviews' — new reviews awaiting your approval. Each shows the customer's name, star rating (★), date, and comment.
3. To approve a review: click the green 'Approve' button. The review moves to the Approved panel and becomes visible on your public profile.
4. To reject a review: click the red 'Reject' button. The review is discarded.
5. Right panel: 'Approved Reviews' — reviews currently displayed on your profile.
6. Approved reviews appear on your public vendor detail page for all customers to see.

How to use it:

1. Navigate to the ⚙️ Settings tab and scroll to the '📱 Social Media' section.
2. For Twitter: click 'Connect Twitter'. A popup window opens for Twitter OAuth. Authorize the app and close the popup. The status changes to '✅ Connected'.
3. For Facebook: click 'Connect Facebook Page'. A popup window opens for Facebook OAuth. Select your business Page and authorize. The status changes to '✅ Connected'.
4. Once connected, every time you go live, Pinned Eats automatically posts: 'We're live at [location]! Come grab [cuisine] 🌮' with a link to your profile.
5. To disconnect: click the 'Disconnect' link next to the respective service.