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Overview

The reservation system allows customers to book tables in advance. Admins and meseros (waiters) can manage reservations, assign tables, and ensure capacity requirements are met.

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Reservation Model

The Reservation model stores customer booking information and links to assigned tables.
app/Models/Reservation.php
class Reservation extends Model
{
    use HasFactory;
    
    protected $fillable = [
        'name', 
        'email', 
        'phone', 
        'guest', 
        'date', 
        'time', 
        'message', 
        'table_id',
    ];

    // Relationship with the tables table
    public function table()
    {
        return $this->belongsTo(Table::class);
    }
}

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Reservation Attributes

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name
string
required
Customer name for the reservation
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email
string
required
Customer email address for confirmation
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phone
string
required
Contact phone number
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guest
integer
required
Number of guests (used for table capacity matching)
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date
date
required
Reservation date
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time
time
required
Reservation time slot
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message
text
Optional special requests or notes from customer
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table_id
integer
Foreign key to assigned table (null until assigned)

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Reservation Controller

The ReservationController handles listing reservations and assigning tables.

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List All Reservations

app/Http/Controllers/Admin/ReservationController.php
public function index()
{
    $reservations = Reservation::with('table')
        ->orderBy('date','desc')
        ->paginate(20);
    $tables = Table::where('status', 'disponible')->get();
    
    return view('admin.reservations', compact('reservations','tables'));
}
The index method loads available tables (status = 'disponible') for the assignment interface and eager loads existing table relationships to prevent N+1 queries.

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Assign Table to Reservation

The system validates that the table capacity matches the number of guests before assignment:
app/Http/Controllers/Admin/ReservationController.php
public function assignTable(Request $request, Reservation $reservation)
{
    $data = $request->validate([
        'table_id' => 'required|exists:tables,id',
    ]);

    $table = Table::findOrFail($data['table_id']);

    // Check seats capacity match
    if ((int)$reservation->guest !== (int)$table->seats) {
        return response()->json([
            'success' => false,
            'message' => 'El número de invitados no coincide con los asientos de la mesa.'
        ]);
    }

    DB::transaction(function () use ($reservation, $table) {
        $reservation->table_id = $table->id;
        $reservation->save();

        $table->status = 'reservada';
        $table->save();
    });

    return response()->json([
        'success' => true,
        'table_name' => $table->name,
        'user_name' => $reservation->name,
    ]);
}
The assignment process uses database transactions (DB::transaction()) to ensure both the reservation update and table status change succeed together. If either operation fails, both are rolled back to maintain data consistency.

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Table-Reservation Relationship

Tables have a one-to-one relationship with reservations:
app/Models/Table.php
public function reservation()
{
    return $this->hasOne(Reservation::class);
}
Important: A table can only have one active reservation at a time. The status is updated to ‘reservada’ when assigned.

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Capacity Validation Logic

The system enforces exact capacity matching: 
// Reservation for 4 guests
$reservation->guest = 4;

// Table with 4 seats
$table->seats = 4;

// ✅ Assignment succeeds
if ((int)$reservation->guest === (int)$table->seats) {
    // Proceed with assignment
}

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Table Status Flow

When a table is assigned to a reservation, its status changes: 
// Before assignment
$table->status = 'disponible';

// After assignment
$table->status = 'reservada';

// After guests arrive and are seated
$table->status = 'ocupada';

// After completion
$table->status = 'disponible';

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Routes and Access Control

Reservation management routes are restricted to admin and mesero roles:
routes/web.php
Route::middleware('role:admin,mesero')->group(function () {
    Route::get('reservations', [
        AdminReservationController::class, 'index'
    ])->name('reservations.index');
    
    Route::post('reservations/{reservation}/assign-table', [
        AdminReservationController::class, 'assignTable'
    ])->name('reservations.assignTable');
    
    Route::delete('reservations/{reservation}', [
        AdminReservationController::class, 'destroy'
    ])->name('reservations.destroy');
});
Access Permissions:
  • ✅ Admin: Full access
  • ✅ Mesero: Full access
  • ❌ Chef: No access
  • ❌ Customers: Can create through public form (not shown in source)

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API Response Format

The assign table endpoint returns JSON for AJAX integration: 
{
  "success": true,
  "table_name": "Table 5",
  "user_name": "John Doe"
}

{
  "success": false,
  "message": "El número de invitados no coincide con los asientos de la mesa."
}

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Workflow Example

  1. Customer Creates Reservation
    • Submits name, email, phone, guest count, date, time
    • Reservation created with table_id = null
  2. Mesero Reviews Reservations
    • Views list at /admin/reservations
    • Sees available tables filtered by status
  3. Assign Table
    • Selects table with matching capacity
    • System validates: guest count == table seats
    • Both records updated in transaction
  4. Table Status Updates
    • Table status changes to ‘reservada’
    • Table appears in reserved tables list
  5. Guest Arrival
    • Mesero marks table as ‘ocupada’
    • Reservation remains linked
  6. Completion
    • After service, table marked as ‘disponible’
    • Reservation can be deleted or archived

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Best Practices

  1. Exact Capacity Matching: Always enforce guest count equals table seats
  2. Transaction Usage: Wrap multi-model updates in database transactions
  3. Status Validation: Only show available tables for assignment
  4. Eager Loading: Use with('table') to prevent N+1 queries
  5. Date Ordering: Display reservations ordered by date (newest first)
  6. Pagination: Paginate reservation lists for performance

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Common Queries

// Get all unassigned reservations
$unassigned = Reservation::whereNull('table_id')->get();

// Get reservations for today
$today = Reservation::whereDate('date', today())->get();

// Get reservations for a specific table
$tableReservations = Reservation::where('table_id', $tableId)->get();

// Count reservations by date
$count = Reservation::whereDate('date', '2026-03-15')->count();

// Get available tables with exact seat count
$tables = Table::where('status', 'disponible')
               ->where('seats', $guestCount)
               ->get();
Consider implementing time-based reservation expiration to automatically release tables if guests don’t arrive within a grace period.

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