Welcome to FoodieQuest! This guide will help you get the most out of your personal culinary tracking companion. Whether you want to record your favorite dining spots, bookmark new places to try, get smart recommendations based on your taste profile, or check out your taste profile statistics, you will find all the details below.

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1. Getting Started

Account Registration & Login

When you first open FoodieQuest, you will see a clean login panel.

• New Users: Click the Create Account link to register a username and password.
• Session Persistence: Once logged in, your session is securely saved. You won't be prompted to log in again unless you explicitly click the Log Out button at the top right.

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2. Discovering & Filtering Restaurants

Using the Map

The central feature of FoodieQuest is the interactive map:

• Locate Me: Click the target crosshair button () in the upper-right corner of the map to automatically pan and zoom to your current location (requires browser location permissions).
• Panning & Dragging: Click and drag the map to navigate.
• Search This Area: When you move the map to a new neighborhood, click the Search This Area button at the top center of the map. This queries Google Places for strictly verified restaurants in that viewport.

Search and Filters Control Panel

You can filter the listed and plotted restaurants using the control drawer on the left:

• Search Input: Type name keywords or cuisines (e.g., "pizza", "sushi") to instantly narrow down matches.
• Cuisine Selector: Choose a specific cuisine category from the dynamically compiled dropdown list.
• Status Filter: Toggle between:
  • All: View every loaded place.
  • Visited: Show only places you have rated and reviewed.
  • Unvisited: Filter out places you have already visited.
  • Wishlist: Show only places you bookmarked to try later.
• Rating Filter: Filter establishments by Google rating threshold (e.g., 4.0+ Stars, 4.5+ Stars).
• Exclude Fast Food Checkbox: Check this box to automatically filter out major fast-food chains and quick-service establishments to focus on local dining.

Third-Party Integrations

Each restaurant card provides quick-access integrations to external services to simplify your dining plans:

• Google Maps Links: Opens the official Google Maps profile of the restaurant (with full reviews, operating hours, and photos).
• Website & Call: Accesses the establishment's official website or dialer where available.
• Ride Uber (): Opens Uber with the restaurant coordinates preset as your dropoff point and name.

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3. Logging Visits & Managing Wishlists

Bookmarking to Wishlist

Found a place you want to try later? Click the Wishlist button () on any restaurant card or map info window. The marker will turn coral red and be saved to your wishlist.

Recording a Visit

Once you dine at a restaurant, you can log it:

1. Click the Visited button () on the restaurant card or map info window.
2. A review modal will open, prompting you for:
   • Rating: A 1-to-5 star rating.
   • Date: The date of your visit.
   • Signature Dish: Write down the standout dish you ordered.
   • Notes: Jot down details about the service, atmosphere, or table numbers.
3. Save the entry. The marker will turn emerald green, the wishlist status is removed, and the spot is added to your personal visited timeline.

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4. Adding Custom Restaurants

If your favorite local eatery, street-food stall, or new pop-up isn't listed on Google Maps, you can add it manually:

1. Navigate the map to position the center crosshairs over the restaurant's location.
2. Click the Add Custom button () in the sidebar.
3. Fill out the name, cuisine categories (comma-separated, e.g., Italian, Pasta, Pizza), and address. Coordinates are captured automatically from the map center.
4. Save the restaurant. It will appear on the map as a light blue marker and synchronizes instantly to your account.

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5. Smart Recommendations System

Switch to the Suggestions tab () to view automated restaurant recommendations. Recommendations are generated instantly within the current map viewport based on your selection:

Strategy	How It Works
Comfort Zone	Recommends unvisited restaurants that match cuisines you have already rated 3.5 Stars or higher in your visited history.
Culinary Explorer	Promotes unvisited restaurants representing cuisines you have never logged or tried, sorted by proximity to encourage culinary expansion.
Quick Bite	Suggests the absolute closest unvisited, top-rated restaurants to your current map view coordinates.

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6. Visual Analytics & Culinary Badges

Switch to the Stats tab () to view your personalized dining insights and unlocked achievements:

Top Cuisines Explored

A color-coded, client-rendered SVG Donut Chart dynamically visualizes your cuisine proportions, complete with percentages and counts.

Culinary Badges (Gamification)

Track your progress through 6 distinct culinary challenges in real-time:

• 🍕 First Bite: Earned when you log your first restaurant visit.
• 🧭 Cuisine Explorer: Unlocked when you sample 5 different types of cuisines.
• 📍 Custom Curator: Awarded for creating a custom place on the map.
• 🍦 Sweet Tooth: Visit 2 sweet spots (cafes, bakeries, ice cream shops).
• ✍️ Critique Club: Unlock by logging 3 fully detailed reviews (with dishes and notes filled out).
• 🔖 Wishful Thinker: Earned by keeping at least 5 spots bookmarked on your wishlist.

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7. Premium Access & Stripe Checkout

FoodieQuest offers a premium monthly subscription package ($2.99/mo) to unlock the full power of the application.

Premium Benefits

• Foodie Playground: Spin the Meal Wheel to decide where to eat, and complete Culinary Quests!
• Smart Suggestions: Get dining recommendations based on preferred cuisines, culinary expansion, or proximity.
• Premium Burn Book: Banish restaurants you dislike permanently from maps, recommendations, and search results.
• Golden Badge Status: Unlocks a permanent Premium Badge (golden crown icon ) next to your user greeting.

Upgrading via Stripe

1. Trigger Upgrade: Click the Go Premium golden crown icon button in the header sidebar, or click the Unlock Premium button inside the gated tabs.
2. Secure Redirection: You will be securely redirected to Stripe's payment gateway.
3. Immediate Activation: Upon successful transaction, Stripe redirects you back to FoodieQuest. The application updates your account immediately, clears the lock walls, and displays a celebration alert.

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8. Offline Mode & Auto-Sync

FoodieQuest is designed to work even when you have a spotty internet connection:

• Automatic Save: If your connection drops while eating out, any changes you make (logging reviews, adding custom spots, or bookmarking to your wishlist) are securely saved to your device.
• Background Sync: Once you are back online, your saved changes will automatically synchronize with your account, keeping your dining journal up to date.

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9. Premium Burn Book (Banishment)

The Premium Burn Book allows premium users to permanently banish restaurants they dislike:

How to Banish a Restaurant

• Click the Banish flame icon () on any restaurant card in the Discover sidebar, Map InfoWindow popup, or Suggestions cards.
• The restaurant card will dissolve with a smooth ash-fading animation. Its map marker is immediately deleted.
• The restaurant will be permanently excluded from maps, Discover lists, search results, and recommendation generators.
• If the spot was in your wishlist or visited timeline, it is automatically removed.

Forgiving & Restoring Restaurants

• Click the Burn Book flame icon () in the main header (visible for premium accounts next to the User Guide button).
• Inside the modal, view all banished places and when they were banished.
• Click the Forgive () button to instantly restore the restaurant to maps, search queries, and recommendations.