If you need to frequently use LIKE, you can simplify the problem a bit. A custom method like () can be created in the model that inherits the Eloquent ORM:
public function scopeLike($query, $field, $value){
return $query->where($field, 'LIKE', "%$value%");
}
So then you can use this method in such way:
User::like('name', 'Tomas')->get();