Looking to improve your restaurant business and attract new customers?
Nowadays, restaurants and mobile apps are like – ‘Mac and Cheese’. Almost all top restaurants have their own mobile app.
The reason behind the surge of restaurant app development will surprise you, and that is – convenience to users for booking their table at their favorite dining place or ordering a special dish from a famous eatery. Imagine offering a user-friendly app experience that allows your customers to:
Although there are multiple platforms available, such as Grubhub, Uber Eats, DoorDash, Postmates, and others, where you can list your restaurant, having a dedicated app creates a sense of trust among the customers.
Before diving into it, have you ever thought how to create an app for a restaurant?
While going through this blog, you’ll get your secret recipe and ingredients to develop a seamless app that will support you as your own restaurant management system.
Creating an application for a restaurant business can alter everything, from involving customers to boosting sales and bringing convenience. Let’s talk about how you can create a restaurant application for your business.
So, let’s start!
Restaurant apps are solutions that run on any handheld mobile device from a tab to the smart phone. It works as a bridge between the customers and restaurant or a restaurant chain.
By accessing a restaurant app a customer can perform multiple activities such as table reservation, food ordering, menu browsing, loyalty programs, access to the deals, and more.
From operational point of view, restaurant apps make work easy for business owners where they can manage their restaurant(s) in a click from managing kitchens stock to the table booking and from assigning chefs to track whether order is delivered to the customers, payment management, and more.
The restaurant apps serve all the needs of customers and business owners.
The market for restaurant mobile apps is expanding and flourishing exponentially in today’s technologically advanced and fast-paced environment. Employing resources like applications with high-quality interfaces, where customer involvement is the goal, is necessary in this environment.
A restaurant app solves multiple purposes, like promoting your restaurant brand to reach more customers.
The increasing number of smartphone users has changed the habits of end customers. Now, most users order food online, which has surged the market growth of food delivery or restaurant booking apps. So, it is the right time to invest in mobile app development for restaurants.
Here are some top- reasons that makes restaurant app development worth for a business.
One of the top advantages of restaurant mobile app development is that it will improve your restaurant’s visibility. Using an app, you can easily promote your restaurant online and attract a potential customer base.
When users find unique features, the chances of word-of-mouth publicity increase.
Everybody would love smooth, fast reservations instead of table hunting or waiting outside the restaurant. So, offer them a hassle-free experience of table booking.
A restaurant app will offer them convenience and it will keep users stick with your brand.
Customer retention is one of the top challenges for any business, and restaurants are no exception. You can retain your customers by offering personalized booking or food ordering services, loyalty programs, special deals, and offers.
In this competitive world, business strategy is a necessity. But for it, first, you need data to analyze, which can be collected effortlessly with the help of a mobile app.
Utilizing restaurant mobile app development, you can collect and refine the customer’s data and later use it for analytics and reporting.
Serving customers is not only one operation; in the background, there are multiple operations, such as order management, inventory management, and others. With a restaurant app, you can streamline all operations on the go.
Implementing the feedback section in your app can help you improve the quality of your services based on the opinions shared by your customers.
Before you create a restaurant ordering app for your business, it would be best to understand the existing stats of the restaurant app development market. This will help you act accordingly and create a trending restaurant-ordering app.
Let’s see some of the top stats!
While developing mobile apps for restaurants, you should keep these trends in mind. The final outcome will be unique and the best solution to customers’ pain points.
When creating a restaurant app, businesses focus on integrating the latest technologies to offer their customers the best food delivery services.
Most modern restaurant booking apps provide features like digital menus, contactless ordering, advanced point-of-sale systems, table booking with QR codes, and more.
Other examples of technology involvement in the restaurant industry are Cloud Kitchens and Ghost Restaurants, where businesses are leveraging on-demand food delivery app development for growth.
Every customer has unique requirements, and every prospect wants to be treated differently. Customers anticipate more individualized encounters. Restaurant applications must be created to meet these needs.
Data analytics can help you personalize your app, from customized menus to personalized discount-based offers or promotions to retain clients.
POS systems are the best for streamlining order processing and payments. More than 75% of hospitality or restaurant businesses leverage it for better business operations.
Although it is in the trend from past years, you can consider POS Software development for your restaurant business.
Via a single app, you can make your menu available at a single click, as other modern restaurant apps provide. Users can view the menu directly and order food with a tap.
This makes it easy for customers and restaurant staff to manage the orders.
This is one of the most prominent trends of the post-COVID-19 period. Restaurants can leverage this feature’s power through curbside pickup, contactless payments, and online purchasing.
Customer retention is a big challenge for businesses but not for those who are providing loyalty programs through their restaurant management app. You can also consider it as one of the must to include restaurant app features.
The loyalty rewards and discounts encourage users for repeat buy through the restaurant app
Most next-gen apps use QR payment technology, which is the most suitable to include while developing a restaurant app for business.
By scanning a QR code with their mobile devices, customers can order from menus without needing to interact with staff. Additionally, QR Payments are one of the top digital transformation trends that will rule the charts in 2024.
Different types of restaurant mobile app solutions serve different purposes. Here are some of the trending types to create a restaurant app for your business.
This type of app allows users to search for restaurants based on their location, cuisine, price range, and ratings.
It provides users with detailed information about the restaurant’s menu, hours of operation, and reviews from other customers. Users can also make reservations or contact the restaurant directly through the app.
With an on-table order and pay app customers can view a restaurant’s menu, place an order, and pay for their meal directly from their mobile device.
This eliminates the need for customers to flag down a server or wait in line to pay at the end of the meal.
With this type of restaurant application, users can place orders for food and beverages from their favorite restaurants and have them delivered to their doorstep.
It also allows customers to track their orders in real-time and receive notifications when their food is ready for pickup or delivery.
The loyalty program app rewards customers for their loyalty to a particular restaurant. Customers earn points for every purchase they make, and these points can be redeemed for discounts, free meals, or other rewards.
This type of software helps restaurant owners keep track of their inventory levels, reorder supplies when needed, and manage food costs.
It can also generate reports that provide insights into the restaurant’s profitability and help owners make informed decisions about menu pricing and inventory management.
RMS, aka Restaurant Management System, is software that helps business owners and restaurant managers manage tasks such as marketing, order management, brand promotion, loyalty program management, payment tracking, and more.
For restaurant mobile app development, your top priority should be personalized customer experience, and it must provide customers with what they are looking for, from features to an eye-catching user interface.
These days, most top restaurants focus on explicit consumer needs, leaving no nook untouched by their increasing expectations. Therefore, as a restaurant business, you must take all the necessary measures.
An app needs to be developed to maximize efficiency and foster client loyalty so that clients will return to you. The following steps will make your restaurant app development effortless.
You should be aware of the numerous types of restaurant apps available on the market if you own or operate an eatery.
This information would make knowing your competitive environment and making the best decision easier. Among the most popular kinds of restaurant apps on the market are:
A thriving restaurant chain requires the most effective supply chain. With this restaurant management software, you can get fresh produce and other necessities, like drinks, whenever you want.
Users can browse a broader selection of menu items, get an idea of the prices, and choose which restaurants to order from nearby. It is one of the ways restaurants can expand their offering.
Everyone who uses a service or patronizes an eatery wants to avoid waiting in lines and wants a table immediately. A restaurant owner can create a table reservation application so that customers can reserve a table in advance and avoid the hassles of standing in long lines.
When you’re finished with this research, you’ll be able to see which applications are the best and most popular on the market. Additionally, a thorough study would provide comprehensive information and data analysis to help you select the best application for your Food delivery business.
Business owners of restaurants can use this application to ensure that their website always appears at the top of search engine results sites. These locator apps provide the user with information about dining options in the area.
This direct program connects the restaurant directly to the intended customers. It provides online ordering, table reservations, and feedback to enhance online food ordering apps.
Features are like a soul for every app, whether it’s a food delivery app or a restaurant app. So, here, you must make a top-to-bottom list of the restaurant app features that must be included.
One of the most important components to include in every restaurant’s application is this. Customers would have the option to order straight from the restaurant for pickup or delivery.
This function would keep the user informed. It immediately sends out new updates. Additionally, it communicates details about discounts. It also enhances the function of customer engagement and gains customer loyalty.
As we already stated, waiting in lines can be more than annoying for a customer. To allay this worry, you incorporate a table registration feature into your application, allowing customers to reserve tables in advance when they want to eat.
The customer always wonders where their food is after placing an online purchase. You can incorporate the GPS monitoring feature to keep track of the food and to know the precise location of the delivery person in real-time.
Your customers can easily follow the progress of your order from the restaurant, including when it was made, what is currently on the production line, etc.
When customers order food from home, their goal is to request smaller portions. Customers can order food that suits their tastes through a feature on the customized menu, which improves the customer’s overall personal experience.
For your customers’ added convenience, it is always better to integrate various payment applications. Incorporating different payment methods will increase client friendliness and improve accessibility.
There should be some additional benefits to selecting your time again. You can introduce a loyalty program for them, so they have a special incentive.
They would be inspired to use your services in this manner as well. Some loyalty programs, like cashback, gifts, and points, can be implemented to keep customers.
With this feature, your customers can post their opinions of the food on their social media accounts. It also makes it possible to join the restaurant app using social media.
Social media can be linked to the program for loyalty and reward-based systems. You can use social media to entice customers with seasonal specials, the finest food, and other things in addition to what’s new on your menu.
You would have a chance to draw in more customers with this function naturally. Customers can rate the cuisine, the environment, and other things. A highly rated application aids in customer acquisition for the company.
With the employment of AI and machine learning tools, you can learn more about your users. On the basis of previous purchases, it would suggest dishes. The user experience may be improved by personalizing the restaurant website.
This component or page provides access to information such as the total number of orders made, sales for the week, month, and other statistics. Through this function, restaurant owners gain thorough insights.
Some individuals have distinctive methods—or, for that matter, distinctive requirements—for preparing their food. This feature would make it easier for your customers to communicate their preferences with restaurants, such as making salt-free food and keeping it light.
This function would assist the eatery in determining whether to accept or reject the order. It firmly updates the order’s state.
A prioritized list of features and some advance planning can give you the added benefit of being ready and resourceful when putting your application into action. Additionally, this would enable you to adapt to customer requirements.
It would also inform you of the motivating factor that would encourage users to use your application. Increased customer interaction and more application downloads are the main goals of the add-on features and performance improvements. This makes increasing organic traffic and uploads simple.
It’s essential to establish your goals early in the process of how to create a restaurant app and deciding what kind of application you will create to meet market needs. You must clearly grasp the application or need you will be addressing before making a financial commitment.
Selecting the ideal platform for your restaurant company involves many steps, as follows:
Understanding the people you will serve is a very important first step. Anyone could be anybody ranging, including your clients or customers for the company and your staff. This would give you an idea of the problem-solving analysis you tend to implement.
Once you have a firm grasp of your target market, the next stage is to develop solutions by becoming aware of all the existing issues.
For instance, if your framework is founded on suppliers, your concern might be addressing their inventory-related problems or handling supply chain difficulties.
It would be easier to create the best action plan if you were aware of the issues. Additionally, it would provide a clearer image of the restaurant application that your company should strive to create.
Understanding your industry’s competition is also essential. Conduct an exhaustive and in-depth competitor analysis to identify any shortcomings in the existing apps and implement fixes for improved usability.
You must define the goals for your restaurant business at the end of the procedure. This would become apparent through the application, improved management, or greater acquisition among the other group of points.
Your food delivery application development strategy needs to align with the objectives you hope to accomplish. This is how a simple program can be built in this manner.
This analysis would provide a means of comprehending the restaurant application industry’s demands and your company’s predetermined objectives.
Getting to know your intended audiences better would also be beneficial.
You must select the tech stack in the very next step based on the sort of application build you have.
The tech stack is crucial for helping restaurant application writers make wise decisions. If you are looking for a native application, you must go for iOS or Android based.
The tool you intend to use can then be chosen. Another option is creating a cross-platform mobile application using a separate tech stack. But a number of variables would affect the tech platform selection.
The size of the project will directly influence the selected technology, regardless of how varied your requirements are for an On-demand mobile app or website.
Prior to developing anything else, budgetary restrictions or costs must be considered.
A cross-platform technology can allay your worries if you need an application but are working with a limited budget. However, any technology can work for you if you don’t have to second-guess your purchases.
For your customers to use, a highly developed mobile application with a faster speed would be more than helpful and enhanced. Use functions that allow your client to use the app immediately.
How secure your app is in terms of keeping data is what counts. The security and safety of your mobile application would be directly impacted by the technology platform you choose.
The food delivery mobile app development of the program must prioritize security. The security objectives would influence the technology decision.
In this cutthroat environment, a company must be adaptable enough to survive.
Scale the application with a rise in customers. Additionally, your tech stack should give you some flexibility to introduce new features in accordance with the most recent trends.
If you had a team of internal specialists, the tech stack would be based on the knowledge they could contribute. A committed coder can assist you here.
This would directly impact your decision regarding the software stack. You should consider cross-platform development for your instant app launch efforts.
A tech stack would be the ideal course of support, though, if you have some time set aside for the launch of your application.
You will have a good understanding of the technological architecture after completing these steps, which will help you select the best technology for your application. Additionally, it would help you understand how to improve the customer experience.
Additionally, you would study and put into practice application prototyping to find out how users would move through your mobile app.
Now that you have an in-hand solution of the technology stack, it’s time to direct your efforts toward building your restaurant application. In order to proceed with creating the application at this point, you must select the restaurant application development services.
The most employable technology stack would be used to create the program. An experienced food delivery app developer can streamline all of your processes if your network is more formal.
You must then proceed to shortlist the qualified candidates in the following stage. Your app needs to be made and furnished with the finest features, from the front-end to the back-end tools.
This is how you can ensure your application is created while carefully adhering to the earlier-developed business goals.
Creating an application would also allow you to plan and begin moving toward a more dependable and cleanly coded restaurant app for your customers.
An app with a dynamic UI and robust backend would represent your company well. Remember that unique restaurant app design will create a success story for your business.
It is essential that you test the application and confirm its dependability, functionality, and performance before launching it. It must be able to endure the time, speed, performance, and ease of use requirements set forth by your company objectives.
If your customer base is in some way demanding it, a high-definition platform might also be the best option for your app development company.
Before releasing your application, ensure there are no bugs and perform thorough, confirmed testing. Create test scenarios and specify the testing equipment. Write those test cases, then proceed to run them.
This will enable you to have a thoroughly examined and validated application that loads quickly and with outstanding quality. It would be fully synchronized with the intended goals.
You should now start working on developing and launching the mobile program for your restaurant. A fine-tuning or optimizing step would be anticipated of you prior to launch.
Before moving forward with the concept of deploying the application, make sure the application complies with the app store’s rules.
You must complete duties like creating your food delivery mobile application’s title and description in order to optimize it.
To find out which key phrases are popular and have high search traffic, you can use tools like keyword research. By doing this, you can draw increasingly more users to your application.
You must also follow all laws and licensure requirements.
The dedicated developer’s license is a requirement for submitting your mobile application to the appropriate app stores. This phase might also require you to pay a specific amount to get your application into its running stage.
Now your restaurant company would have a highly functional, tested, and verified application.
It would be a completely optimized mobile application that your target audience could quickly find. Additionally, this product would be completely in line with market demands.
The restaurant app development cost can vary depending on several factors, including the app’s complexity, the features included, and the mobile app developer’s hourly rate.
A basic restaurant app with essential features like menu browsing, ordering, and payment processing can cost between $10,000 and $40,000.
However, suppose you want to add more advanced features like table booking, loyalty programs, push notifications, and real-time tracking. In that case, the cost can increase significantly from $40,000 to $80,000.
It is essential to consult with a professional restaurant app development company to get an accurate estimate of the cost of developing a restaurant app based on your specific requirements.
Some readers might wonder what influences the cost of app development. To understand this more, let’s look at the most influencing factors.
The size of a restaurant app is a significant cost-influencing factor. For example, mobile app development for your restaurant chain business will cost you more than restaurant app development for a single restaurant. The larger app size also leads to high complexity, so the cost could be like –
Simple Restaurant App Development Cost- $10,000-$15000
Mid- Complex Restaurant Management App Development Cost- $15000- $25000
Advanced Restaurant App Development Cost- $30,000 onwards
UX/UI design ensures customer satisfaction and a certain portion of the cost is required to make it stunning. The average cost of restaurant app design starts from $3,000 onwards. The rest depends on the design requirements.
The size of the development team is also a big factor that influences restaurant app development costs. If the team size is higher, associated hiring costs will increase, especially if you hire dedicated developers on an hourly basis.
The cost of hiring app developers depends on their location like- app developers from Western developed countries charge more than countries like India. If you outsource mobile app development to Indian developers, you would have cost-effectiveness as one of its top advantages.
| Region | Junior App Developers (/hr) | Senior App Developers (/hr) |
| North America | $70-$100 | $100-$120 |
| Canada | $70-$100 | $100-$120 |
| Europe | $40-$60 | $60+ |
| UK | $20-$50 | $50-$150 |
| Australia | $25-$60 | $60-$150 |
| New Zealand | $25-$35 | $40-$50 |
| India | $18-$20 | $25-$40 |
You can develop your restaurant app in three ways – Android app development, iOS app development, and cross-platform app development.
Their cost differs from each other. However, developing a cross-platform app is an affordable option.
The development cost will vary depending on how customized the app’s features and functionality are. Costs increase with more customization.
Creating a restaurant ordering app can be challenging due to various technical and procedural reasons. Initially, it requires a lot of execution planning to fit the functional scope of the application best.
Establishing technical validation and compliance can be complex as we work on the app’s compatibility with various devices and operating systems.
Further, creating a user-friendly interface that provides seamless navigation and ordering can be daunting. In that sequence, integrating payment gateways and ensuring security can also be challenging.
Finally, maintaining the app and continuously updating it to meet changing user requirements can have its own challenges.
Overcoming these challenges requires a well-organized team of analysts, application programmers, and support professionals who can work together in close tandem to deliver a high-quality app that perfectly meets the project’s requirements.
Here we have created a dedicated section of top examples of mobile apps that you can refer to create a restaurant app.
This global pizza chain is known for its faster offerings, variety of pizzas, and online ordering, among other capabilities. Online ordering and applications advent has changed the game for dominos and its customers completely.
Online ordering has witnessed an enhancement in operational efficiency. Dominos is beating all odds. Its digital platforms comprise 30% of its sales.
This popular India-based food delivery regime and application have achieved tremendous success recently. The application is the critical component of the success of the company.
It allows for menu browsing, ordering food and deliveries, leaving reviews, and making table reservations beforehand. At present, the active Zomato users are around 32.1 million.
Leveraging the power of technology to drive sales and working towards customer engagement, this popular coffee chain allows customers to order and pay for drinks and food ahead of time.
It also enables users to earn special rewards and special access promotions offered on another day. The role of application has been tremendous.
This popular restaurant reservation and management system is a platform that has achieved significant success through mobile application development.
From searching for restaurants to making reservations and managing all the bookings, a customer can make all the bookings on one platform. It offers an interactive UI.
This multinational fast-food chain has used mobile applications’ capabilities to increase client engagement, success, and sales. Users can access special offers and promos, make payments, and place advance food orders.
This chain’s undivided emphasis on convenience through mobile applications is the main factor in its success.
Arka Softwares offers customized solutions for businesses to best suit their technological, quality, and budget preference. Arka has in-depth market experience in developing restaurant applications and holds a great deal of expertise in tech-led innovation in the domain.
Plus, the undivided focus on resource engagement and post-launch support makes Arka Softwares the most riveted choice for ventures to invest their restaurant application ideas into it.
The food delivery app development company has been working extensively towards improvisations of experience and operations for businesses through a customized and comprehensive approach.
This has shown significant results in platform performance and business ROIs besides building a strong presence and rapport for the application in the target markets.
Enhancing the user experience is one of the main goals of the mobile application creation process. It must be both intuitive and aesthetically pleasing to attract consumers from all directions.
Technology and its surroundings are constantly changing. All you need to know how to create an app that outperforms is to capture the keynotes of restaurant and food delivery industry trends in action at that time. Make your customers the center of your growth because they will ultimately be responsible for your company’s sales and profitability.
A carefully thought-out strategy can help you create a restaurant mobile application with great success. An application is meant to streamline your business operations and let your app do that by hiring pros for its functionality and performance.
Restaurants need mobile apps to improve customer experience, increase revenue, and streamline operations. An app can help restaurants reach more customers, accept orders online, reduce wait times, and provide personalized promotions. It can also allow customers to track their orders and provide feedback.
A restaurant app can make money in several ways, such as through commission-based fees on food orders, advertising, subscriptions, or premium features. Some apps charge restaurants to be listed, while others charge a percentage of the sale made through the app.
The time it takes to develop a restaurant app depends on several factors, such as the complexity of the app, the features required, and the on-demand food delivery app development platform used. Generally, it can take anywhere from several weeks to several months to develop an app, depending on the team’s size and expertise, the scope of the project, and the testing and debugging process.
The restaurant app development cost depends on a variety of factors, such as the level of complexity, the features included, the developer’s geographical location, and their hourly fee. The price of a simple restaurant application with functions like menu display, ordering and payment options, and delivery monitoring may vary from $15,000 to $30,000. An app that is more intricate and includes immediate order notifications, tailored suggestions, and loyalty programs could exceed $40,000 in cost.
The following steps will help you create a restaurant finder app for your business.
Research market and competitor
Identify customer’s pain points and market trends
Make a list of essential features
Select a mobile app development platform and tech stack
Hire on-demand app developers
Design and develop your app
Test and launch your app
Jeeto11
The app quickly earned over 1,000 downloads within two months of launch, and users have responded positively. ARKA Softwares boasted experienced resources who were happy to share their knowledge with the internal team.
Archithrones
While the development is ongoing, the client is pleased with the work thus far, which has met expectations. ARKA Softwares puts the needs of the client first, remaining open to feedback on their work. Their team is adaptable, responsive, and hard-working.
Service Provider
I started my project with Arka Softwares because it is a reputed company. And when I started working with them for my project, I found out that they have everything essential for my work. The app is still under development and but quite confident and it will turn out to be the best.
