Recently, the restaurant value chain has experienced a significant surge, among the first industries to embrace digitization. Despite challenges brought on by the epidemic, eateries adapted swiftly, sustaining operations during closures.
Restaurants played a crucial role in delivering meals to those in need, especially individuals confined without access to kitchens, relying heavily on internet meal delivery. The sector expanded rapidly to meet this demand.
A notable trend is that 51.5% of customers prefer using the restaurant’s app for meal delivery, underscoring the essential need for a restaurant app. With various concepts available for restaurant apps, each requiring a unique app development checklist, we’ll explore the step-by-step process of food delivery app development services in this article, followed by an examination of original app concepts. Without further ado, let’s dive in.
Why should you choose restaurant app development?
In the coming years, there’s a projected surge in demand for online restaurant services, with an increasing number of patrons using smartphone applications. Exploring the top reasons for restaurant app development:
- Builds Brand Loyalty: A robust brand identity fosters customer loyalty. A well-designed restaurant app upholds your brand’s reputation, ensuring consistency in appearance and messaging. Working with dedicated development teams, like Celadonsoft, ensures a customized app aligns with your brand’s color scheme and principles.
- Increased Convenience: Most customers now browse restaurant menus online before reserving a table or placing orders. Restaurant apps surpass other delivery services and provide a user-friendly experience, presenting menus most appropriately.
- Ease of Payments: The payment process is crucial in online meal ordering. Restaurant apps, integrated with third-party payment gateways, enable customers to make payments conveniently anywhere. Enhanced internet capacity further streamlines the entire ordering process.
- Transparency with Reviews: Restaurant apps often include customer reviews, providing a transparent environment. Customers benefit from trustworthy insights into the strengths and weaknesses of a restaurant’s food or service.
Investing in restaurant app development becomes strategic, aligning with evolving customer preferences and ensuring your establishment stays ahead in the competitive landscape.
Types of restaurant apps (along with their features)
When integrating an app into your restaurant business’s online booking platform, the next step is determining the type of app to develop. Contrary to user perceptions, each application is uniquely crafted based on the business model of a food website. Let’s explore three types of restaurant apps:
1. Restaurant finder app
This app requires a comprehensive database of all eateries in different areas. Leveraging the Google Places API, it integrates geolocation, enabling users to discover nearby restaurants. Key features include:
- Restaurant search and filters
- Nearby restaurant listings
- Menu items and prices
- Restaurant photos/videos
- Reviews and ratings
- User profile management
- In-app communication
2. Loyalty app for restaurants
Designed to share information about ongoing or upcoming restaurant deals, this app serves as a loyalty program platform. Common features encompass:
- Discounts and complimentary dishes
- Cashback incentives
- Latest offer updates
- Rewards promotion on selected dishes
- Free supplements at specific restaurants
- Special occasion schemes
- Advance payment discounts
- Reward points for feedback and reviews
3. Dine-in and pay restaurant apps
This app automates the ordering and payment process from a dining table without direct interaction with restaurant staff. Key features include:
- Instant menu selection
- Easy ordering
- Customizable order carts
- Loyalty programs
- Bill splitting capability
- Online payment integrations
- Automatic receipt generation
- Feedback and review with photo upload
- Tip addition
Understanding the specific needs and nature of these applications is crucial. Once the restaurant business owner selects the suitable app model, they can proceed with app development technologies, planning, strategies, and a roadmap.
Steps involved in restaurant app development
Developing a robust restaurant app involves following a strategic path to avoid costly mistakes. Here’s a summarized process for creating an effective application for one or multiple restaurant businesses:
Analysis & market research
Conduct a thorough analysis of competitors and industry trends, gaining valuable insights into the target market and users. Understand the “supply and demand” factor before proceeding.
Plan & implement business goals
Specify the app’s requirements based on the target audience. Consider demographics such as age, gender, race, or income. Understand the implications of creating a restaurant app on your phone.
Choosing the tech stack for restaurant app development
Select the technology stack for restaurant app development, considering the requirements for iOS and Android deployment. Define the purpose of various software development kits (SDKs).
Designing restaurant app’s UI/UX
Design the frontend development parallel with backend decisions. Impressive UI/UX design is crucial for the app’s success. Integrate features like smart catalogs, simplified ordering, POS, quick delivery track, and push notifications.
Integration of listed features
List all useful features to be introduced during the restaurant app development process. Set up a product pipeline with the help of a software development firm to enhance business capabilities.
Code optimization & testing
Ensure the custom restaurant software utilizes all necessary features. Conduct quality assurance testing to identify and fix any issues. Test both the backend and frontend before the official launch.
Deploy & launch
Deploy the application on chosen servers after completing all testing and preparing status reports. Launch the app on all marketplaces for easy access. Plan pre and post-marketing phases strategically.
Support & maintenance
After launch, provide ongoing support and maintenance. Regular updates for services, technology upgrades, and addressing customer feedback will help maintain and attract a larger user base.
Cost to develop a restaurant app
Restaurant app development costs range from $20,000 to $110,000, depending on the included functionality and features. This encompasses custom design, Android and iOS development, testing, and the final launch. The breakdown is as follows:
- Simple App: $2,000 to $8,000
- Medium Restaurant App with Extra Features: $20,000 to $40,000
- Restaurant App with Multiple Operating Systems, Bespoke Design, and Complex Features: $50,000 to $280,000
Carefully assessing specific requirements and functionalities is crucial to managing the budget effectively.
