A Complete Guide to Restaurant App Development

A business without a dedicated website or app is surely not intended to prosper. The necessity to build one's own restaurant website or app (digital platforms) is especially prominent in a B2C business model – like restaurants, that cover a large target audience.

The creation of a separate dedicated app in this niche is more like increasing the quality of service or enhancing the menu. Customers are provided an interactive, intuitive platform that performs the liaisoning task really well.

This blog is meant to discuss the functionalities that must be featured in a restaurant app and the practical benefits that restaurant owners can enjoy by using one.

There are certain necessary stages to be followed before commencing software development. A plan must be formulated for the entire process even before initiating the restaurant app development.

The first task that must be done to increase the chances of achieving success is to analyze the existing apps of competitors. This must be done before commencing the creation of the app. The purpose of this is pretty obvious – to determine the key parameters that would influence the popularity and usage of the app and ultimately make it more accessible and intuitive. With a thorough analysis, a beginner will also be able to understand the common design tendencies prevailing amidst competitors.

As mentioned earlier, since restaurant apps are meant for a wide audience, it is advisable to include the support of both platforms that are currently popular – iOS and Android. Luckily, this will not require a huge spending. The cross-platform framework can be used for mobile development. This will result in you getting a multipurpose software solution that is compatible with both iOS and Android at a very affordable price.

Nearly 5 billion individuals, that is 65% of the world’s population, use a smartphone

The above statistics is sufficient for restaurateurs to get convinced about creating an app. A considerable share of smartphone users form the consumer base for any restaurant making efforts to make business online.

Potential customers can get to know a brand better by downloading the app and interacting with the restaurant. Restaurant apps also assist in customer retention.

The food sector, estimated to be worth nearly a trillion dollars, is marked by competition. Consumers use the app to gain access to a variety of services. Any business that does not communicate with its clients will suffer – the restaurant industry is no different. So, a food-centric business that does not prioritize marketing efforts is sure to fail in the long run. An app benefits restaurants with both marketing and interactivity.

A restaurant app boosts the company’s image. It increases brand recognition and brand recall by adding elements to reflect the brand value, aesthetics and theme. An app can achieve this through the content used, a logo, brand colors or any such digital marketing element.

A restaurant app opens up a new avenue through which income is generated. Even customers who wish to eat at home can be reached out to and served food through the door delivery option. By serving more guests than your restaurant premises can accommodate, business volume is increased.

When clients download the app on their mobile phone, the chances of them ordering from you frequently or reserving a table increases multifold. As a result of this brand loyalty, they keep coming back to you every time they wish to dine out.

A food ordering app’s model varies according to the goals and requirements of the specific business.

Food delivery services can either be local or worldwide – providing various opportunities to commence or expand existing businesses.

There are three typical business models of food delivery apps. They are:

Example – GrubHub, JustEat, etc.

This model connects diners with restaurants near them or local restaurants and facilitates interaction between the two. Using the food ordering app, the food order rate of restaurants can be boosted. According to this model, restaurants pay either a fee or per order commission to the app owner for every order made via the app. Another disadvantage is that the food order app is not in complete control of the delivery speed, quality of food delivered, packaging or service efficiency.

Example – UberEats, DoorDash

In this model, delivery of food is executed as a service. The owner of the app manages orders and food delivery in the app. The restaurants pay the app owner not only a commission, but also a delivery fee for every order purchased through the app.

The app owner exercises complete control over the delivery speed and management of deliveries – thus, ensuring a good quality consumer experience.

Example – Metabolic Meals, Eat Purely

This type of model implies that the owner of the app handles everything in the mobile app – right from the food preparation till the delivery. Although it is an expensive model, the app owner controls the delivery speed, food quality and service efficiency. This increases consumer satisfaction multiple times and also generates greater revenu

While designing a restaurant management software, it is essential to connect it with various order accepting devices like an on-demand delivery solution, tablets issued for accepting on-tabe orders, cash billing software and kitchen food order ticket screen. All these devices must stay connected to the restaurant’s order taking app to ensure ease of operations.

Before delving into the reasons supporting the implementation of such features, let us look at the top features of a robust delivery management solution.

The online delivery management system controls the order taking solution and helps a restaurant to manage the availability of products or food items. The restaurant manager or staff-in-charge can turn the menu items on or off with a simple push of the button.

People belonging to the restaurant can make use of the dashboard to keep updating information regarding various festival offers and discounts. These automatically get updated on various connected devices of the restaurant. Customers visiting the restaurant for dine-in and people ordering food for delivery can benefit from this.

A delivery management system helps in increasing efficiency and the quality of service by viewing the orders of customers and keeping the kitchen staff informed. In the dine-in sector, a software helps in managing various orders from different tables like 1,2, 3, etc. With the help of an app, the business is viewable on the screen in entirety. Orders placed by on-demand delivery solution and other captain tablets are automatically integrated and updated on the software and the kitchen order ticket screen.

The involvement of less human resources also saves a significant amount of money while managing the business. Get in touch with Restaurantify to help you in all your digital needs and transcend your restaurant business to the next level.