In recent years, almost every industry has seen a digital transformation. With the rise in mobile usage, most businesses can't afford to be without a branded app.
The restaurant business is no exception.
Shiny cash counters used to be at the core of cafes and restaurants just a few decades ago. Next step, it was time to implement the restaurant POS systems to save costs and improve customer service. Then the restaurants carved a connection with customers, fulfilled via social media and websites.
Time for the final checkmate, Restaurant apps sprung up like wild mushrooms to rush into people's smart devices.
Restaurant ordering app development has made it easier to order food in real-time, identify a restaurant, book a table, and give experience evaluations in previously unimaginable ways.
The fact that the restaurant-to-consumer delivery segment will be worth US$16,564 billion in 2021 is a sign of this contribution.
As a result, there will be a lot to gain from developing your restaurant apps. It presents an opportunity for restaurant owners or those who are new to the industry to create an app.
In this article, we'll identify the key features of successful restaurant apps and different categories of apps. We'll then go through the advantages of apps for restaurant owners. Then jump to give you an estimate of how much time and resources it would take to develop a mobile app for a restaurant.
Let's start with why you need a custom mobile app development services for resturants.
Reasons for Restaurant Mobile App Development
Restaurants strive for a well-executed mobile app for a variety of reasons. Before we go further let's look at the reason for having a custom restaurant app:
Brand Awareness
Suppose you go to find a restaurant or cafe in an unfamiliar place. Or you went for a road trip and felt hungry, now you start searching for some cafes nearby.
Isn't it true that you require some direction?
With the incorporation of iBeacon technology, restaurant mobile app developers can assist convert passers-by into ultimate consumers.
With Restaurant apps, just send a push notification to anybody within a 50-meter radius, and voila! You've got the business.
A restaurant mobile app development has a lot of possibilities for improving your business's visibility, marketing it to users, and increasing total foot traffic. Apps may help you raise brand recognition in a variety of ways: push notifications, wait time gamification helps with engagement, geo-location tagging makes you popular in a certain region, and so on.
Enhanced Loyalty and Increase ROI
Great service and delicious meals aren't always enough to enhance your customer loyalty. In terms of sales count and income, a reward system that gives customers a discount on their next order or when they refer a friend can go a long way for a restaurant.
Save Time
Today, the only scarcity most of us confront is time. Restaurant mobile app development will save you time and money in the long run. Pick-order-pay is the only order you need to follow when ordering online. It's one of the hottest topics in the digital restaurant sector right now.
Hit the Right Target- Mellinals!
Always keep in mind that ignoring millennials will jeopardize a lot of your long-term aims. Millennials are lifesavers when it comes to meals and hangouts. Millennials are always daring and make extensive use of technology in practically every aspect of their lives. They are known as tech-savvy individuals who use their phones to research offers, services, menus, and other information. They are, without a doubt, one of the most compelling reasons to develop a restaurant website or app.
Provide Effective Methods of Payment and Get Feedback
In today's world, more than 80% of clients use online payment methods. It has been put into operation, particularly after the pandemic. Allowing your guests to pay online with your restaurant mobile app development will increase their convenience and loyalty to you. It ensures that all of your restaurant's processes run smoothly. You can also ask them to provide valuable feedback on your services and food quality when they pay.
Now, Let's dive into the different types of restaurant apps!
Different Categories of Restaurant Apps One Can Develop
There are many, but we've highlighted those that are truly useful to your restaurant.
1. Booking and Reservation App
These Restaurant mobile app development allow your customers to schedule a table at their leisure with our table reservation/booking app. You can create a separate app for table bookings or incorporate it into your custom restaurant mobile app development.
2. App for Ordering and Delivery
Following the outbreak, there has been a surge in demand for internet meal delivery services. Work on a restaurant mobile app development that allows customers to order their favorite meals at any time.
3. App for Restaurant Menus
Restaurant menus have long been at the heart of the business. Since the pandemic, restaurant menu cards have taken on a digital relevance. Scanning the QR code with your smartphone will allow you to create your orders.
4. App for Restaurant Promotions and Loyalty Membership
Marketing is a critical component of generating ROI and achieving success in any industry. During the chaos of modern life, individuals are continuously on the lookout for appealing offers that can save them money or improve their experience. You can design a restaurant app by taking advantage of both of these circumstances.
5. An App for Restaurant Reviews
This type of restaurant mobile app development can be described as a one-of-a-kind directory that offers information about restaurants such as reviews, atmosphere, photos, price, cuisine type, and so on. If you're thinking about starting a business in this field, this could be one of the most profitable options.
Leverage the power of technology with our hospitality app development services.
Want to know the best viable option, combine these apps in one in the best possible way.
12 Key Features for A Custom Restaurant App
The following are some crucial elements that a top-notch restaurant mobile app development process from reliable software development company should offer.
1. Initial Welcoming Screen-
When a customer opens your application, this is frequently the first screen they see. It contains information about your unique service or brand story, as well as location information.
2. Menu-
A menu is a list of food products, their prices, and photos. The menu can be displayed in a variety of ways, but it is best to keep things basic and user-friendly. Food can be further divided into sections and subcategories, making it simple for customers to find what they want.
3. Menu customization-
I always like extra cheese on my pizza, the option to add extra cheese is IT for me.
Owners can even upsell. For instance, suggest some food while buying a burger, suggest extra toppings, fries, or chocolate muffins?
Customers who are on a diet or have food allergies would appreciate the services if they can choose which ingredients to add and avoid.
4. Ordering via the internet-
One of the most popular aspects of every restaurant app is online ordering. You should include geolocation features in the app so that users can easily track how far their order has progressed after it has been placed.
5. Table Reservations-
What if someone got the date you have been waiting for a long time? They will have a need to make reservations and want everything to be perfect, right?
This feature allows users to book a table for dinner, lunch, or supper using your restaurant app. Give a feature fr pre-booking for dates, birthdays, or parties.
6. Login details-
Make sure they have the option of logging in by number, email, or social media platforms.
7. Push Notifications-
Use notifications to inform your clients about special discounts and events at your restaurant.
8. Chatbots-
What if someone is not present to resolve a customer's issue?
A function at the advanced level that links your customers with chatbots for any inquiry.
9. Geolocation Capabilities-
If you have many restaurants in different cities, geolocation makes it easy for your customers to find them.
10. Processing of Payments-
Making the payment process simple and secure is one of the tried-and-true strategies to improve the performance of your restaurant app. When your consumers reach the payment stage, you should provide them with a variety of payment alternatives, such as debit card, credit card payment, pay at delivery, add coupons, and so on.
11. Offers and Bonuses-
It is one of the most appealing advantages for increasing your customer base. Customers, both old and new, should be rewarded for each referral.
12. Reviews & Ratings-
Ratings and reviews are the last items on our list. It is critical to obtain consumer feedback to improve your services and gain insight into customer behavior. As a result, allow your users to leave restaurant reviews and feedback.
Now that we've gone over the technical components of the restaurant app, let's move on to the cost of restaurant mobile app development section of the article.
How much does it cost to develop a custom restaurant app?
It's nearly impossible to provide you with an estimate for restaurant mobile app development. What we can do is provide you with insight into the aspects that determines the restaurant ordering app cost.
Here are the four most important factors:
- Features-set
- API integration
- Technology Stack
- Size of the mobile app development team
- The agency's location.
Aside from the one listed here, numerous more factors contribute to the cost of developing a restaurant app. We've provided you with a cost range based on the version of the application, based on our experience and research.
- $10k to $12k for the basic version
- $15k to $20k for the standard version
- $25k to $50k for the enterprise version
Before investing in full-fledged restaurant mobile app development services, it's always a good idea to test the waters with a functional model of your app idea. We usually urge our startup clients at Terasol to start with an MVP development.
However, if you're confident in your product concept, developing a full-fledged app for your restaurant isn't a bad idea.
Create personalized experience for every customer with Custom Hospitality software.
Get Your Restaurant App Today!
So there you have it: all the information you need to get started on your restaurant's digitization journey. The next stage is to start from the beginning and create a mobile app for your restaurant. To get a restaurant app for your business, speak with one of our development experts right now.
Check out our work restaurant application development on the BILL APP- The first range of modular applications to digitize your customers' experience and OUR MENU- A complete IT solution to revolutionize the way how restaurants serve their menu to guests, here.
