Why Do You Need a Restaurant App Development Solution in 2023?

Did you know? The food ordering and delivery services market will be worth $365 billion by the end of 2023. The variety of restaurant applications you can develop is astounding. People love restaurant applications! When it comes to customers, using an app to order food, select a restaurant, read reviews and browse the menus makes things simple for them.

There has been a sharp increase in the restaurant value chain in recent years. The restaurant industry has been among the first to adapt to the change as digitization permeates all industries. Throughout the pandemic, the restaurants made every effort to maintain operations.

Restaurants continued delivering meals to those in need even after everything shut down and everyone was confined. Students and young people living alone without access to kitchens relied on internet meal delivery, and the sector quickly expanded to meet the demand.

It is obvious how crucial it would be for a mobile application to meet market needs. It will be easier for restaurants to serve customers online if food ordering is not restricted to computers and is instead made available on portable and mobile devices.

Types of Restaurant Apps

Restaurant review app – Apps like Yelp, Zomato & Swiggy that allow users to see reviews of various restaurants.

Delivery apps – Nowadays, many apps provide food. Dominos Pizza delivery apps are a prime example of how people can order pizza and deliver it right to their door.

Reservation apps – Customers can make reservations for their tables online in advance using apps like Yelp and OpenTable. No more standing in line to dine in.

Restaurant finder apps – Users may track their orders and identify restaurants in their area with the help of apps.

Loyalty & referral apps: This allows restaurants to reward frequent customers with points that can be redeemed and special offers.

Some stats

• The US industry for developing restaurant mobile apps has increased to $25 billion.
• It is predicted to surpass a $40 billion market value by 2024.
• According to Statista, 67% of Americans prefer to order food through a custom restaurant app instead of getting takeout or dining in.
• According to the National Restaurant Association, 83% of consumers worldwide use their phones to look up restaurants in their area.
• By 2029, the food delivery market is predicted to reach $320 billion.
• According to a further Statista analysis, the online food delivery market is anticipated to generate $323.30 billion in revenue in 2023 and $466.20 billion by 2027, with a CAGR of 7.60% during the forecast period (2022-2027).
• By 2027, there will likely be 2,613.2 million users in the online food delivery market.

Benefits of Creating a Restaurant App

Every business person is familiar with the term “ROI”, or return on investment. It takes a fair amount of money to create a restaurant app that aids in achieving the primary goal of seamless access. Still, the rewards derived from this development may help the restaurant industry expand.

Both new restaurant company owners who have not yet entered the market and those who already operate their restaurants and want to increase their marketing and expansion efforts can benefit from creating a restaurant app.

Here, we go through some of the most essential advantages of creating a capable app for your business.

Brand Value Addition

An app that enables customers to access and find local restaurants from any location and order their favorite meals without being constrained by a device is unquestionably a value boost to the business.

Convenient connectivity has a significant role in forming impressions in customers’ thoughts.

Better Customer Experience

An engaging application that seamlessly transitions from finding restaurants, choosing menu items, ordering dishes, making quick payments, and tracking orders until they are delivered to the user experience.

The UX is improved by having all features integrated through well-defined APIs that allow the program to function flawlessly at all times.

Improved Payment Processing

When a customer places an online order for food, the payment completed through the interface is the step that matters the most to the business owner. This process can be done from anywhere using an application with integrated third-party payment modules.

The online meal ordering process is more comprehensive than ever, thanks to the mobile service providers’ minimum internet speed requirements.

Better Response to Bookings

When it is possible to reserve a table for an appropriate time, the customer is free to finish other tasks before sitting down for dinner at their favorite restaurant. An app for a restaurant that offers this convenience encourages more customers to use the available space.

The tool can help the user or restaurant owner assign visible seatings to everyone, making serving customers easier.

Loyalty Benefits

Loyalty programs on particular restaurant apps not only help keep returning customers but also help draw in new ones. If a restaurant app offers more significant discounts than other restaurants, a new customer is more likely to download it.

The user is hooked on the app and makes additional purchases due to push notifications about the latest deals.

Transparent Feedback

Almost usually, a restaurant app shows customer reviews of its food or service. Because consumers are aware of both the advantages and disadvantages, a trustworthy environment is created for them.

Feedback also gives restaurant owners direction on changing or enhancing what their consumers want.

Creating or including a restaurant app has advantages for new and established business owners. The experience of buying and delivering food online can be improved significantly by considering all the capabilities integrated using particular APIs.

Features of a Restaurant App

As a restaurant app development company, the following are the essential features to include in the app:

• Digital menu with thorough information and images
• Filter (by location, discounts, price, popular dishes, and more)
• Reservation for tables
• Option for placing a takeaway or delivery order
• Payments (online payments & tips)
• Real-time online tracking
• loyalty rewards programs
• In-app chat customer service
• Push notifications

Steps of restaurant app development

• Market Research
• Choose the suitable Tech Stack
• APIs that accelerate the development process
• UI/UX design
• Testing and Deployment
• Marketing of the App
• Post-launch support

Market Research

For the development of apps, market research is essential and shouldn’t be disregarded. Making an app that meets user expectations requires a thorough understanding of market demands. The following considerations should be made when conducting market research:

• Knowledge of competitors’ offerings
• The volume of user data that needs to be retrieved, saved, and maintained.
• Distinct apps’ needs for network support.
• APIs available.
• Features of the Application
• Any reliance on third parties, including those involved in online booking, payments, geo-tracking, etc.
• Details about the server
• Database type and size
• Connectivity sources

Choose the suitable Tech Stack.

Once the set features have been effectively selected, it’s time to decide on the tech stack for developing a restaurant app. You can make a hybrid app that functions on Android and iOS or a native app for each platform. The tech stack will change depending on your choice.

APIs that accelerate the development process

APIs are incredibly helpful for accelerating the development process. Efficiency, integration, automation, accessibility to fresh data, personalization, and adaptation are a few advantages of APIs.

UI/UX

The front end and back end of the software should be designed concurrently. The importance of UI/UX cannot be overstated because it directly affects the app’s success. Make sure your registration process is simple and speedy. Secure sign-in APIs should be implemented into the app for security purposes. A good catalog should have an easy ordering process, delivery tracking, etc.

Testing and Deployment

After the front and back end have been combined and coded, the program needs to be tested before real users access it. At this point, thorough testing is conducted for usability, load, and regression.

Marketing of the App

It’s critical to conduct proper marketing even before the app is made accessible on the app store. You can email people about the program you’re about to release, how it will benefit users when it does, key features, etc. You can utilize promotions, loyalty programs, membership plans, and other incentives to draw users when the app first launches. 

Post-launch support

Our work is not finished after your app is published on Google Play or AppStore. First, since marketplaces frequently change their standards, the app must also be improved to comply with the rules and regulations. Second, after the solution is used by actual customers, clients may realize they need to expand the key to new markets and geographical areas or add more features. Here, Apponward constantly offers assistance.

Cost of developing a mobile app for a restaurant  

It is impossible to provide an accurate price for developing a mobile app for a restaurant because many variables are involved, including the features set, mobile app design, team size, and location of the development company. When you have a firm understanding of the features and mobile app design, you may move on to MVP development to understand how the app was thought up.

Apponward Technologies is known for building scalable, secure digital solutions and for providing world-class iOS App Development Services. Our iOS software developers make sure that your applications are designed to help you build businesses that are ready for the future.

We also offer full-cycle Android app development services, including business analysis and design, as well as full-cycle Android app programming, testing, and Google Play Store launch.

Takeaway

A restaurant app is a fantastic method to expand your company. Understanding the fundamentals of app development and how to select an app development company will be significantly helped by the ideas listed above.

Understanding the target market and the stakeholders that will use the app directly and interact with it is crucial when developing a restaurant app. The kind of experience the application interface provides is nearly entirely what makes online meal ordering enjoyable.

A thoughtful interpretation of the requirements by the development team and the restaurant owner might result in a remarkable application that becomes well-liked because of its appeal and practicality.