Restaurant App Development: Quick Guide on Creating Restaurant Software

A specialized HoReCa software is convenient at all stages of service. With its help, you can simplify the reception and transfer of orders, control the consumption of food and drinks, the payment process, tracking transactions in the database. Its implementation and competent use are a pledge of an absence of errors, a step towards optimization of personnel interaction, and thus a powerful prerequisite for increasing the number of regular customers.

When a company offers its customers food, it is always worth automating its business, with any format of work. And we want to introduce you to those solutions that will help you do this. Let’s consider what restaurant apps are relevant today, what kind of opportunities they provide to their owners, and how to build them. You will get maximum useful information, on the basis of which it will be easy to decide and choose the restaurant app best suited for your purposes.

What is a restaurant app?

Every public establishment has a contact phone number. Through a phone call, the client can get information, contact an employee, and in the case of a café or restaurant, find out the menu, and book a table. Many restaurant owners have also already appreciated the advantage of having a restaurant website. The site has greatly relieved the phone line and added new features that now appear to be automatic and without a queue. The next step in internet marketing is to create a branded app for the restaurant.

Having a restaurant app increases the importance and image of the establishment. Accessing the restaurant’s offerings using a mobile app has become much easier and more convenient.

Restaurant app features

Most restaurant apps are custom-made, so they are tailor-made. Nevertheless, the functionality can be divided into certain categories:

• restaurant menu
• order delivery
• online payment
• courier contact
• information about promotions
• table booking
• direct communication with the administration for the visitors
• bonus program

How to develop a restaurant app?

Every restaurant app undergoes several development stages: 

• Data collection. This stage involves analyzing all of the information for the project. This includes both the customer’s data submission and the customer’s research. For example, analysis of competitors and target audience. 
• Development of the ToR. Sufficient and unambiguously formulated requirements help not only to achieve the project goals but also to avoid budget overruns in the future. 
• Creation of design. First, designers form a design concept: select fonts, colors, geometry, and style. Then they work through user scenarios and create ready layouts of all the application screens. 
• Programming. This is the stage of software implementation of the application.
• Testing. Before you put the application to work, you should make sure it is stable and error-free. A special stage of testing is carried out to make sure the program behaves on different devices. 
• Release. The application is launched on Play Google or the App Store, having previously passed moderation services. Users can then install it on their smartphone and start using it.

How much does a restaurant app cost?

The cost of a restaurant app development depends on many factors. The cost and timing are calculated based on the time spent on development. The number of hours is multiplied by the hourly rate of the specialist who worked on the task. Nevertheless, there is a way to significantly reduce the cost of developing a restaurant app. You can order the development in a region where developer rates are lower than in the U.S. or in Western Europe, for example in Eastern Europe. This way you can save about half of the cost without sacrificing the quality.

At Perfsol, we develop restaurant apps also for restaurants, cafes, and delivery services. We have an excellent track record, which allows us to reduce the time for the implementation of basic functionality. To start working with us, assess the market of your own competitors, identify the strongest players in the industry, and point them out to us. We will analyze and form a competitive solution to make your restaurant the best.