Randy Rayess
Current statistics show that restaurant owners who ignore food ordering app development today will definitely suffer a big drop in income tomorrow. In this article, we will show you how to make a successful mobile application that will keep you on track to a successful restaurant business.
According to Business Insider, the mobile food ordering industry will grow to $38 billion by the end of 2020. Restaurants that provide different and varying food delivery services are more likely to depend on mobile technology, over anyone else. The need for mobile app development for restaurants becomes evident after a deep analysis of the audience and customers. In 2016, AYTM agency held a survey that resulted in pretty encouraging statistics. 24% of all respondents had at least one food ordering app installed on their smartphone, and another 15% said they were ready to download one. 76% of smartphone owners, who had such applications already installed, used them at least once a month. This data shows the current level of demand for such mobile solutions. People want to have the option to order food fast, and easily get it delivered to their front door.
Creating a food ordering app does not guarantee a leading position in the restaurant business, even if your food is in high-demand among customers. The functionality of your application plays a key role in driving more orders, which is why many business owners have already started to hire developers to try and grow in this rapidly escalating market. Keep in mind that making a successful app for food ordering is impossible without correctly selected technology.
Choosing the right technology
To start, you should choose a platform that will support your app. How do you make the best choice? To choose between iOS and Android, you have to know your audience. Your current price policy will help you better understand your customers and learn what devices they prefer. For example, if your restaurant serves expensive and unique dishes, then your visitors will likely prefer iOS. This theory is not always 100% correct, however. In most cases, you will need to develop your successful restaurant mobile app for both Android and iOS platforms, in order to cover all bases.
Another key area of focus for the future success of your application is building a mobile solution that will improve your existing restaurant service. What does that mean? Your app should be able to work behind the scenes to create a remarkable guest experience for each and every one of your customers. It should be integrated into your POS and kitchen ticketing system, as well. This synergy between two systems can allow visitors to experience better service, overall. For example, when a customer makes an order through your app, he or she will see his/her number in the queue. It will help your guests use their time more efficiently and eliminate negative feedback, even if your workers serve the orders with some delays.
What functions will your app include?
Every app feature should provide smartphone owners with at least a small problem-solving capability as part of the whole mobile solution. Security, visualization, and personalization are, indeed, significant qualities that will help you make a great app for restaurant ordering; however, full and useful functionality is a key concept for further success. So what kind of features does your mobile application have to include? Here is a “must” list provided by lunapps.com:
- Fast geo-location;
- Order delivery monitoring system;
- Comprehensive order form;
- Booking system; and
- Evaluation system.
Let’s learn more about each of these important features.
Let customers easily locate your restaurant
Everyone will agree that a constant flow of visitors ensures regular income. Production of high quality, a good level of service, and adequate prices are needed for customers to come to your place, and to return. But, if they cannot find your restaurant or have trouble getting there, then all your efforts can be worthless. That is why location determination must work perfectly. This function will allow for to build a successful app for business growth in the food ordering industry.
Let customers monitor their order status
If you’ve ever used Uber’s app, you may have been surprised to see that you could track the car location in real-time as you waited for it. Hungry customers wait for their pizza in the same way as you wait for a taxi, which is why this feature can help with customer expectations.
Let customers make orders easily
A user interface (UI) has to be intuitive. When a person opens your application for the first time, it must be easy to understand how to place an order, how to add extra ingredients, etc.
Let visitors reserve a table in advance
This feature seems obvious but, unfortunately, many restaurant owners forget about it and suppose that posting their phone number is enough. In this day in age, customers prefer to do everything on their smartphone, and would rather not call to make a reservation.
Let customers choose a waiter/waitress
Restaurant visitors want to get the best service possible when they dine out, and they may like one waiter more than another one because of personal reasons. Moreover, evaluation features will help you better understand which employees work more efficiently.
Provide greater engagement
The more engaging your app is, the greater user experience customers will get. Users must have the opportunity to interact with the application, because mobile apps are not content-based tools. Internal recommendation systems will allow you to offer dishes that users are more likely to order.
Provide detailed information about your dishes
Listing ingredients is not providing detailed information about your cuisine. People want to know what they are eating and how it is cooked. Some of them worry about the number of calories they eat daily, while others consume only olive oil instead of sunflower oil, or other specifications. Customers need to know how your food is made so that they can follow their own health and allergy restrictions without worrying about the unknown.
So how do you create a successful app for the restaurant business? You just need to learn your audience, define the most convenient technology, determine a set of functions, develop a modern design, build the app, and test it to ensure it works properly. Though it sounds like a lot of work – and certainly isn’t easy – upon completion, you will have a multipurpose solution that will increase your income in the today’s market that is peppered with digital competition.
AUTHOR BIO
Vadym Getman, CEO of Lunapps, is an expert within Digital solution business design and development of the native iOS and Android apps with outstanding UI/UX. Successful entrepreneur, who organized several start-ups.
