Why restaurant mobile app development is popular in 2023

The restaurant business invariably attracts people looking to enjoy quality food and a cozy atmosphere. However, nowadays, to satisfy all the needs and preferences of customers, it is necessary to offer a broader set of services, including technological ones. There are several reasons why restaurant mobile app development is more relevant than ever in 2023:

• Allows users to quickly and easily select food and place an order without visiting or calling. 
• Many allow for pre-ordering, which reduces waiting time when arriving and saves time.
• Loyalty programs: many use restaurant mobile apps to attract visitors and retain them by providing various bonuses and loyalty programs.
• Convenient search: you can quickly and easily find in your area, view menus and prices, read reviews, and view photos.
• Provide a personalized dining experience by allowing you to customize your order, add ingredients or special requests and receive recommendations based on previous orders.

Restaurant mobile apps on devices have become popular in 2023 because of their convenience, efficiency, and ability to improve the dining experience.

Statistics in the field

These days, mobile apps for restaurants have become an integral part of the market. They allow customers to order food quickly and conveniently, receive information about menus and promotions, and leave feedback on the quality of service. There are some interesting statistics in the industry:

• According to Statista, the number of downloads is expected to reach 40.5 billion per year by 2023.
• According to Business Insider, in 2020, up to 79% of restaurants will offer food ordering via smartphones.
• About 54% of consumers order food through their smartphones at least once a month, according to BRP research.
• They ranked as the 9th most downloaded category worldwide in 2022, according to App Annie.
• About 80% prefer to use their smartphone to order food and get information, according to a study by QSR Magazine.

The statistics show a significant increase in relevance among consumers and an increase in their popularity.

Why should owners develop a restaurant mobile app? 

It can have several benefits for establishment owners:

• Allowing diners to quickly and easily order food and drinks using their smartphones, without having to wait for a waiter or call. 
• Customer Loyalty: An attractive tool to retain visitors and increase their loyalty. You can offer special offers and discounts, and show their order history and preferences to provide personalized service.
• Expand your reach by allowing you to order food and beverages at any time and from any location. 
• Management efficiency by allowing you to track orders and manage menus and inventory. 
• Improved reputation, which can show innovation and attract the attention of people who are looking for convenient and modern service.

Such a solution helps increase the convenience of ordering, increase loyalty, expand the reach, improve management efficiency, and improve reputation.

What benefits can a restaurant mobile app provide?

It can provide many benefits both, for owners and customers:

For owners:

• A convenient way to order food and drinks.
• Help owners manage their businesses. 
• Ability to provide customer feedback. 
• Offer special offers and discounts for regular guests.
• Integrate with social networks.

For guests:

• The convenience of ordering food and drinks.
• Special offers and discounts.
• A more personalized service experience.

How the restaurant mobile apps work

The project functions differ, depending on what features they provide and how they were designed. In general, however, such apps work as follows:

• Customers can select dishes and drinks from the menu, add them to the cart, and place an order. Many allow customers to choose delivery and payment methods.
• Reserving a table — selecting the date, time, number, and other parameters.
• Ability to see your orders, track their status (e.g., confirmed, cooking, delivery), as well as cancel orders, if necessary.
• Reviews and evaluations, food and service. This allows you to get feedback and improve the quality of service.
• Special offers and discounts for regular clients. 
• Tracking of sales, attendance statistics, preference analysis, and other parameters that help them manage their business more efficiently.
• Integration with social media, allowing them to attract new customers through advertising campaigns as well as communication.

What features are important to include?

Many features can be included. The following are the most important features of each side:

On the customer side:

• Viewing the menu, selecting dishes and drinks, and getting pricing information;
• placing an order;
• table reservation;
• reviews and ratings about the food and service;
• notifications about the status of the order, new promotions and offers, and also about any changes in the reservation of the table;
• Bonuses, discounts, and other benefits.

Features on the restaurant side:

• View and manage orders, including confirmations, cancellations, and changes;
• viewing and management of reservations, including confirmation, cancellation, and modification of reservations.
• View sales statistics, analyze data, and use this information to improve business;
• the ability to manage menus, including adding, deleting, and changing dishes and drinks;
• ability to manage the loyalty program, including setting up bonuses, discounts, and other customer benefits;
• the ability to set up and send notifications of new promotions.

Restaurant App Development 

Here are a few steps you need to take to develop a mobile restaurant app:

• First, you need to determine what features and functions should be included and what goals need to be achieved.
• You need to develop a design and interface that will be user-friendly and consistent with the brand.
• We need to create a backend, which will process data and store information about menus, orders, reservations, etc.
• Need to develop a front, which will display information to the user, process actions, and interact with the backend.
• It is necessary to think over the functions and features
• It is necessary to test the operation on different devices and operating systems.
• After successful testing, you need to publish the project in the App Store or Google Play.
• After release, you need to provide support and updates to fix bugs, add new features, and ensure it works.

What is important to consider during development?

The following aspects are important to consider when developing:

• Functionality: everything should be functional and easy to use. 
• The design should be attractive and intuitive. 
• Integration with the management system.
• Notifications.
• It is important to ensure the security and confidentiality of data.
• Everything should work quickly and without failures.
• The ability to leave reviews and ratings, as well as to contact the support service.
• Marketing — sending personalized offers and promotions to customers, food recommendations, etc.

How long can it take to develop a mobile restaurant app? 

Implementation time can vary depending on various factors, such as the complexity of the functionality, design requirements, and additional integrations. Typically, it can take anywhere from a few months to six months or more. Before starting, it’s important to conduct a detailed requirements analysis, determine functionality and design, and create a work plan and schedule. It’s also important to keep in mind that development is not just about creating code, but also testing, debugging integration, and optimization. 

What affects the cost of the project?

The cost can depend on many factors, including the following:

• The more features and functionality, the higher the cost.
• Developing an attractive design may require more time and resources.
• If integration with other systems, such as payment systems, management systems, or social media, is required, this can affect the budget.
• Complex functionality, such as the use of machine learning or deep integration with other systems.
• Development team: experienced developers can cost more.
• Costs can vary by region.

The budget can vary depending on all of these factors and can range from a few thousand to tens of thousands of dollars. Therefore, it is important to determine the requirements and set a budget for the project before you begin.

Conclusions

Developing a restaurant app is one of the key steps in improving the quality of service and attracting new customers. Such an app allows you to simplify the process of ordering food and payment, as well as provide customers with information about menus, promotions, and other special offers. And if you aim to develop your business, we recommend considering such an investment.