At this stage, the restaurant industry is more developed than ever. Of course, this is a big plus, but it also means that the competition is so high that it becomes very difficult to build a successful business. That is why there are statistics according to which more than 30%of restaurants close in the first years of their existence. The reasons for this can be numerous, starting from the mediocre quality of service and ending with poor advertising.
The COVID-19 pandemic has undeniably made waves in the restaurant industry. Since most restaurants have adopted a digitalized strategy, you would probably need to do the same to stay abreast with your competitors. In fact, expect to see even more digital innovation in the restaurant industry in the years to come, while the current digitalization becomes the norm. According to Technavio, the restaurant digitization solutions market size is predicted to surge to USD 6,56 billion from 2021 to 2026 at a CAGR of 16,27%.
In order you will be able to successfully manage your business and grow it, the best choice would be to develop a special application for your establishment.
Benefits of restaurant app development
Before you make a decision to implement new technology into your business, you should learn as much as possible about how it can make your restaurant better. Therefore, below you can find the main benefits of restaurant applications.
Increased revenue
The incorporation of computerized technology into the restaurant business will help you offer customers more options for ordering food. In addition to being able to eat in the cafe, customers will also get an opportunity to order takeout. This will increase your revenue because you will be able to serve more people than your halls can accommodate.
Improved quality of service
Thanks to the fact that special applications allow the automation of some processes in the restaurant, such as booking tables, distribution of tasks between the staff and others, the quality of services can be noticeably improved. The reason for this is that each employee clearly know their tasks, and is not overloaded with work that can be automated.
Attracting loyal customers
Apps for your restaurant can help with advertising your establishment. Give more information about your place inside the app. Tell a mini story about who you are, how you position your business. Try to remind customers of yourself as often as possible, through different notifications and messages. This will help them always keep in mind your location and its benefits.
Convenient system for receiving feedbacks
To avoid wasting time and money on collecting feedback from your restaurant customers, it's more efficient to create an app for this purpose. That way, visitors can leave reviews about your service and employees. Such information will greatly help you in analyzing your business and looking for ways to improve it.
Easy payment experience
Some types of restaurant apps can offer visitors to pay for their order online. This method is very convenient because there is no need to wait for the waiter and take up his time. In addition, it is a big plus for the restaurant when it can offer many payment options, because it is extremely convenient.
Main types of restaurants applications
There are a lot of restaurant app options on the market. Below we take a look at the most popular categories in order to give you ideas about what you can implement in your business.
Apps for easy management of back-office processes
Such applications help in organizing all back-office processes because they can track employee shifts and automatically assign work to them. You can also monitor the status of each scheduled task and then analyze staff performance.
This technological approach to organizing all processes will help speed up work and avoid overlaps and misunderstandings, which can be caused by human factors.
Menu application
Paper versions of menus are no longer as popular as their digital ones. The app with your menu is convenient for the following reasons:
- customers don't have to wait for the waiter to bring a paper version with a list of all the dishes
- this type of menu is much easier to edit (add new dishes or on the contrary remove some of the positions)
- people can open the menu at home and order take-away food
- such solution has a positive impact on the environment, because the physical menu production requires paper, the manufacture of which causes deforestation
Table booking applications
Viewing available seats in the hall, as well as booking tables for a certain time can now be fully automated. In the application guests can choose the most suitable place for them without having to call someone. At the same time, it becomes very convenient for the owners of the restaurant, because their employees will be able to:
- receive notifications about table reservations
- prepare everything in advance for the arrival of guests
- avoid misunderstandings with clients about reservations
Food delivery services
After the quarantine restrictions, food deliveries became very popular. People realized that it is very convenient to have fresh and tasty food delivered to their homes. It is especially good if it is possible to make and pay for the order, as well as to specify the address and time of delivery online.
Also, in the application, staff can see the number of orders, their times, and their statuses. This allows to properly distribute tasks, for example, it is possible to deliver orders to several addresses at once, thereby optimizing the process and reducing costs.
App for promotion and discounts
Using your app, customers will receive regular notifications about discounts, promotions, and so on, which can encourage people to return to your restaurant. Also, a great option would be to allow customers to create a discount card within the app.
Restaurant app development roadmap
These days, enterprise software development services have become more and more popular. The reason for it is the desire of business owners to create a custom technological solution that will suit them in all aspects. So, below you can find a small plan that can help with successful realization of your project.
Ask yourself the question: What to improve?
Analyze the state of your business, and then find what you need to improve to become more successful. For example, guests often complain that waiters confuse orders. So, you need to develop a solution to solve this problem.
Think about what you can do
Once you have identified the problem areas of your business, it will be easier to find a solution. According to the example we gave above, you can think of the following solution: you need to create an application with which the waiter will work while taking orders from customers. The main features should be: making an order online, linking the order to the number of the table and setting the time of the order, so that guests don't have to wait for long.
Start working on the project
Together with the team of developers you can choose the set of technologies to be used, as well as the UX/UI design of your application. Try to make a pleasant and intuitive interface.
Also, to test your idea, start with MVP creating. It will give you an idea of further project development.
Read also: Food Delivery Mobile Application Development: Cost and Features
Remember about scalability
After all the previous steps, you can start developing the full-fledged product, testing it and implementing it into the business. In the process, make sure that the application is ready for peak loads and can be easily scaled up.
Start working with Software Development Hub
Software Development Hub specializes in software development services for startup and medium-sized businesses. Our team of over 100 professionals is ready to cope with any of your requests. We can offer a full range of restaurant app development services, including market analysis, MVP creation, testing, and technical support. Our experts are filled with interesting ideas and ready to develop applications for your business from A toZ. Get started now and contact us to get an expert opinion on your project as well as a development plan.
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