What is the difference between a restaurant business and a construction company? Digital sphere is gaining a place in many fields of activity. In any area, the client requires convenience and speed of service. A tool that can provide both of these points is an application.
If you are in the restaurant business and have realized that it is time to move to a new level in the service sector and organization of the work process in your restaurant, bar or cafe, then this article will be useful to you. So, the direction of mobile app development for restaurants is very much the place to be. We will tell you how an app can facilitate many catering processes, what points should be taken into account when developing a handy mobile application for restaurants, which features will be especially applicable and whether you need an app in general.
App as a tool for the restaurant business development
In a world where literally all processes are trying to be digitalized, it is worth thinking about investing into restaurant app development. Apps serve not only to facilitate production operations, but also to develop business. There are several directions to be taken into account when it comes to developing an app for restaurants: service, staff, delivery, loyalty. You can develop a specific application to perform a single function if you have a small production. If you are an owner of a restaurant chain, then no one bothers to create a multifunctional platform. Everything depends on your goal.
Let’s highlight the potential aspects of developing a restaurant business with a ready-made app: increasing brand loyalty, audience engagement, increasing the average check, reducing the burden on staff, controlling production processes, improving customer interaction, marketing promotion. In fact, this list can be continued indefinitely, because the possibilities of digitalization in restaurant app development are endless.
What to look out for when it comes to developing an app for restaurants
The main point that should be taken into account not only when developing an app for restaurants, but in general when creating an app is that the simpler, the better. The ease of use and convenient navigation depend on how well the designer captured your idea.
Simple does not mean boring. In the case of restaurant app development, simplicity is a well-executed and user-friendly base: a smooth menu for viewing and choosing, a quick table reservation function, an interestingly implemented bonus system, a function to call a waiter or make an order, an online payment and tip function.
Another important peculiarity to consider is the size of the application. The likelihood that your app will be downloaded is much higher if it weighs less. Refer to your inner feeling: 3 Mb or 103 Mb? The answer is obvious.
It will be great if you pay due attention to the analysis of the market of competitors and understand what is already represented in the digital niche of the restaurant business and what is not yet. So your goal is what is not yet there, what is missing. Restaurant app development requires a viable idea.
After you can be sure of a ready-made, high-quality basis, you can proceed to the customization stage, which involves analyzing the target audience. At the same time, it is preferable not to forget about the budget available to us. We smoothly move on to the moment about features that can be implemented in the app to interest customers.
Features for your restaurant app development
To understand what can be used in your product, you should understand what type of app you want to get. All apps can be divided into several categories depending on the required functions:
– delivery;
– loyalty program;
– collection of feedback;
– reservation of tables;
– search for restaurants.
It is also important to determine how many restaurants will use the application. As you can see, there are many interesting solutions in restaurant app development, and the main thing is to choose what suits your business.
After you have decided on the points described above, you can determine which functionality you should focus on. If we are talking about developing an application for gourmet restaurants, then we can focus on the detailed description of dishes and booking. If your restaurant hosts various entertainment events, it will be convenient if you add the event notification function. If you are the owner of a nightclub, it is preferable to pay attention to UX/UI design and make an interactive menu. We can conclude that in addition to basic options, such as menu design or online delivery, each business including restaurant app development needs its own unique set of functions.
Does your restaurant need an app?
Now you know some of the aspects of restaurant app development. Perhaps you already had an idea for your product, or maybe you just thought about creating an app. However, before starting the development process, it is worth asking an obvious but very important question “Do I really need an app for my restaurant?”. Of course, the app will not be superfluous. If, for example, your restaurant or cafe works more for delivery, then you do need a convenient mobile platform, but if you have a small local bar with its own audience, then you can wait a bit with this idea.
Conclusion
Let’s highlight the main points of restaurant app development. Before you start developing, you should understand the needs of your target audience. Requests will be very different, because each restaurant has its own concept and philosophy. McDonald’s, which is known to all of us and the Danish restaurant Noma 2.0 in Copenhagen can be cited as an illustrative example of very different catering businesses.
The next important point is to think over the base of your app. Nice interface + easy navigation = usable product. It is important to be able to make sure that users understand that the application was created for them.
Another serious point is to be able to make friends with your budget and your idea. As soon as both of these aspects harmoniously stand side by side, you will have a viable app.To account for this aspect of restaurant app development, you should analyze the market and study offers from developers.
