Mobile apps have transformed the restaurant business, linking restaurant owners, diners, suppliers, and online food providers on a unified platform for streamlined culinary and food services. Restaurant mobile apps have gained significant attention across domains like food marketplace, on-demand food delivery, and inventory management.
The era of paper menus and waiting in long lines has ended. The food delivery revolution has entered the market, with various mobile apps enabling customers to enjoy their meals from the comfort of their homes. This has resulted in consumer expectations shifting to restaurant mobile apps.
Key Food Delivery Statistics
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- The COVID-19 pandemic had an immense impact on dining behaviors in the US. Pre-pandemic, the online restaurant delivery sector’s market share was 9%, which surged to 13% during the pandemic year. The post-coronavirus market share was expected to rise by 21% in 2025.
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- The global food delivery app industry is projected to expand to $213 billion by 2030. In 2020, it recorded its largest growth in five years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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- Uber Eats is the most prominent food delivery app worldwide, while Delivery Hero has the most extensive user base.
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- DoorDash is the top choice in the United States, with around 67% of the market share.
How Mobile Apps are Transforming the Food Industry
1. Advanced reservation: A table reservation app with a dine-in option is one of the transformative innovations in the restaurant business. A restaurant table reservation app can be customized based on a restaurant’s layout and operating hours. These apps can also be integrated as a feature within a broader food delivery app. Some of the features of advanced reservation for dine-in are:
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- Browse restaurants: Consumers can explore different dining options:
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- Check Restaurant Hours: View operating times for accurate planning or urgent meetings.
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- Reserve a Table: Helps to reduce restaurant traffic, benefiting owners and customers in a win-win situation.
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- Preview Menu: Users can access and select dishes from a digital menu before their visit.
2. On-demand food delivery: With on-demand food delivery apps such as Postmates and Grubhub, consumers can enjoy high-quality meals delivered right to their doorstep without neglecting the quantity and quality of the food. With just a few taps on your smartphone, you can choose from various restaurants and have your food delivered within 15 to 30 minutes.
Domino’s has revolutionized on-demand food delivery with its mobile app, allowing customers to place orders quickly and track their deliveries in real-time. This feature has significantly reduced wait times and improved customer satisfaction, leading to increased repeat orders and higher revenue.
3. Cloud kitchen app: Unlike traditional brick-and-mortar restaurants, cloud kitchens operate without physical dining areas. Cloud kitchens focus on delivering online orders, which means they rely on customized on-demand food delivery apps to connect with customers. This model is cost-effective for small restaurant owners who cannot afford premises and hire front-of-house staff. Cloud kitchen apps provide several benefits, including:
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- Online food ordering
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- Order tracking for users
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- Multiple restaurants listing options
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- Tracking for food delivery partners
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- Customized inventory management
4. Reviews and ratings: Nowadays, almost every food service app offers the option for customers to leave feedback and reviews. This feature profoundly impacts the food sector, as consumers choose restaurants based on reviews and ratings. A highly-rated restaurant helps attract new customers. Online reviews and ratings help new customers read other customers’ feedback and ask questions about the restaurant.
5. Food tracking: Food tracking apps have become a vital feature of online food ordering systems, allowing food lovers to monitor their food packets using a real-time map. Customers can track the progress of their order from preparation to delivery at their doorsteps. While the food delivery app development costs can be significant, the ROI can justify the expenses once it gains traction in the market. Key features of these advanced food ordering and delivery apps include:
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- Order Status Updates: Food lovers can get instant updates on every stage of a food order.
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- Real-Time Delivery Tracking: See where your delivery partner is in real-time.
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- Online Chat: You can communicate directly with the restaurant and delivery partner.
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- Call Options: Users can call the delivery partner or restaurant if needed.
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- Direction Suggestions: Provide directions via voice notes or written instructions to ensure accurate delivery.
For example, to encourage more users to order from the KFC food delivery app instead of aggregator apps, KFC implemented advanced AI-based personalization features that allowed users to track their order delivery in real-time, expanding its digital presence worldwide. With 2 million downloads and a 28% conversion rate, the app was ranked number one on the Play Store.
6. Competitive Pricing: The rise of food delivery apps has led to a new era of competitive pricing in the food industry. Through demand forecasting and real-time data analytics, restaurant owners and managers can now revise their pricing strategies to remain competitive. This benefits customers with better deals and allows restaurant owners to maximize their profit margins. Moreover, by analyzing pricing data and customer feedback, restaurants can identify which menu items are most profitable and which may need price adjustments.
McDonald’s app offers exclusive deals and discounts, making it a competitive choice for food lovers. By providing value through competitive pricing, McDonald’s attracts price-sensitive customers and increases order frequency and success.
7. Online payment: Mobile apps for food ordering can be developed for online payment per se. This ensures a seamless and efficient payment process, enhancing the user experience. While online payment features are most likely integrated into mobile food ordering apps, they can also be customized as a separate tool. Key features of an online payment system for restaurant dining include:
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- Secure transactions through eWallets
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- Online payments via net banking
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- Flexible third-party payment options
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- Cash on delivery, where applicable, depending on the restaurants
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- Redemption of loyalty points or bonuses
8. User-friendly application: Food ordering apps have transformed the dining experience. They are user-friendly and provide great comfort by saving customers time and effort. A well-designed UX/UI enhances the user experience and increases download rates. As a result, more customers are switching to mobile apps to satisfy their culinary cravings, leading to a hike in online food orders.
The Starbucks app is famous for its user-friendly interface, allowing customers to easily place orders, customize their drinks, and make payments. The app also integrates a loyalty program, which increases repeat orders and builds customer loyalty.
9. Discount offers: Mobile app development for restaurants can be customized to have the feature to provide promotion codes and discounts on special occasions. Today, restaurateurs increasingly invest in custom apps explicitly designed to highlight exclusive deals and coupons on food items. These apps are designed with eye-catching visual graphics to showcase several discounts and promotional codes on festive seasons and unique events. Key features include:
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- Generate and use coupon codes for various offers.
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- Provide attractive deals on a wide range of menu items.
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- Easily apply flat-rate or percentage-based discounts with built-in calculators.
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- Issue or retract discounts at any time to ensure flexible discount management.
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- Regular online food delivery app visitors can be rewarded with special loyalty incentives.
10. Subscription services: Subscription-based models ensure a consistent revenue stream while building long-term customer relationships. By integrating subscription services into your mobile app, you can offer customers exclusive promotions, special perks, and personalized recommendations.
Let’s take Panera Bread’s Unlimited Sip Club as an example: its monthly subscription model allows customers to enjoy unlimited beverages. Subscription-based models not only increase profits but also promote customer retention and loyalty.
11. Code scanning: Convenience is a priority in today’s fast-paced world. That’s why code scanning has become a vital tool for users to instantly access menus and other information by scanning QR codes. In 2023, QR code scans surged to nearly 27 million, a remarkable 433% increase over the past two years.
This powerful feature offers instant access to restaurant details and options for innovative marketing strategies. QR codes help restaurants to connect with customers and improve their dining experience instantly. Restaurants can use this tool to provide exclusive in-app promotions and discounts, enhancing customer engagement and increasing sales.
Future Trends
The future of mobile applications in the food industry looks promising. Emerging technologies like Augmented Reality (AR) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are set to transform the dining and delivery experience. AI algorithms can predict user preferences based on past behavior and trends, which offers more appealing and personalized recommendations. AI can also optimize delivery routes to ensure quick and efficient service. This not only improves customer satisfaction but also reduces operational costs.
Meanwhile, AR and Virtual Reality (VR) will transform how users interact with food apps, allowing them to visualize meals in 3D before ordering and even create immersive dining experiences at home. These innovations will bridge the gap between the digital and physical worlds, making the food experience more engaging, personalized, and enjoyable.
Chipotle’s restaurant chain leverages AI through its concierge chatbot, Pepper. The bot can answer questions and assist with order placement through the brand’s app and website. The AI bot elevates the ordering process and efficiently manages customer queries.
Conclusion
Mobile app development has profoundly impacted the food and restaurant industry. It allows businesses to improve their customer dining experience and automate daily tasks like ordering, inventory management, and customer service. By developing a mobile app with a modern and user-centric approach, restaurants can gain a competitive edge in the market. Moreover, restaurant mobile apps with AI and other advanced technology help track customer behavior and preferences and offer personalized deals, leading to stunning business results and higher conversion rates.
