How to build a food delivery app like Uber Eats?

The rise of online food delivery businesses like Uber Eats is one of the most remarkable gifts from emerging technologies to the modern world. It wasn’t long ago that online food ordering was associated only with big restaurant chains such as Domino’s, or was considered a service provided only by the elite restaurants. However, that’s not the case anymore. A restaurant without an online presence or an online food ordering system in place is non-existent for customers.

The trend of online presence has become almost a compulsion for food businesses, and they are now scrambling to establish a popular image on the internet. Amidst all this eagerness from food business owners to get a restaurant online ordering system, the business model of aiding them has become very lucrative.

Uber Eats is a prime example of how an experimental service can end up churning a revenue of $1.2 billion in a single quarter. And this wasn’t a stroke of luck. Other businesses working on a similar model, such as Grubhub and DoorDash are also enjoying some spectacular revenue figures. And the reason you are reading this right now is probably that you also wish to build a successful business based on a model similar to Uber Eats and Grubhub.

Well, worry not. We’ve got you covered. We will share the details of all the key elements needed for a successful food delivery system, and then tell you how to build one. So let’s get started:

What does it take to build a successful online food ordering app platform?

To build restaurant website or a successful online food delivery system platform, you’ll have to keep three kinds of audience in mind— the customer, the restaurant owners, and the delivery agents. Failing to provide a smooth and intuitive experience to any one of these user groups can turn out to be detrimental for your multi-restaurant delivery software.

Let’s assess the do’s and don’ts for each of these groups, and then dive into the process of building the restaurant online ordering software.

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The client interface.

Nothing can surpass the importance of clients in this case. It is they who will reach into their pockets to support you as well as restaurants. Your priority should always be to deliver an immaculate and an unparalleled experience to customers— right from when they open the app to the point when food gets delivered at their doorstep. Let’s look at all the different sections you need to keep in check to build an excellent client interface.

• Appearance: It’s the same case with food and online food ordering systems; it matters how they look. Your app should not only look beautiful, but the UI must be designed in such a way that customers can easily find what they are looking for. Ratings and reviews help them filter restaurants, and high-quality images of food items increase their appetite and improve your bottom line.
• Ordering Features: Filters based on locations, ratings, cuisines, price, etc. make life easier for customers. On top of that, you can provide them with the option of modifying orders to cater to their specific needs.
• Payments: Payment is the final hurdle of the customer journey on a food delivery dispatch software. You want this to be as easy as possible. Therefore, make sure to include plenty of payment method options to ensure more customers get through the sales funnel.
• Support: The key to a successful restaurant online ordering system such as Uber Eats is returning customers. And to retain customers, you need to provide them with all the support you can. Smart chatbots and query tickets are some of the features you can have on your platform to elevate the support level.

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The restaurant interface.

The restaurant interface or the merchant app is again a critical link in the chain. The ease with which the restaurant owner can handle operations on their side would determine the quality of service delivered to customers. It is, therefore, necessary that you take care of all the needs of restaurant owners so that they can easily gel their business within your restaurant delivery system. Here are a few things you can’t ignore:

• Store management: Approaching food delivery app development in such a way that it aids owners in managing their day-to-day restaurant activities is the right way to go. Inventory management, time-based menus, product variants, restaurant schedules, etc., are some of the things you would want to include in your online food ordering software.
• Analytics: Like you, restaurant owners would also like to have their hands on all the business’s relevant figures. Your restaurant online ordering software should provide them with comprehensive analytics reports and an intuitive dashboard to keep them informed about the operations.
• Marketing: Your restaurant management system software might also act as a battleground for all the parties listed on it. They would want to perform better than the rest, and the onus is on you to provide them with suitable marketing weapons to help their cause. Make sure you let them roll out special offers and discounts while taking care of SEO at the same time.

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The delivery interface.

Let’s now talk about delivery agents and their needs. If your restaurant delivery system also takes care of delivery dispatch, you should add features that cater specifically to the delivery agents. The easier it for them to carry out operations, the more efficient would be the entire system. Here are the two key features you do not want to miss: 

• Real-time tracking: This would help not just delivery agents but the customers as well. While delivery agents would have a better idea of the kind of timelines they are dealing with, customers would always stay in the loop about the status of their order.
• Route optimization: Route optimization can turn out to be a savior in plenty of cases. A smart restaurant online ordering system would figure out the optimum route for delivery agents after considering things such as the vehicle, traffic, proximity, and other factors. 

How to make a food delivery app like Uber Eats?

Now that you are aware of all the prerequisites of building a successful online food ordering system let’s get into what it takes to make one. There are broadly two ways to create such an app.

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1. Build a custom app from scratch with the help of a software development team.

This is the path for those with deep pockets. Custom on-demand food delivery app development is a long and expensive project but gives you the best results. You can envision anything you want, and the team of skilled developers will do it for you.

A typical food delivery application development cycle would consist of various stages such as idea validation, market research, prototype development, QA, testing, and so many more. These are all subjective to modification depending on the number of roadblocks you face.

While this method is the best way to move forward in case you want a custom solution for the business model, it might not be the smartest way. The high costs and the long development cycle might not suit the needs of everyone. On top of that, if you don’t have a technical background, you might find yourself trying to understand terms like tech stack, agile methodology, and whatnot.

Thankfully, custom food delivery app development isn’t the only way to get into this niche. Let’s discuss a more convenient, faster, and cheaper way to build a restaurant online ordering system.

2. Use a SaaS solution like Yelo to readily deploy a restaurant online ordering software.

What if we tell you that there is no need to go through the gruelling app development cycle and you can still build an online food ordering system in a matter of hours and at a fraction of the price? Sounds like a dream, right? Well, Yelo from Jungleworks is one exceptional solution that turns your dreams into a reality.

It’s a ready-to-go solution that allows you to create a marketplace app without getting into the nitty-gritty of app development. All you need to do is fill in all the relevant information during the initial setup, and your multi-restaurant ordering system would be ready to go.

Most importantly, Yelo comes with all the features we discussed in the three interface sections at the beginning. Yelo brings you world-class services from industry leaders. For instance, they use Google Maps API for route navigation and other delivery related solutions. 

With Yelo, you won’t have to pay a huge sum upfront. You can start by subscribing to the lowest tier plan and then gradually move up as your business expands. Did I tell you they also have a free two-week trial?

When it comes to restaurant online ordering software, there is no solution more efficient than Yelo. It brings you the best of both worlds and is capable of putting you right up there with industry leaders like Uber Eats and Grubhub. So go check out Yelo right now!