Building A Food Delivery App

Want to create a food ordering app like Grubhub or UberEats? Not sure what tech stack to choose and what all to integrate? No problem.

In this blog, I’ve covered (almost) all key points that connect the dots for creating a food delivery app like Uber Eats and GrubHub. Read on and know more about everything that takes to create apps to order food online.

A food delivery app is not an unprecedented concept. More and more brands are entering the market for catering to the requirement of delivering sumptuous food online. Even amidst the challenging times of COVID-19, the online food ordering industry was booming with its contact-less delivery. Doordash, Grubhub, GoPuff, Postmates, etc.,

Technological advancement unlocked several opportunities for restaurants and eateries, which in return, evolved the food industry. As per the statistics, the global online ordering of food was estimated at 130 billion USD in 2022. By 2027, these figures are expected to rise by 223.7 billion USD.

Furthermore, another survey revealed that 27% of consumers in the US are willing to pay extra for fast delivery for their online orders. The US Department of Agriculture estimated that up to 54% of Americans spend a major chunk of their budget on ordering food online.

There’s more for you to read ahead. Let’s dive in and absorb more information about creating apps to order food. But before proceeding with building an app, it is essential to understand and address the potential challenges. Once done with this, creating a food delivery service app would become a cakewalk.

Potential Challenges That Should Be Addressed

We’ve listed the common challenges that would simplify food delivery app development.

Not Identifying The Market Needs

If an app is not developed keeping in mind its target audience, most probably it would not sustain in the competition. Going through the competitor apps, figuring out the loopholes in them, and trying not to mess up by doing the same can save the app from getting buried.

Outlining the segment that competitors have missed can give an upper edge. There are numerous food delivery service apps on the App Store and Play Store, but they do not cover everything. Identify those points and hunt the shark.

Avoiding Vetted Analyses of Features

Do you know what makes Doordash atop its competitors? The features like stability & performance are two prominent pillars that make this online food delivery app remain one level up as compared to its competitors. Statistics show that Doordash recorded 59% of sales in April 2022. It is because of two reasons- simple features that do not overwhelm the user and delivering alcohol by partnering with liquor stores.

It’s a myth that more features would bring in the green shoots for food ordering apps. Sometimes, integrating several features can perplex users & impact the performance of the app negatively. Hence, food ordering app developers should look forward to including limited & necessary features.

Not Developing an MVP

Food delivery apps like UberEats, Doordash, and Grubhub didn’t look the way they are today. It took them years to evolve after studying the market trends and requirements for sustaining in the competition.

Hence, it becomes vital to understand & integrate the necessary elements for the success of the app. For food ordering apps, it is essential to partner with local restaurants. Being a newbie in the industry, creating strong partnerships with restaurants and grocery stores becomes essential.

These concerns should be addressed by food delivery app developers before proceeding to create food delivery services like the Grubhub app or Doordash. It would keep the technical and marketing pitfalls at bay, which in return, would guarantee success. Now, let’s understand the workflow of a food delivery app.

Revenue Models of Food Ordering Apps

Usually, food ordering apps have 3 types of revenue models:

• Subscription- Restaurant owners pay an annual fee to a platform to get their restaurant listed on the app.

• Advertisement- Restaurants buy premium listings that are run as sponsored ads. These are usually shown on the mobile/desktop website that catches the user’s attention.

• Commission- The platform chosen for operations deducts a specific percentage of earnings as commission. The fees vary by restaurant’s earnings and scale between 5-20%.

The Must-Haves of Food Ordering Apps

There are some vital elements that cannot be ignored in creating the best food delivery app. For food delivery app developers, it is essential to get the gist for integrating features because food delivery apps are used on two sides- the user panel and the admin panel.

Maintaining a balance is a must because too many features can overwhelm the user.  Hence, integrate only the required features, according to the panel, as stated below:

For User Panel

• Hassle-free registration & login

Users should be able to register with the app & create an account without facing complexities. Login must include signing up with social integration (Gmail/Facebook), mobile number, or OTP confirmation. The registration and login should be kept simple.

• Search Option & Geolocation

Users should be able to search for their preferred restaurants as per their location. By detecting the location of the user, the app must display the nearest restaurants available that offer paid or free delivery.

• Menu & Order Placement

The app must display the menu of the selected restaurant. Once the dish has been selected, the user should be able to place the order, make the payment, and checkout.

• Payment Gateways & Order Tracking

Food delivery app developers should integrate different payment options (CoD/UPI/Card/E-Wallet). Soon after making the payment, the details along with the invoice should be displayed on the screen. Users should be able to track the order status & real-time location of the delivery partner as well.

• Reviews & Ratings

Since feedback is vital and helps to grow, developers must integrate an option for rating and reviewing order(s). Users can drop their suggestions based on their experience.

For Admin Panel

Here’s the list of features that must be included on the admin side of the app.

• Dashboard

The dashboard of the app allows tracking of the overall operations of the business. It covers tracking the number of orders received, delivered, and canceled in a day. Apart from these, the dashboard also includes an analytics section where leading restaurants are listed. Individuals can perform R&D for gaining insights into better business development.

• Acceptance/Rejection of Orders

Owing to several reasons, whether specified or non-specified, restaurants reserve the right to accept/reject orders. Some commonly specified reasons include distance and workload during peak hours. Accepting/rejecting orders can be managed within the admin panel.

• Payment Management

The admin panel gives access to managing the payment section as well. Under this section, the admin can specify acceptable payment methods related to an order. It could be CoD, UPI, or E-wallet.

• Coupons & Offers

Another major must-have for food ordering apps is the coupon section. Admin can provide exclusive deals & discounts to customers on their fast food orders.

In order to create the best food delivery app, selecting the right tech stack becomes mandatory. Using the right programming language, an app can soar to greater heights. Here’s a quick look at the tech stack needed for creating apps to order food.

Tech Stack Required for Creating Food Delivery Apps

The performance of the food delivery app remains the foremost concern for users. Conceived using the right wireframe and technologies, a food delivery app would work like a finely-oiled machine when it has stability and performance. We’ve compiled a list of technology stacks that would help in creating food delivery apps.

• Programming- Flutter, React Native, Kotlin
• Cloud services- Cloud Sigma, AHU
• Registration- Facebook SDK, Google sign-in
• Payment- Google Pay, Amazon Pay, PayPal
• Geolocation- Google Maps
• Analytics- Google Analytics, Localytics

Food Delivery App- Over To You

Considering the pace of the ever-evolving industry of online food ordering, the future of food delivery apps is bright. Industry sharks like Uber Eats, Doordash, and Grubhub are leading the market, but with continuous tech upgrades, there’s room for more food ordering apps.

Creating the best food delivery app wouldn’t be a tough nut to crack if the developer has the right vision & approach. By understanding the market trends and expectations of users, developers can conceive the desired food delivery app.