Given the incredible popularity of apps in today’s world, every business is trying to get one for its operations. In most cases this practice becomes a convenient norm for work, expanding a lot of functions for both owners and customers.
This is especially noticeable in the restaurant business. For example, owners of HoReCa software are able to monitor the situation of the entire chain of restaurants much more conveniently. Find out what a restaurant app is, why modern businesses need it, how to develop a restaurant app, and how much it will cost.
What is a restaurant app?
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A restaurant app is a multifunctional software that can be used both to attract clients and for restaurant management. Such applications can calculate different statistics e.g. income and expenses, monitor visitors’ evaluations and feedback, and show how satisfied they are with the service. Based on this data, it is possible to make certain changes, optimize operations, and generally improve profits and service.
What features should be in a good restaurant app?
Talking about the functionality of a restaurant app, it is important to learn how to use these functions correctly, because having a mobile application is not the solution to all of your business needs. It is only a tool that helps with effective interaction of the company with its customers.
- Contacts. This is the most important function of every restaurant app. For restaurants it’s just a must-have because with the help of the contacts function it’s possible not only to find out the phone number and address of the restaurant, but also to find the route to the restaurant, or to call directly from the application.
- Menu. This is also an important component of any restaurant app. As the statistics show, 70-80% of the visitors of restaurants turn to the menu to study the offers and prices before visiting the place.
- Loyalty. A loyalty program is the main tool for retaining customers and bringing them back again and again.
- Push notifications. Push notifications are special messages that appear on the screen of all app users. Push notifications can be sent to periodically remind customers about your place and inform them about promotions, parties, or updated menus.
- Reservation/booking. The restaurant reservations feature helps customers choose a convenient day and time to visit without the burden of calling the company.
Properly configured mobile app features and usability don’t solve all problems yet. It is important to use the application competently in the process of marketing activities to attract customers and motivate them to take certain actions.
How to develop a mobile app?
The restaurant app development consists of several key stages. Let’s say a few words about each of them.
IT consulting
This is the initial stage when you come to a development company with your idea of a restaurant app and the specialists give you the approximate estimates of time and resources which will be needed to create it.
UX/UI design
Then the design specialists create the appearance of the restaurant app and develop the logic of interaction between the elements in it.
Development
Developers then write the code for the restaurant app.
Implementation
At this stage, the ready-made restaurant app is integrated into your processes. It is crucial that the work of your business does not stop for a second because of the introduction of software, and therefore a high level of expertise is required.
Post-release maintenance
At the end of the day, the specialists of the development company make sure that the restaurant app works smoothly and update it if necessary.
How much does it cost to develop the restaurant app?
When talking about the price of a restaurant app, you should understand that it depends on different factors. For example, the more functions in the restaurant app the more expensive it is because the developers will have to spend more time on its creation.
The approximate cost ranges from $5000-$10000 if we are talking about the most basic functionality. However, you can almost halve the price. To do this, pay attention to companies in the regions where the cost of specialists is cheaper than in the U.S. or Western Europe. An excellent option would be to contact specialists from Eastern Europe.
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A restaurant app is not just a fancy gimmick developers offer, but a real working tool that can increase sales and, most importantly, make customers fall in love with your restaurant forever. Get in touch with Perfsol restaurant app development company now and own the advanced technology in no time.