The Restaurant Mobile App: Users' Expectation

Till the year 2020, above 3 billion people will be using smartphones all over the world. This statistics surely estimates the importance of mobile apps. To leverage the benefits in association with mobile apps, various sectors are currently jumping into the bandwagon on mobile apps.

The restaurant sector is not an exception to this list. Several restaurant apps like Zomato, Swiggy, Yelp, and Foursquare have now set new milestones when it comes to revenue and popularity.

It is all courtesy of mobile apps. Needless to say, investing in an online food ordering app development strategy would be a sensible adjustment at this point.

The Dawn Of The Age Of Food Delivery Apps

No one likes to stand in line these days waiting to order the food in restaurants. Not only is it a time-consuming process but it also requires much more effort from the customer’s side. But with the advent of food delivery apps, the process of ordering food has become a lot simpler.

Food and restaurant apps like Zomato are a regular part of the people’s lives these days. All they have to do is log in to the app and create an account. They can place online orders, have delivery right into their doorsteps. Also, the payment process has become a lot easier as well.

All of these points prove that the restaurant app development is a lucrative and healthy opportunity for businesses.

Most of the small but growing businesses are constantly on the lookout to have their own restaurant apps. The main goal behind such an aspiration is to increase engagement with the customers. But what are the options that they have regarding the development and features?

The question right at this moment is: what exactly do the users want from the restaurant apps? This article illustrates all the important features that can help in the development of such food apps.

Certain Features That Customers Expect From Restaurant Apps

Here are certain features that the food delivery apps require in order to please customers. One of the most important aspects of restaurant apps is customer retention. These features are the ones that can be helpful to make an app functional so that customers want to use it again and again.

• Engaging Functionality

The restaurant app is a platform that offers continuous and uninterrupted interaction between owners and customers. If the development process goes well, then there is a chance of forming a circular pattern.

The circular pattern means that customers will have an amazing user experience. Hence they would want to use the app again and again.

Also, with proper user experience, the customers would be more than willing to provide positive remarks. So, the reviews of the restaurant will be on the more positive side.

This is something that can, in turn, drive sales into the restaurant. As a result, the application will be helping in making the restaurant a great success.

• Menu Options

One of the most essential parts of any restaurant app would have to be its menu. The pattern of showcasing the menu in a food delivery app is something that can provide benefits to the company. So, businesses need to focus on that particular aspect.

Having an appealing and interactive menu would ensure that the customers are able to have convenient options. More and more customers will be happy to download the application. A proper menu also allows the customers to decide what they want to purchase in the best way.

The restaurant menu needs to be easily formatted with separate sections for foods and all kind of beverages. It would also be a great idea if the ingredients, size of the portions, and some appealing images are included. No one can deny an appropriately assimilated menu for sure.

The mobile app would also ensure that the restaurant is able to notify the customers in case of certain developments. Notifications about menu changes or special additions will be easy to send to the applications as well.

• Online Ordering/ Payment

In this fast-paced world, time is really a very important resource that people have. Consumers that are always on the go want to have some options that are instant. This is where online ordering and payment services come to action.

The restaurant app development needs to accumulate this particular aspect on their apps if it wants positive results.

Hungry customers always turn to mobile phones when it comes to making reservations. They use their mobile phone when they have to make orders and get pick up too. The food apps like Dominos and Zomato have online order rushing in like anything.

The convenience of ordering from mobile phones is something that most customers enjoy. Most people would even recommend using mobile apps rather than just sitting in a restaurant and waiting for food.

Apart from that, there are some other reasons why online ordering through mobile phones is a great option. For example, there is no chance for human error if the order is through a mobile app.

This also improves the accuracy of the order and hence there is an increase in customer satisfaction.

Plus, the staff doesn’t have to take their time to get the orders. In that way, they can actually focus on preparing the dishes. They can also pay attention to the other patrons who are in the restaurant, dining.

• Loyalty Programs

For small restaurants, it is a bit difficult to invest in a good rewards program like the larger food chains. That means they would lag behind in the competition.

Now, with the assistance of mobile apps, such issues don’t exist anymore. Mobile apps are constantly providing opportunities to small restaurants by offering loyalty programs. This way, smaller restaurants can easily level the playing field.

The mobile applications work very well indeed for loyalty programs. This provides a more convenient and comfortable way for the customers to see their accumulated points. They can view and track their points to see if there are any redeemable awards for loyalty or not.

The loyalty programs help in producing more and more returns for the businesses. They encourage all the customers to keep returning to the restaurant so that they can claim their rewards. This certainly is a plus point for the restaurant business as they will have more sales due to this feature.

• Review And Social Media Integration

Nowadays, each and every app is a part of social media. So, this feature is definitely a must have for all the restaurant apps. The customers that dine in restaurants would want to post reviews about it on social media.

So, having social media integration can help customers in posting rave reviews about the restaurants. Also, the social media front has millions of users. The more positive reviews on social media, the better it will be for the restaurant business.

The restaurant app of yours can influence social media which can then form a combination with loyalty programs. The customers can then get rewards if they get more patrons to your restaurant. With that, the customer base will also experience an increase.

• Localization And Tracking Options

The customers these days are not fans of traveling to far and wide places in order to dine. Hence they are always on the lookout for restaurants that are nearest to their areas. Most apps can utilize this particular aspect of their business.

There are many restaurant apps that have location tracking options so that people near them can know about the restaurant. This also improves location accuracy. People won’t have to go through complicated procedures to find out the restaurant. That, in turn, results in better business for the restaurant.

• Customized Services

Another requirement for proper online food ordering app development would be the addition of customized services. The customers should be able to choose exactly what they want. Whether it is a specific type of toppings on their pizza or just the spice level on the food, these customized services definitely go a long way.

Everyone is a fan of a little personalization these days in the tasks that they are doing. So, offering customized services can actually be good news for the restaurant mobile application. This helps people get the things that they exactly want without any hassle whatsoever.

Wrapping Up

A particular restaurant app that has some amazing features can actually please the customers. This will also help in boosting the sales and revenue of the restaurant. When it comes to what customers want, there are a plethora of things that need an addition in a restaurant application.

These features are just barely scratching the surface. There are many other options such as better ROI, one-touch dialing, online tracking, and so much more that businesses can add in their mobile apps. Such features would surely result in the growth of the business.

It is the main goal of the restaurant app developers is to keep the customers happy. These amazing app features would provide the customers with exactly what they want. As a result, they would want to keep coming back to the restaurant.

My name is Hemendra Singh. I am Managing Director and Co-Founder of The NineHertz, a Mobile App Development Company. My ideology is that, a clear vision and hard work builds a great company.