The hospitality industry in India is exploring innovative ways to cope with the pandemic-driven business stagnation. This crisis has hit budget hotels and top hospitality companies alike. As economic activities slowly begin, leading hotels and restaurants are leveraging technology to boost revenue streams. Online food delivery services have become a key area of innovation and cash flow amid the pandemic.
The latest big example of the growing dominance of online food delivery apps is the forthcoming gourmet food delivery platform Qmin. Indian Hotels Company (IHCL), parent of the Taj Hotels, will launch the app across Indian cities. Initially, the company is planning to cover major metropolitan cities like Delhi, Bengaluru, and Chennai. The online gourmet food delivery services will be available via a website a restaurant food delivery app owned by IHCL.
Restaurant App Development for Reviving Hospitality Business
The Qmin mobile app will deliver food from Taj restaurants in Mumbai, including Golden Dragon and Souk, among others. According to IHCL’s MD Puneet Chhatwal, the company plans to scale up operations in the coming months and cover more cities across the country. Experts are seeing this is a survival strategy for the hospitality giant amid this unprecedented economic crisis.
The company believes that online gourmet food delivery services augment the hospitality group’s food and beverage offerings. The digital platform will enable the group to address the growing demands for on-demand delivery of gourmet food. The company also has plans to integrate its customer loyalty program into the Qmin platform.
Benefits of Developing a Restaurant App
The role of online food delivery apps has changed dramatically over the past few months. As countries began to introduce lockdown measures following the virus outbreak, online food delivery apps experienced overwhelming demands. In cities like New York, people started to rely completely on food delivery and takeout apps like GrubHub and Uber Eats. In India too, Zomato, Swiggy, and other apps saw unprecedented demands. The restaurants that were registered with these platforms were better positioned in the crisis. Thanks to online food delivery apps.
Food delivery apps also play a unique role in enhancing brand awareness for a restaurant and improving customer satisfaction. With a well-developed food delivery app in place, restaurants can operate even during crises like a lockdown. It ensures that cash flow continues even during the most challenging times.
How to Develop a Food Delivery App
Since the beginning of the lockdown, on-demand app development has gained renewed popularity among restaurants and hospitality companies. As mentioned earlier in this blog, even leading hotel groups like Taj, Marriot, and Hyatt are venturing into online food delivery services. Small and medium restaurants too are exploring online food delivery as a long-term survival strategy. While planning to develop a food delivery, the first thing that you must consider is the design and features of the app. Here’s a list of key features of a restaurant app.
Location-based services
Customers should be able to search restaurants according to their real-time location. More relevant search results mean better chances of quick food delivery. This is directly associated with customer satisfaction and brand reputation.
Customized search and menu
Let the customers use various filters while searching for their favorite food. Filters for location, food type, and restaurants’ rating, etc. make the food ordering experience pleasant. These features help you to create a base of loyal app users.
Diverse online payment options
Every customer could have a different payment preference. So, you need to have multiple payment options to address the needs of every kind of customer. Include credit and debit cards along with all major digital payment platforms like Google Pay, Amazon Pay, and Paytm.
Social media integration
More than ever people are using social media and sharing their online and real-life experiences. When you enable users to get quick social media integration buttons, you also increase the chances of expanding your digital presence. Social media marketing is one of the most effective customer engagement methods. Leverage advanced social app development services to get all the desired features.
Discounts and special offers
Discounts, coupons, ad special offers are some of the most attractive ways of acquiring new customers. These methods also help restaurants retain their existing customers. Whether you choose Android app development or iOS apps, always include these features.
Conclusion
Like so many other businesses, restaurants, restaurant aggregators, and food delivery start-ups are preparing to compete in a drastically changed market. This post-crisis world will require more efficient technology that promptly serves customers’ needs. The sooner you adapt to these changes, the better for your restaurant or hospitality business. OrangeMantra, a top mobile app development company in India, has long helped restaurateurs and hoteliers to fulfill their tech solution needs. With an award-winning app development team, we know what technologies and features that best suit our clients.
FAQs
Q. How do I create a restaurant app?
If you are not a developer yourself, you need to hire mobile app developers to create a restaurant app. You could either hire developers to work on your premise or outsource the development project to a reliable mobile app development. OrangeMantra offers both dedicated app developers and outsourcing-based restaurant app development services.
Q. How much does it cost to build a food delivery app?
The costs of developing a food delivery app depend on several factors. Design complexity, development time, type of features, etc. play an important role in calculating the costs. OrangeMantra designs and development flawless food delivery apps at a competitive price.
Q. How long does it take to develop a restaurant app?
There’s no predefined time for developing a restaurant app. It varies widely depending on the features of the app and its design. The best way to know an estimated time is to consult development experts.