Restaurant App Development: Features & How To Get Started

As a restaurant owner, you don’t have time to babysit slow, clunky ordering systems. In a recent report, 57% of adults used mobile ordering. Adoption climbs even higher among younger customers, with 74% of millennials and 65% of Gen Z using it. 

That means faster checkouts, fewer abandoned orders, and more money staying in your pocket instead of going to third-party marketplaces. 

But speed isn’t the only reason to consider a restaurant app. The right app makes it easy for customers to reorder, rewards loyalty, and keeps your brand front and center every time they think about their next meal.

In this guide, I’ll show you what actually matters when it comes to restaurant app development: the features that drive repeat orders, and the development process from start to finish.

What is restaurant app development?

Restaurant app development is all about building a mobile app for your restaurant that actually works for you. Your customers can order, pay, and engage with your menu directly from their phones. Most apps also include loyalty programs, push notifications, and other features that keep your restaurant top-of-mind and make it easy for people to come back.

Having an app makes life easier for both you and your customers. Orders get completed faster, there’s less reliance on third-party marketplaces, and you can reward regulars without lifting a finger. 

3 reasons why every restaurant needs a mobile app

If you’re serious about growing your restaurant, a mobile app is no longer optional. Your guests already live on their phones, and if ordering from you isn’t seamless there, they’ll go somewhere else. Here are three practical reasons I believe every restaurant should have its own mobile app.

1. Increase repeat orders

When I look at real ordering behavior, one trend jumps out. Diners clearly prefer mobile apps for digital orders. 

I’ve seen the data behind thousands of restaurant mobile apps. For the right cuisine, they’re proven to increase reorder rates:

Restaurants with apps get 112% more return customers than restaurants without an app. What’s more, regulars who use a restaurant’s app order twice as much as non-app customers.

And when you factor in loyalty programs? Our internal data has found that regulars who join your app’s rewards program order 17% more often. Which can make apps hugely profitable.

2. Save thousands in fees

Having your own app gets your regulars to order directly from your restaurant, cutting out the fees charged by third-party delivery platforms. 

Guests still enjoy the convenience they expect, and highlighting the money they save when ordering from your app encourages them to order more frequently. Over time, these savings add up and have a noticeable impact on your bottom line.

3. Better guest experience

A well-designed app makes ordering fast and easy. Customers can place orders in seconds, save their favorite meals, and check out instantly with payment options like Apple Pay. 

Push notifications and pre-ordering options keep your restaurant top-of-mind and encourage repeat visits. 

How to get started on restaurant mobile app development

If you’re thinking about mobile app development for your restaurant, don’t overcomplicate it. I’ve seen owners stall for months because they think building an app means hiring a huge tech team or rebuilding their entire operation—it doesn’t. You just need a clear plan and the right partner.

Here’s how I’d approach it.

1. Clarify your needs

Before you talk to any developer, get clear on what you actually want the app to do. Is your goal to increase repeat orders? Push loyalty? Reduce third-party fees? Increase average check size? If you don’t define the outcome, you’ll end up paying for features you don’t need. 

I always tell owners to start with the business problem first. The tech comes second. Write down your must-haves, your nice-to-haves, and the systems the app needs to connect to. That clarity will save you time and money later.

2. Hire a development agency 

If you’re not building this in-house, you’ll need the right restaurant app development company. Look for a team that understands restaurants specifically, not just generic app development. They should know online ordering flows, POS integrations, loyalty programs, and how to optimize for conversions. 

Ask about past restaurant clients. Ask how they handle updates and maintenance. And make sure you understand the ongoing costs, not just the upfront build.

3. Design the app experience 

This is where most restaurants either win or lose. A custom restaurant app should feel simple, fast, and intuitive. I always think about it this way: can a guest place an order in under a minute without getting confused? 

Your design should prioritize clear menus, visible prices, easy customization, and frictionless checkout. Branding matters, but usability matters more. If guests have to think too hard, they won’t use it.

4. Connect your systems 

Your app needs to work with your POS, loyalty platform, payment processor, and any other core systems. If those tools don’t talk to each other, your team ends up doing manual work and fixing preventable mistakes. 

I’ve seen restaurants try to patch things together after launch, and it’s always more painful than getting integrations right from the start. Make sure orders flow automatically, menus stay synced, and reporting pulls into one clean dashboard.

5. Launch and drive adoption 

Launching the app is not the finish line. It’s the starting line. You need to actively push guests to download it. Promote it in-store, on receipts, on social media, and through email and SMS marketing. Give people a reason to try it, whether that’s bonus rewards points or an app-only offer. The restaurants that win don’t just build an app. They consistently remind guests to use it.

The 6 must-have features of restaurant mobile apps

If you’re going to invest in a restaurant mobile app, it has to actually drive revenue. I’ve seen plenty of restaurant apps that look nice but don’t move the needle because they’re missing the basics. These six features consistently increase orders, repeat visits, and average ticket size.

1. No-hassle sign-up experience

Getting a guest to download your app is a big deal—that screen real estate is precious. Keep sign-up simple: Only ask for essential info like phone and email. You can request payment details later at checkout, when guests are motivated to complete an order.

For multi-location restaurants, have guests choose a location first to avoid frustration and failed orders. I’ve seen too many apps lose orders because guests picked the wrong location, don’t let that be you. At Owner.com, we make location selection the first step.

✅ My favorite example: KFC sign-up flows are fast, flexible, and motivating. Guests can skip steps and jump straight to ordering, while the app ensures location is confirmed before adding items to the cart.

2. Fast and easy online ordering

Ordering should be fast and frictionless. Floating “add to order” buttons with prices right on them make scrolling the menu actually tempting. Apple Pay and Google Pay? One-tap checkout is so much more convenient. And don’t block checkout just because delivery isn’t available—let guests choose takeout or schedule for later.

Reordering should be just as easy. A “Favorites” or “Likes” feature turns repeat orders into one-tap routines. Guests love it, and they don’t have to think about what they always order.

✅ My favorite example: Taco Bell lets guests save favorites from almost any screen, move them to the bag instantly, and carry them over when creating an account.

3. Simple (but powerful) in-app rewards

Rewards programs increase engagement by showing clear progress toward goals. Start guests with a few points so they feel a head start, and show progress everywhere: banners on menu items and a rewards overview page. This motivates repeat orders and keeps guests coming back.

✅ My favorite example: Starbucks' rewards program drives app engagement, offering bonus points for app orders and special promotions like “double-star days.”

‍4. Easy to browse menu

Your menu has to look as good on a phone as it does on the plate. Rich photos, clear descriptions, and a “popular items” section make browsing easier for everyone. Even regulars sometimes need a nudge, and a well-designed menu does that without you saying a word.

✅ My favorite example: Chick-fil-A's entire menu (including add-ons) has a photo, making customization easy and boosting upsells without confusion.

5. Smart upsells built right into the app

High-margin items like sides, drinks, and desserts should be suggested at key moments: in the cart, at checkout, or after adding an item. Make it simple with one-tap additions and clearly show menu prices. Offer profitable customizations like premium ingredients or dietary modifications.

✅ My favorite example: Jersey Mike’s has personalized recommended items based on the cart, and they're easy to add in one tap, increasing order value without annoying guests.

6. Ability to showcase your unique brand

Your app should reflect your restaurant’s personality. Use strong visuals, a consistent voice, and copy that communicates your brand while keeping ordering simple. A single hero image, color palette, and smart copy can make even a no-frills app feel distinctive.

✅ My favorite example: Taco Bell uses a snarky, fun tone and clear visual themes to make even global promotions feel on-brand and engaging.

POS sync

If your app doesn’t sync directly with your point of sale (POS), your team ends up re-entering orders by hand. That slows down the line, increases mistakes, and creates headaches during a rush. With proper POS sync, every app order appears instantly in your POS system, just like an in-store order. The kitchen receives the order automatically, the right prep station sees it immediately, and sales totals update in real time.

It also keeps your numbers clean. When items sell out, your menu updates automatically in the app. When prices change in your POS, they update everywhere. So at the end of the day, you’re looking at one source of truth for revenue, which keeps things simple.

✅ My favorite example: Sweetgreen's app orders flow directly into their in-store systems, so digital and in-person orders run on the same operational backbone. It keeps lines moving and data clean, even during peak hours.

How much does it cost to develop a restaurant app?

The honest answer is it depends on how you build it. If you hire a custom development agency or restaurant mobile app developers, you could be looking at anywhere from $30,000 to $250,000 or more upfront, plus ongoing maintenance, hosting, updates, and bug fixes. 

And that’s just to get it live. Every redesign, feature request, or performance issue can mean additional cost. I’ve seen owners go this route thinking it’s a one-time investment, only to realize the real spend starts after launch.

Restaurant-specific platforms take a different approach. With Owner.com, it’s one simple price. Month-to-month. No long-term contracts. No cancellation fees. Just a flat rate to get everything on the Owner.com platform.

Let us help you launch your restaurant app

Hopefully, by now I’ve convinced you how valuable custom mobile apps are for restaurants with high reorder rates. Wait, scratch that. I hope the data and evidence have convinced you. Mobile apps really work—even for independent restaurants.

If your restaurant does a lot of takeout, and you don't have an app yet, we should partner up. Owner.com can set you up with a brand new website and mobile app in just a few days or weeks. After we launch a restaurant’s mobile app, based on our internal data, we typically see a 15% increase in sales versus restaurants that choose not to have an app.

If that sounds good, schedule a demo with our team to get started.

{{cta-1}}