Food Delivery App Guide for Restaurant Owners in 2025

Food delivery apps have transformed how people order meals, offering convenience and accessibility with just a few taps. With millions using platforms like Uber Eats and Zomato, launching your app presents a lucrative opportunity. Even a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) with essential features—user registration, restaurant listings, and order tracking—can attract users and generate revenue.
This blog will explore the key features of a food delivery app, how to build an MVP, monetization strategies, challenges, and future trends. With the right approach, a well-executed app can scale quickly and deliver high returns in this booming market.
A food delivery app lets users order meals from restaurants and have them delivered. Instead of dining out or cooking, they can browse restaurants, select meals, and order through the app. A delivery person then brings the food to their doorstep.
Using the app is easy, users download it, explore menus, read reviews, and add items to their cart. Payments can be made through a card, digital wallet, or cash. Real-time tracking shows order progress and delivery status. These apps are ideal for busy individuals or those who prefer eating at home, offering a convenient way to enjoy meals or groceries hassle-free.
To attract more customers, a lot of food chains use third-party delivery apps. These apps take care of ordering, payment processing, and delivery, saving eateries the trouble. But while they seem helpful, they also create big problems that hurt restaurants in the long run. Here’s why relying on them isn’t always a good idea:
Third-party apps typically keep 15–30% of each order. Assume a restaurant charges $10 for a pizza. Only $7.50 is received by the restaurant if the app takes 25% off. Not much remains after paying for staff salaries, rent, and ingredients.
When a customer places an order using a third-party app, the restaurant does not receive their contact information. This means:
Each restaurant appears as a name on a list on a third-party app. There is no way to showcase the restaurant’s distinct personality or style.
For example, if a restaurant is known for friendly service and a cozy vibe, none of that comes across in a delivery app. Customers just see menu items and prices, making it hard to stand out.
The restaurant has no control over how the food is served once it leaves the kitchen. Customers blame the restaurant, not the app, if the food is dirty, cold, or arrives late. Even if the restaurant did everything correctly, this results in negative ratings and fewer orders.
Food delivery apps are booming! Rather than depending on third-party companies such as Swiggy or Zomato, why not create your own? Here’s why it’s progressive:
Third-party apps charge 25-40% per order in commissions. That’s a huge cut! With your app, you keep more revenue and reinvest it into your business.
Example: A restaurant selling a $20 meal through a third-party app might only get $12–$15 after commissions. With their own food delivery app, they keep the full $20!
When you use third-party apps, you don’t own the customer data—they do. With your own food delivery app:
Example: A pizza place with its own food delivery app can reward frequent buyers with free sides instead of losing them to competitors on big delivery platforms.
On third-party apps, your brand is just another listing. With your app, you control:
Example: Imagine a high-end sushi restaurant with a custom app showcasing beautiful food images, chef stories, and exclusive VIP deals—a unique experience that third-party apps can’t offer.
Third-party services set their delivery fees—sometimes too high, making customers hesitate to order. With your app:
Example: A small burger joint saves money by hiring two local drivers instead of paying high commission fees to a big platform.
With your food delivery app, you’re not just another restaurant—you can expand into a full-fledged food business.
Example: A small café starts with its own app and later expands into catering, meal prep, and even grocery delivery.
Building your food delivery app isn’t just about convenience, it’s about owning your success. Would you rather pay high commissions forever or invest in your platform and grow? Let’s talk!
Ordering food with just a few taps has made the food delivery industry grow rapidly. In the United States, online food delivery made US$429.95 billion in 2025.
The US online food delivery market is booming and set to grow at a 9.9% CAGR from 2023 to 2032, reaching $66.54 billion. Driven by smartphone adoption, seamless apps, and consumer demand for convenience, the industry thrives on tech innovations and restaurant partnerships.
Building food delivery software requires more than the bare minimum! By adding these fantastic features, you can upgrade your software and make it more effective, profitable, and user-friendly.
What it does: It provides real-time help to restaurants manage their menus, prices, and availability.
Why does it matter?
makes it easier for eateries to manage their menu and satisfy customers.
What it does: Find the fastest and most efficient delivery routes.
Why does it matter?
Faster deliveries = happier customers & more earnings for delivery partners!
What it does: Lets customers track their orders from the restaurant to their doorstep.
Why does it matter?
Customers love transparency, and they’ll have peace of mind that their food is on the way.
What it does: It helps restaurants keep track of stock and avoid running out of ingredients.
Why does it matter?
Prevents order cancellations due to missing ingredients & reduces food waste.
What it does: It helps restaurants and the app owner create and manage promotions.
Why does it matter?
Increases revenue and retains clients!
What it does: A separate app for drivers to manage deliveries.
Why does it matter?
A smoother experience for delivery partners means faster deliveries for customers!
Developing an app to deliver food? Choosing between hybrid and native is one of the first major choices you will have to make. To determine which choice best meets your needs speed, expenses, and outstanding customer experience. Let’s break it down!
Hybrid is an obvious choice if you want to develop quickly and affordably while still reaching iOS and Android customers! Here’s why:
Native apps are for next-level performance and advanced features. If your food delivery app needs real-time tracking, live updates, or high-speed GPS, Native might be the way to go. Here’s why:
Native apps handle real-time tracking like a pro. Smooth, fast, and precise—just what you need for those “Where’s my food?” moments!
Want super-fast load times, seamless animations, and the smoothest experience for users? Native apps have got you covered!
You have complete control over device-specific features with native apps; consider background services, push notifications, and more. Ideal for personalizing the experience!
Go Hybrid if:
Go Native if:
Do you want to make your own app for food delivery? Everything you need to know to develop and promptly release your app with only the most important features will be covered. Let’s begin!
Spend some time researching your market before you get in:
You don’t need everything at once! Start with the basics:
For Users:
For Restaurants:
For Delivery Drivers:
Pick the right tools to build your app:
Make the app easy to use and visually appealing.
Now it’s time to put everything together:
Ready to go live? Keep it simple and gather user feedback.
The work doesn’t stop after launch—keep growing your app!
Although these steps maybe tricky if you are a beginner, you will find hurdles, you can book a free consultation with us and get expert advice.
In today’s busy food delivery market, having your own food delivery app can make a big difference. It lets you control your brand and earn more by avoiding high third-party fees. However, retaining customers is key to maximizing revenue and long-term success. Let’s look into them one by one:
Use data analytics to offer personalized discounts based on customers’ previous orders. For example, if a customer frequently orders a specific dish, send them a discount on their favorite meal.
Encourage repeat orders by offering a structured rewards program. Example:
A smooth, easy-to-use app encourages repeat usage. Ensure:
Get regular updates to stay on top of your thoughts. For example:
Consider launching a subscription program where customers pay a small fee for benefits like:
Encourage customers to share their experiences on social media. Repost user-generated content and offer incentives for online reviews. Restaurants that engage with their audience see up to 30% more customer retention.
Offer deals available only through your app to incentivize downloads and repeat orders.
Example: Burger King’s ‘Only in the App’ promotions drive app downloads and customer retention by offering special in-app deals.
Developing your own food delivery app may change how you work by providing total control over revenue, branding, and customer experience. With the growing demand for online food delivery, having a custom app can set you apart from the competition and drive long-term success.
At YeasiTech, we specialize in developing powerful, user-friendly food delivery apps customized to your business needs. Whether you’re a restaurant, a cloud kitchen, or an entrepreneur looking to enter the food delivery market, our expert team is here to bring your vision to life.
Ready to launch your food delivery app? Contact YeasiTech today and let’s turn your idea into reality!
Want a cost estimation on Food Delivery App? Check our blog on :
Developing your food delivery app helps you avoid high commission fees, gain full control over branding, and build direct customer relationships, increasing long-term profitability.
A custom food delivery app enhances brand identity, boosts customer loyalty, provides valuable user data insights, reduces dependency on third-party apps, and increases profit margins.
A self-owned app helps increase orders, improve customer retention, and improve overall revenue by eliminating third-party commissions, enabling direct promotions, and offering personalized deals.
Essential features include real-time order tracking, multiple payment options, push notifications, loyalty programs, AI-driven recommendations, and an easy-to-use interface for better customer engagement.
A food delivery app’s development costs are determined by several variables. Typically, a basic app costs $500 to $1000. More complex apps can run you anywhere between $2,000 to $5,000. If the app is highly customized and has many advanced features, it can cost $10,000 or more.
YeasiTech is a trusted IT service partner with 8+ years of experience, empowering 250+ businesses with scalable web, mobile and AI solutions.
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