Have you ever craved your favorite meal from a local restaurant, only to realize that getting it delivered is easier than you thought? Apps like Grubhub have made food delivery as simple as tapping a button. But what if you could create your own food delivery app that competes with the big players in the market? It’s not as impossible as it sounds!
In this guide, we’ll walk you through the process of building an app like Grubhub. Whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur or a developer ready to dive into the food tech space, we’ve got you covered. From understanding what features make food delivery apps tick to the tech behind them, we’ll break down everything you need to know. So, grab a coffee, and let’s get started on your journey to building a next-gen food delivery platform!
Food Delivery App Market in Australia: A Growing Trend
The food delivery market in Australia has seen significant growth in recent years, becoming a cornerstone of the nation’s dining culture. In 2023, the online food delivery market in Australia was valued at approximately AUD 3.7 billion, with projections showing it will reach AUD 4.8 billion by 2025. This growth is largely driven by the increasing adoption of mobile technology and the shift toward on-demand, convenience-based services, which Australians have fully embraced.
In fact, around 56% of Australians reported using a food delivery app regularly, with apps like Uber Eats, Grubhub, Menulog, and DoorDash leading the charge.
Introduction to Grubhub: Revolutionizing Food Delivery
Grubhub has become a household name in the food delivery industry, transforming the way people order food. Founded in 2004, Grubhub quickly grew into one of the largest online food delivery services in the United States, offering customers the ability to browse local restaurants, place orders, and have meals delivered right to their doorstep with just a few taps. What started as a simple platform for restaurant delivery has now expanded into a multi-million-dollar business, partnering with thousands of restaurants across the country and facilitating millions of orders every day.
With its user-friendly app and website, Grubhub has revolutionized the dining experience, providing customers with convenience and variety while helping restaurants reach new customers. Over the years, Grubhub has continued to innovate by adding features like real-time order tracking, flexible payment options, and tailored recommendations based on user preferences. As the food delivery market continues to grow, Grubhub remains a key player, constantly adapting to the evolving needs of consumers and businesses alike. Whether you’re looking to satisfy a late-night craving or find a new restaurant to try, Grubhub has become the go-to service for anyone craving fast, reliable food delivery.
How to Make an App Like Grubhub: A Comprehensive Guide
Creating an app like Grubhub can be an exciting and profitable venture in today’s fast-growing food delivery industry. As consumers increasingly demand convenience and on-demand services, food delivery apps have quickly become a staple in modern life. With the right mix of features, technology, and user experience, you can create an app that not only meets but exceeds user expectations. Whether you’re a developer looking to dive into the food-tech space or an entrepreneur seeking to enter a competitive but thriving market, understanding how to build an app like Grubhub is crucial. In this guide, we’ll take you through the entire process—starting with the groundwork of market research and ending with post-launch strategies to ensure your app’s success.
1. Market Research and Competitor Analysis
Before you start building an app like Grubhub, it’s important to conduct thorough market research. This involves understanding the food delivery landscape, knowing your target audience, and identifying the strengths and weaknesses of your competitors. The food delivery market is highly competitive, with major players like Grubhub, Uber Eats, and DoorDash already commanding a large portion of the market share. However, this doesn’t mean there isn’t room for new players. To succeed, you need to find a unique selling proposition (USP) that sets your app apart. You could focus on a particular niche, such as healthy food, or create an app that offers a better user experience. By studying competitors, you’ll understand the essential features that customers expect, as well as areas where the current offerings could be improved.
2. Key Features of a Food Delivery App
Building an app like Grubhub requires a solid understanding of the features that make food delivery platforms successful. For customers, the app needs to be easy to navigate, offering features like restaurant search and filters that allow users to find exactly what they’re looking for. This can include filtering by cuisine, location, price range, and ratings. Once users select a restaurant, they should be able to browse the menu, customize their orders, and easily add items to their cart. Secure and varied payment options, such as credit cards, mobile wallets, and PayPal, should be integrated for a smooth checkout process. The ability to track orders in real time is another critical feature. Customers should be able to see the status of their order, from preparation to delivery, so they stay informed every step of the way. Additionally, allowing users to leave ratings and reviews will foster trust and help future customers make informed decisions.
For restaurants, the app should offer features to manage their menus, update pricing, and offer promotions. They should also have a system to accept, reject, or track orders in real time. The ability to communicate directly with delivery drivers or customers is also crucial in case of any issues or changes in the order. Delivery drivers, or “drivers” in the app, should have access to navigation tools that guide them to both the restaurant and the customer’s location. They also need a way to update the order status and keep customers informed about delivery times. From an admin perspective, having a centralized panel to monitor user activity, manage restaurants, and handle complaints or feedback is vital for maintaining smooth operations.
3. Choosing the Right Technology Stack
Selecting the right technology stack with right web app development company is a fundamental step in building an app like Grubhub. The technology you choose will impact the app’s performance, scalability, and overall user experience. For frontend development, you’ll need to decide whether to build a native app for iOS and Android or to use a cross-platform solution. Native apps, developed using Swift for iOS and Kotlin for Android, offer the best performance but require more development time and cost. On the other hand, cross-platform frameworks like Flutter and React Native allow you to write a single codebase for both platforms, reducing development time and costs. Backend development also plays a key role in how well the app functions, particularly with handling large volumes of orders and user data. Technologies like Node.js, Django, or Ruby on Rails are excellent choices for building scalable backends. A reliable database system is equally important. SQL databases like MySQL or PostgreSQL are great for handling structured data, while NoSQL databases like MongoDB are ideal for managing unstructured data.
Integrating third-party services is another crucial aspect of building an app like Grubhub. For payment processing, you’ll need to integrate platforms like Stripe or PayPal to ensure secure transactions. Location tracking is a must-have feature for food delivery apps, so services like Google Maps or Mapbox will help track the real-time location of orders and deliveries. Push notifications, which keep users informed of the status of their orders, can be implemented using services like Firebase or OneSignal.
4. Designing a User-Friendly Interface
The success of a food delivery app is closely tied to its user interface (UI) and user experience (UX). A simple and intuitive design is essential for attracting and retaining users. Your app should have a clean layout that makes it easy for customers to browse through menus, customize their orders, and check out without frustration. Minimizing the number of steps required to place an order will enhance the user experience. Mobile-first design is crucial, given that most users will interact with the app via their smartphones. A responsive design ensures the app looks great across all device sizes, including tablets. Additionally, using high-quality images for restaurant menus and dishes can make the app more visually appealing, creating a more enjoyable shopping experience for users. Clear call-to-action buttons, intuitive navigation, and easy access to important features, like order tracking or customer support, are all critical elements to consider.
5. Monetization Strategies
To make your food delivery app profitable, you’ll need to consider a variety of monetization strategies. One of the most common ways food delivery platforms make money is by charging a commission fee to restaurants for each order placed through the app. Typically, the commission is between 10-30%, depending on the agreement with the restaurant. Another revenue stream comes from delivery fees, which are charged to customers. The delivery fee can vary depending on factors like the distance from the restaurant to the customer’s location, or the time of day. You could also offer premium subscription plans for customers that provide benefits such as free delivery or exclusive discounts. In-app advertising is another option—restaurants or other local businesses can pay to promote their services within your app. Lastly, running special promotions and offering discounts to attract new users can help build brand awareness and loyalty.
6. Marketing Your Food Delivery App
Once your app is developed, it’s time to market it. Building brand awareness is crucial, and there are several ways to go about it. A strong digital marketing strategy, including social media marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), and paid advertising, can help drive traffic to your app. Partnering with influencers or local food bloggers is another effective way to reach potential customers. You could also incentivize users to invite their friends by offering referral bonuses, discounts, or loyalty rewards. Collaborating with restaurants to promote exclusive deals within your app can help you attract users while benefiting your restaurant partners. As the app gains traction, continue engaging users by sending out personalized promotions, deals, and updates about new restaurants or features available.
7. Post-Launch Maintenance and Updates
Once your app is launched, ongoing maintenance and updates will be essential to its long-term success. Continuously monitoring app performance, fixing bugs, and releasing new features is important for keeping users satisfied. Be sure to gather feedback from users, restaurants, and drivers to identify areas where the app can improve. This feedback loop will help you prioritize feature updates and bug fixes. Regular updates also keep the app fresh and ensure it runs smoothly as new devices and operating systems are released. Additionally, scaling your app to handle increased traffic as your user base grows is key to maintaining performance and reliability. This may involve optimizing your backend infrastructure, upgrading servers, or implementing load balancing to ensure the app remains responsive under heavy demand.
Essential Features to Include When Developing an App Like Grubhub
When developing an app like Grubhub, the features you include will determine how well the app serves both customers and restaurant partners. To stay competitive in the food delivery space, it’s important to prioritize features that enhance user experience, improve operational efficiency, and ensure smooth transactions. Here are the top features you should consider:
1. User-Friendly Interface
A clean, intuitive, and responsive interface is essential to creating a great user experience. Customers should be able to easily navigate the app, browse menus, and place orders without confusion. Simplifying the process as much as possible and providing a smooth, visually appealing interface will keep users engaged.
2. Restaurant Search and Filters
Enabling users to search for restaurants by location, cuisine type, ratings, and delivery time is a must-have feature. Offering filters to sort and narrow down choices makes it easier for customers to find exactly what they want, especially when they’re in a hurry or looking for specific dishes or diets (e.g., vegetarian, gluten-free).
3. Real-Time Order Tracking
Real-time tracking allows customers to monitor the progress of their orders from the moment they’re placed until they’re delivered. This feature builds trust and helps reduce anxiety by showing the exact location of the delivery, estimated delivery time, and any delays in real-time.
4. Secure Payment Gateway
Integrating multiple secure payment methods is critical for a smooth and hassle-free transaction process. Offering payment options such as credit/debit cards, mobile wallets (like Apple Pay or Google Pay), and popular online payment services (PayPal) ensures that users can choose their preferred payment method with confidence.
5. Order Customization Options
Customers often want to personalize their orders, whether it’s adding extra toppings, making special requests, or choosing portion sizes. Allowing users to easily customize their meals directly within the app will make their experience more satisfying and tailored to their preferences.
6. Push Notifications
Push notifications keep users updated on their order status, remind them of special offers, and notify them about promotions, new restaurants, or discounts. These alerts keep the user engaged, help them make quicker decisions, and encourage repeat business.
7. User Reviews and Ratings
Allowing customers to leave feedback and rate both the restaurant and the delivery service provides valuable social proof and transparency. Ratings and reviews also help other users make informed decisions and give restaurant owners insights into customer satisfaction.
8. Multiple Delivery Options
Offering flexibility for delivery options, such as contactless delivery, curbside pickup, or in-store pickup, ensures that your app caters to a wide range of customer preferences. Customers who prefer to skip the delivery fee or want a quicker option should find it easy to use these alternatives.
9. GPS Navigation for Delivery Drivers
Real-time GPS navigation is a critical feature for delivery drivers, helping them efficiently reach both the restaurant and the customer’s location. A navigation feature with optimized routes based on traffic data improves delivery speed and reduces the chances of errors or delays.
10. Restaurant Dashboard
Provide restaurant partners with an easy-to-use dashboard where they can manage their menu, view incoming orders, track delivery status, update availability, and analyze sales data. The dashboard should offer full control over operations and allow restaurant owners to adjust their offerings quickly.
11. Admin Panel for App Management
An admin panel is essential for managing both the app’s users and restaurant partners. The admin panel should allow for monitoring user activities, tracking financial transactions, managing promotions and discounts, handling customer complaints, and making adjustments to ensure smooth app operation.
12. Referral Program
Incentivizing users to refer their friends to the app can help you rapidly expand your user base. A referral program with rewards, such as discounts or credits for successful referrals, encourages existing customers to bring in new users, driving growth through word of mouth.
13. In-App Chat or Support
A customer support chat feature allows users to quickly reach out to a support team or restaurant partners in case they have issues or questions about their orders. Having this functionality within the app helps resolve issues promptly and increases user satisfaction.
14. Loyalty & Rewards Program
A loyalty program that rewards users for frequent orders, spending milestones, or referrals is an excellent way to retain customers. Offer incentives like discounts, free delivery, or exclusive deals to keep users coming back and boost customer loyalty.
15. Analytics and Reporting
Advanced analytics tools for both restaurant owners and admin teams are critical for understanding customer behavior, order trends, peak hours, and financial performance. These insights will help you optimize app performance, improve service offerings, and make data-driven decisions to improve user experience.
By focusing on these features, you can build a robust, scalable, and customer-friendly food delivery app like Grubhub.
Cost to Develop an App Like Grubhub
The cost to develop an app like Grubhub can vary significantly based on several factors, including the complexity of features, the technology stack used, the geographical location of the development team, and whether you choose to go for a basic MVP (Minimum Viable Product) or a fully-featured, scalable app. Below, I’ve broken down some of the key factors that will influence the overall cost:
1. Features and Complexity
The more advanced features you include, the higher the cost. For an app like Grubhub, the core features generally include:
- User app: Search and filter restaurants, real-time order tracking, secure payments, reviews and ratings, order history, push notifications, etc.
- Restaurant app: Menu management, order management, dashboard for tracking orders, etc.
- Driver app: GPS navigation, order status tracking, delivery history, etc.
- Admin panel: Managing users, restaurants, finances, promotions, etc.
Additional features, such as advanced AI recommendations, in-app chat support, loyalty programs, and social media integrations, will also add to the development cost.
2. Development Team Location
The location of your development team is one of the biggest factors influencing cost. Here’s a general breakdown of hourly rates by region:
- North America (USA/Canada): $100 – $250 per hour
- Western Europe (UK, Germany, etc.): $60 – $150 per hour
- Eastern Europe (Ukraine, Poland, etc.): $40 – $100 per hour
- India and Southeast Asia (India, Vietnam, etc.): $15 – $50 per hour
This means that hiring a team in North America or Western Europe will be significantly more expensive than hiring a team in India or Eastern Europe.
3. App Development Phases
- Design and Prototyping: Creating wireframes, UI/UX design, and prototypes can take around 4-6 weeks. The cost for this phase typically ranges from $5,000 to $15,000, depending on complexity and design quality.
- App Development (Frontend and Backend): Developing the frontend (user interface) and backend (server-side logic, databases, APIs) can take anywhere from 4 to 6 months, depending on the complexity of features. This phase can cost between $40,000 to $150,000 for a basic MVP, but for a full-featured app with all the bells and whistles, the cost can exceed $200,000 or more.
- Testing and Quality Assurance (QA): This phase ensures that the app is free from bugs and performs smoothly. QA can take around 2-3 months and typically costs between $10,000 to $30,000.
- Deployment and Maintenance: Once the app is developed, you’ll need to launch it on various platforms (iOS, Android, web) and ensure that it’s properly set up on the cloud or on-premise servers. The initial deployment can cost around $5,000 to $10,000. Maintenance, bug fixes, and updates after the launch can cost around 15-20% of the initial development cost per year.
4. Technology Stack
The choice of technologies will also impact cost. For example:
- Frontend: Swift and Kotlin for native iOS and Android apps (more expensive), or React Native/Flutter for cross-platform apps (cheaper).
- Backend: Node.js, Python (Django/Flask), Ruby on Rails, or Java-based backend will all have different development costs.
- Databases: PostgreSQL, MySQL, or NoSQL databases can also impact costs, with enterprise-grade solutions like AWS or Google Cloud adding to the budget.
5. Overall Cost Estimate
Given the variables, here’s a rough estimate of the total development cost for an app like Grubhub:
- MVP (Basic Version): A basic MVP with core features (restaurant search, order tracking, payment gateway, etc.) could cost between $50,000 to $100,000 for a single platform (iOS or Android).
- Full Version (Multiple Platforms): For a fully-featured, cross-platform app with more complex features like real-time tracking, multiple payment gateways, admin panels, and integrations, the cost could range between $100,000 to $300,000 or more.
- Post-Launch Maintenance: Ongoing maintenance and updates can cost about 15-20% of the initial development cost per year.
6. Additional Costs
- Marketing: Your budget for marketing, branding, and user acquisition will also play a key role in your app’s success. Marketing costs can range anywhere from $10,000 to $100,000 or more in the early stages, depending on the scope of your campaigns.
- Legal and Compliance: Ensure your app complies with local regulations, especially related to payment processing, data security, and user privacy. Legal fees can range from $5,000 to $20,000.
Alternative Apps Like Grubhub
If you’re looking for alternatives to Grubhub, several other food delivery apps provide similar services with unique features or different market focuses. Here are five popular alternatives:
1. Uber Eats
Uber Eats is one of the most well-known food delivery apps globally, leveraging Uber’s extensive network of drivers. The app allows users to browse a wide range of local restaurants, place orders, and track deliveries in real time. Uber Eats is available in many cities around the world, and its integration with Uber’s ride-sharing service allows it to operate efficiently and scale easily. The app also features a user-friendly interface, promotions, and discounts.
2. DoorDash
DoorDash is another major competitor in the food delivery space, operating in the U.S. and several international markets. Known for its vast restaurant partnerships, DoorDash offers quick deliveries and a large selection of food types. One of DoorDash’s unique features is its subscription service, DashPass, which provides users with free delivery on orders over a certain amount. The app also caters to non-food deliveries like grocery shopping and alcohol in some areas.
3. Postmates
Postmates, now owned by Uber Eats, offers delivery services for more than just food. Users can get anything from groceries to household essentials delivered in addition to meals from restaurants. Postmates has expanded its focus beyond food delivery, offering customers the ability to order items from convenience stores, liquor stores, and even pharmacies, making it a versatile option for people who need more than just a meal.
4. Seamless
Seamless is a food delivery service that’s very similar to Grubhub, with which it shares the same parent company. Seamless allows customers to order food from thousands of local restaurants, offering features like delivery tracking, order customization, and promotions. It’s available in major U.S. cities, and like Grubhub, the app allows for easy ordering, saved payment methods, and user ratings and reviews.
5. SkipTheDishes
SkipTheDishes is a Canadian food delivery service that operates in many cities across Canada, with some expansion into the U.S. It allows users to order from a wide selection of restaurants and features fast delivery times and real-time order tracking. SkipTheDishes often offers promotions, loyalty programs, and the option to tip drivers directly through the app, making it a solid Grubhub alternative in the Canadian market.
Why Choose Argus Infotech for App Development Like Grubhub
Argus Infotech stands out as a top choice for developing an app like Grubhub due to its extensive expertise in building scalable, user-friendly, and high-performance apps. With a proven track record of delivering successful food delivery solutions, the company combines innovative design, cutting-edge technology, and industry insights to create apps that cater to both consumers and businesses.
Argus Infotech’s team of experienced developers ensures seamless integration of essential features such as real-time order tracking, secure payment gateways, restaurant management, and user-centric interfaces, while focusing on providing an intuitive experience across platforms. Whether you need an MVP or a full-featured app, Argus Infotech offers a custom app development approach, meeting your specific business needs and delivering a product that can stand out in the competitive food delivery market.
Conclusion
Building an app like Grubhub involves a combination of strategic planning, market research, technical expertise, and a focus on user experience. From choosing the right features and technology stack to designing an intuitive interface and implementing secure payment solutions, every step plays a crucial role in delivering a high-quality food delivery service. Understanding the competitive landscape and offering something unique, whether through niche offerings or superior user experience, can give your app an edge in a crowded market.
With the right team, careful execution, and continuous improvement post-launch, you can create an app that not only meets the needs of customers and restaurant partners but also stands the test of time in the ever-evolving food delivery industry.
