The most necessary need today – is the need for comfort. Online shopping, food delivery services, booking, etc. cultivated the biggest exaltation of “home convenience” during the pandemic. Giants like Amazon and Walmart, eBay, and others have shown that online shopping is a great way to purchase and sell a wide range of products. More organizations are realizing how important it is to have an online presence. They hire independent freelance developers or turn to development agencies and pay them an agreed amount to create a website or mobile application or convert their old product into a more modern one. Businesses are looking for experts in this area more than ever. And a custom app development service at the peak of fame.
Types of restaurant reservation apps: benefits of a table reservation system
Establishing a mobile presence is a must for every business nowadays. Custom app development services already took a firm stand in the digital marketplace for efficiency. “Open table” is the most-hated term in the restaurant business. When running a restaurant, you pay bills for rent, electricity, utilities, and food. You want to see profits. If you reduce the number of empty tables, you can improve your financial standing. With an application for restaurant reservations, you too can eliminate the “open table” curse. With a system for table booking, restaurant owners and managers can manage a few lists in one place, reduce no-shows, keep track of the daily workload, cut the workload and increase customer satisfaction 24/7.
Online restaurant reservation software
Whether it is a restaurant reservation app or website, you can always turn to online reservation software to save money and time to create custom products. There are a handful of prominent web builders for you to choose from, and whilst all of them share a common goal of allowing you to build a product without coding, there are a few things you need to be aware of before deciding to go with one:
- Experience. Some web builders are specialists in specific subjects and have templates geared towards certain types of websites/apps, so make sure you choose a web builder that has options for restaurant reservation systems.
- Pricing. Web builders vary in price, so make sure you shop around to find the best value for money.
- Testimonials. Always read reviews from previous clients to get a feel for the quality of work and service, and remember, just because a service is cheap, it doesn’t mean the service is bad, and vice versa.
Your own branded application
Offer your customers easy-to-use booking system software to increase and better manage the flow of visitors. Given the limited capacity rules that are often required due to Covid, a booking app can also give your business and your customers a higher level of safety and regulation compliance.
If you want a more complex and smart solution, you can incorporate AI techniques that will learn about each customer’s behavior and allow you to come up with better-targeted campaigns and personalized offers. You can also provide guests with the possibility to make a reservation from any social media channel like Facebook or from their Google account.
Apps for restaurant ordering
App development for restaurant ordering is a dedicated, in-house product, which gives customers the ability to learn more about a restaurant, create an account, order and pay for food, and receive rewards for their loyalty. Nobody likes having to queue for food, waiting for the order or attention from the waiter/waitress, when a restaurant is full of visitors. An in-house ordering system takes away the hassle of booking in person and puts the entire process into the customer’s hands. It is a great tool for communication between company and customer and much more enjoyable for both.
The reasons why owners turn to restaurant ordering apps:
- Satisfied customers. With a mobile app, the ordering process is way easier. Customers can choose and pay for their meal ahead of time and pick it up without waiting at the restaurant. As a result, shorter lines, faster service, and improved efficiency.
- Meal customizations. Your app could allow customers to customize food and beverages according to their whims. E.g; they can be given a choice of toppings and cheese while they order a pizza; a selection of ingredients in their salads; the level of sweetness/sourness in the beverages.
- Higher spent. Apps involve special loyalty programs for customers. They can get a discount on their food, or perhaps a free item, after spending a certain amount of money. It makes a customer feel appreciated for returning to a restaurant. They will prioritize that restaurant above its competitors, which leads to higher spending.
- Popularity. Recent novelty in food delivery mobile app development allows customers to share their experience with restaurants via social media. It optimizes customer engagement and attracts new ones.
Must-have features of a restaurant booking app
Restaurant app development has made a big step recently from optimization visuals to customization of services. Their values improved as well. Here are the latest developments you can use for your own booking app to satisfy your guests:
- Registration to allow users to register and sign in using a social media account, email address, or telephone number
- User profiles with a detailed history of bookings for quick access to favorites or recent places
- Advanced search with filters (by location, cuisine, time, number of guests), ratings, and suggestions
- GPS navigator to guide visitors to restaurants
- Seating map to let people reserve tables depending on their preferences
- Full menu including the ability to customize ingredients for preorders
- User reviews left only by real visitors who’ve been seated at the restaurant
- Prepayment that allows guests to securely pay using the restaurant’s table reservation application
- Loyalty programs offer personalized rewards on special occasions and allow users to collect points to exchange for in-house benefits
- Booking option for renting out the restaurant for a birthday, engagement, or wedding party
- Social media integration for inviting friends to share bookings
- Reservation confirmation via SMS and email
- Push notifications that let users know about new deals and the latest updates
- Help or FAQ section for those with questions
An example of the well-provided booking system
The story
Sometimes people merely get lost when trying to make reservations on a restaurant’s website. Looking for a difference-maker? The Night-club Restaurant is an example of what TRICARE can help one to achieve: from booking tables to happy hours scheduling, nudging your customers to what they really need. Everything here is about convenience and user experience.
The challenge
Sidecar highlighted the focus on simplicity. Customers should be able to make reservations in a few clicks by choosing all the necessary options. We created a simple tool that lets visitors pick the desired date, time, and the number of guests. With our help, Night-club Restaurant now provides its clients with exceptional online adventures. Importantly, they take only seconds!
Value we delivered
-Streamlined structure. After conducting in-depth research, TRICARE concentrated on building an outstandingly user-oriented website. Working with Night-club Restaurant, we have developed an easy online tool that connects customers with the restaurant’s final product.
-Minimalistic design. At first glance, website visitors can see all the main touchpoints: menus, reservations, events, etc. You will not spend much time looking for whatever wants you may have tonight. Just click and scroll down to see all the essential information which should assist you with making a choice.
-Accessible menus. Various menu lists, including food, drinks, and specials, are easily available in PDF format. Each dish has detailed descriptions, making the decision process reasonably easy. Alas, everything depends on your taste!
As a result, our client has got a user-friendly, benchmark restaurant website, a simplified reservation tool, and an excellent visitor experience.
