A Guide To Creating Food Ordering Software

You have probably been to a major chain restaurant and seen people ordering food via apps and software. This can help save time, both for the restaurant and the customer. What you may not realise is that it is possible to create your own food ordering software, allowing your customers the same ease of use and convenience as they would get, ordering from a major chain.

Test phase

Before creating your software, it is important to consider what your goals are and what you want from it. For example, it may be that you want to create something that allows someone to place an order while they are physically in your restaurant, which has the additional benefit of cutting out errors such as writing down the wrong order.

Increasingly, people are using this kind of software to order food for delivery. While there are a lot of apps from other companies, having your own will mean you do not have to pay an additional commission to a third party, and it can be engineered to your own specifications.

Once you know the kind of software you want, it is easier to then test it out and get feedback. This will then allow you to tailor it to your customer’s needs (for example, the ability to request additional toppings for a pizza, or the ability to add a note explaining what floor of a building they are in, dietary requirements, allergy advice and so forth.)

Crucial elements

When working with a software designer, you need to consider a few crucial elements. Ideally, it should be as user-friendly as possible, so someone is more likely to use it again when ordering food. Payment systems should be simple and secure, while it should be clear what people are ordering, how much it is, and when they can expect the food to arrive.

The more you can personalise these elements, the more likely someone will want to come back. For example, being able to pay with one click after registering is more convenient than having to repeat putting in the same information over and over.

Additional features

If you run a chain, then a feature that allows people to choose from the nearest delivery location will help them get their food quicker, while a tracker allows them to check how far away the order is in real-time. You can also use text updates to confirm when an order has been processed, as well as keeping people in touch with special offers to encourage repeat business.

We can help

At Streamsoft, we work with our clients to develop effective software programs designed with their needs in mind. We want to know what you want, and our bespoke software is created specifically with your goals in mind. For more information and to discuss your food software requirements in more detail, please contact us today.