Restaurant App Development: Branded Ordering and Loyalty
A restaurant app is a direct ordering channel under your own name: guests browse the menu, order for pickup, delivery or from the table, pay with mada or Apple Pay, and collect loyalty points that bring them back. We build it for restaurants, cafés and chains that have repeat customers and want to own their data instead of paying a commission on every order. A first release usually takes 8 to 14 weeks. Market guides put a simple app at SAR 15,000–75,000 and a mid-sized iOS and Android app with a dashboard and payments at SAR 60,000–170,000, depending on the number of branches, how you deliver and the link to your POS. You get a written quote within 24 hours.
- Quote
- Written, within 24 hours
- Timeline
- 8 to 14 weeks for the first release
- Ownership
- The code is yours
- Delivery
- On the agreed date
On this page
- Who is this for?
- What you get
- The problem a restaurant app solves
- An app, or a mobile ordering page?
- What the first version should contain
- How the app connects to the POS, the kitchen and delivery
- What to prepare before we start
- Common mistakes with restaurant apps
- How much does restaurant ordering & loyalty app cost in Saudi Arabia?
- Our commitments
- How we work with you
- Request a quote
- Frequently asked questions
Who is this for?
- Restaurants and cafés with customers who order every week and want a direct line to them.
- Multi-branch chains that want one menu, one set of offers and one loyalty programme.
- Restaurants paying high commissions to delivery apps that want to move repeat customers to their own channel.
- Roasters, bakeries and dessert shops that sell by pre-order and branch pickup.
- Cloud kitchens running several brands that need an app per brand or one app for all of them.
What you get
Menu with photos and modifiers
Categories, items, sizes, add-ons and notes, with the option to pause a sold-out item in one branch without hiding it everywhere else.
Pickup, delivery and table ordering
Guests choose how, where and when they order, and can order from the car or scan a table code and order without waiting for a waiter.
One-tap reorder
Past orders and favourite meals sit on the first screen, because most repeat customers order the same thing.
Loyalty and points
Points on every order, tiers, a free meal after a set number of visits, and a digital loyalty card scanned at the till for dine-in orders.
Targeted offers and notifications
Discount codes and time-limited offers, and push notifications to a chosen segment, such as guests who have not ordered for a month.
Local online payments
mada, Apple Pay and cards through a licensed payment gateway, with Tabby and Tamara instalments for larger orders and pay on pickup.
Branches, zones and opening hours
Each branch has its own menu, prices, delivery zone and hours, and the guest is routed to the nearest branch that serves the address.
Order status tracking
Guests see the order accepted, being prepared, then ready for pickup or on the way, so fewer of them call the branch to ask.
Admin dashboard and reports
Manage the menu, offers and orders from the browser, with reports on top items, peak hours and the value of a repeat customer.
The problem a restaurant app solves
The big delivery apps bring you new customers, but they take a share of every order, keep the customer’s details and show your competitors next to your name. A guest who has ordered from you twenty times through them is still their customer, not yours: you do not have the number, you cannot send an offer, and you pay the same commission on order twenty as on order one.
Your own app does not replace those platforms. It gives you a channel you own for the customers who come back. You know who they are, what they order and when they stopped, and you reward them with points instead of paying a commission. The practical formula is to stay on the platforms for new customers and move returning ones to your app with a clear offer on the first order.
An app, or a mobile ordering page?
A web ordering page opened from a link or a QR code is faster to launch and cheaper, needs no download, and is enough for a restaurant people order from once a month. If that is you, start there. We say so before any quote.
An app earns its cost when ordering repeats: an icon on the home screen, notifications that cost you no SMS, a saved payment method and a loyalty card that never gets lost. Many restaurants start with the ordering page and build the app on the same server once they see a third of orders coming from the same customers.
- Start with a web page if most of your guests are passers-by or tourists.
- Choose an app if you have customers who order weekly or daily.
- The server and dashboard are the same in both cases, so nothing you build is wasted.
What the first version should contain
A good first version does one journey well: the guest opens the app, finds the item, pays and gets the order at the promised time. It holds the menu with modifiers, pickup and delivery ordering, online payment, order status, reorder, and loyalty points with one simple rule.
What we usually leave for phase two: wallets and stored credit, subscriptions such as a daily coffee for a monthly price, gifting between customers and complex loyalty tiers. Those features are built on real usage data, and building them early delays the launch without adding orders.
How the app connects to the POS, the kitchen and delivery
An order that lands on a separate tablet and is then retyped into the till is a source of errors and delay. So we connect the app to your point-of-sale system where the system offers an interface: the order reaches the kitchen directly, is recorded in sales, and item availability comes from one source. Where your POS does not allow it, orders appear on a kitchen screen with a sound alert as a practical fallback.
Delivery has three options: your own drivers with a dedicated app, a delivery company where it offers an interface to request a driver automatically, or branch pickup only at the start. We settle this during analysis because it changes the scope and the cost. Tax invoices are issued by your accounting system or a POS that meets e-invoicing requirements, and the app sends it the order data.
- Point of sale: orders, items and prices.
- A licensed payment gateway that settles straight to your business account.
- The delivery company or your own driver app.
- WhatsApp or SMS for order confirmation where needed.
What to prepare before we start
What delays restaurant apps most is not development, it is content: item photos, modifiers and their prices, and what differs from one branch to the next. Preparing that list early saves weeks, and professional photos of your ten top sellers raise order value more than any technical feature.
- The full menu with items, sizes, modifiers and prices per branch.
- Item photos and your brand identity.
- Your current POS and the name of its provider.
- How you deliver: your drivers, a delivery company, or pickup only.
- Commercial registration and a bank account to activate the payment gateway and the store accounts.
Common mistakes with restaurant apps
The first is launching without a plan to get the app downloaded. An app does not bring customers on its own: put a QR code on tables, bags and receipts, offer a discount on the first order, and train cashiers to invite guests to sign up. The second is a loyalty programme so complicated the guest cannot grasp it in one sentence.
The third is an app that promises a preparation time the kitchen cannot keep at peak. We add a setting that extends the preparation time or pauses ordering for a busy branch, because an order that arrives twenty minutes late loses you the customer you worked to win.
How much does restaurant ordering & loyalty app cost in Saudi Arabia?
Indicative Saudi market ranges in SAR, not a quote.
| Scope | Typical cost | What drives the price |
|---|---|---|
| Simple app or first version (menu, pickup ordering, payment) | SAR 15,000–75,000 | One branch or a few, core functions, 5 to 10 screens. |
| Mid-sized iOS and Android app with a dashboard, payments and loyalty | SAR 60,000–170,000 | Custom design, several branches, integration with the POS or outside services. |
| Advanced app (live tracking, driver app, many branches and integrations) | SAR 100,000–300,000 | When the restaurant runs delivery with its own drivers and several apps. |
We send you a written quote in SAR within 24 hours of the discovery session.
Our commitments
You own the code
Source code, accounts and domain are in your organisation’s name from day one.
Written scope and contract
Scope, milestones and price are agreed in writing before the first line of code.
On-time delivery, guaranteed
The delivery date is written into the contract, and we keep it at every milestone.
Fast technical support
A team that responds quickly after launch and fixes any issue in production.
How we work with you
- 1
Free discovery session
30 minutes with an engineer to understand your needs and how you work.
- 2
Written proposal within 24 hours
Clear scope, milestones, timeline and a price in SAR, with no obligation.
- 3
Contract and staged payments
You pay in stages tied to deliveries, not everything upfront.
- 4
Delivery with weekly reports
Follow progress in the client portal and review every milestone before sign-off.
- 5
Launch, training and support
We launch on schedule, train your team and stay with you with fast support.
Request a quote
Tell us what you need for “Restaurant Ordering & Loyalty App” and a specialist will send a written proposal with scope, timeline and price within 24 hours.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a restaurant app cost in Saudi Arabia?
Market guides put a simple app or first version at SAR 15,000–75,000, a mid-sized iOS and Android app with a dashboard and payments at SAR 60,000–170,000, and an advanced app with live tracking and a driver app at SAR 100,000–300,000. These are market ranges, not our price. Yours depends on the number of branches, the delivery model and the POS integration, and we send a written quote within 24 hours.
How long does it take to build a restaurant app?
From 8 to 14 weeks for the first release: about two weeks of analysis and design, then development in stages you try yourself, then a test in one branch and publishing to the stores. The delivery date is written into the contract and we keep it. What stretches the timeline most is late item photos, menu data and payment gateway paperwork, so we start those in week one.
Will the app replace HungerStation and Jahez for me?
Not entirely, and we do not advise that at the start. The big platforms introduce you to new customers; your app keeps those who tried you and came back. The aim is for a growing share of repeat orders to move to your own channel, saving the commission and giving you the data. We help you work out the break-even point: how many monthly app orders cover the cost of building and running it.
Can the app connect to my POS?
Yes, where the point-of-sale system offers an interface. Orders reach the kitchen and the till without retyping, and items and prices update from one source. We review your system before contracting and write into the scope what will actually be connected. Where the system does not allow it, orders are shown on a screen or tablet in the kitchen with a sound alert.
Who delivers the orders?
That is your choice. The app can run on branch pickup only, on your own drivers through a dedicated app with navigation and proof of delivery, or through a delivery company where it offers an interface to request a driver. Many restaurants start with pickup and curbside ordering, then add delivery once order volume is proven.
How does the loyalty programme work?
You set the rule: points per riyal, or a stamp per order with a free meal after a set number, with tiers if you want them. The guest sees the balance and redeems it at checkout, and the digital card is scanned at the till for dine-in orders. We recommend a rule a guest can understand in one sentence, because that is the kind that gets used.
Which payment methods does the app support?
We connect the app to a licensed payment gateway that supports mada, cards and Apple Pay, and Tabby, Tamara and pay on pickup can be added. Activating the gateway requires a commercial registration and a bank account in your business’s name, and funds settle to your account directly from the gateway. We start activation when the project starts, because it takes time that has nothing to do with development.
Do I own the app, the code and the customer data?
Yes. The source code, the App Store and Google Play accounts, the server and the customer database are in your business’s name, and the contract says so. We take no commission on your orders and charge no subscription for using the app. What you pay after launch is the running costs to the service providers, and a maintenance contract if you choose one.
I have only one branch. Is an app worth it?
It depends on how often people order, not on how many branches you have. A café the same customer visits every morning may gain more from a loyalty and pre-order app than a chain people visit once a season. If ordering is not frequent, a web ordering page is cheaper, and we tell you that plainly before you pay.
What about support after launch?
We provide fast technical support after launch and follow crashes and store notices. You can continue on a monthly maintenance contract covering iOS and Android updates and peak periods such as Ramadan and Eid, or take the code and documentation to your own team. We estimate the monthly running costs in the quote so they do not surprise you.
Guides and prices to help you decide
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