How to Make A Food Delivery App Like Deliveroo: A 6-Step Guide

Food is the basic necessity of living beings. However, the hospitality industry has glorified this basic necessity as a premium and prestigious hobby. Especially, food Delivery App development has emerged as a mouthwatering pie for aspiring businesses in the UK.

Almost every aspiring entrepreneur wants to eat the pie of massive revenues coming from the food delivery app business. If you are also one of them, then this blog is just for you. Let’s scroll down and learn how to create an app for food delivery in 6 super-easy steps. Let’s begin!

Step # 1: Define Your Business Model 

Deliveroo is not a Food business! Yes, you heard that right! Delivery is not a food business but a food ‘delivery’ business. There is a huge difference between the two in terms of business models. Food delivery app development may be a requirement for different types of business models. 

Therefore, as an aspiring food delivery app owner, you need to decide on the business model first. It may be any of the following 3 types:  

3-Way Connectors

In the home delivery of food, there are 3 key people who needs to be connected. They are:

1. Restaurants: Multiple restaurants in the UK need to be listed on an online platform. It is like a digital marketplace where all restaurants exist. Their menu may be viewed digitally when placing an order. 
2. Customers: The most important part of the Food delivery business is the customer who searches for varying dishes, restaurants, food chains and many more, relevant to food and beverages. 
3. Delivery Partners: In the food delivery app business, delivery and logistics partners also have a vital role to play. Through the app, delivery partners can receive real-time notifications for order picking, delivery address, estimated time etc. 

This is a vast business model when it comes to becoming a food delivery app owner. Simply put, you will need to create a food delivery app like UberEats for this business model. It will cost around £7,200 and £50,000. 

Delivery Partners:

On the contrary, to create an app like Deliveroo, the business model should be delivery partners. Deliveroo is not a food business, but a food delivery business. They have no chefs or restaurant chains. But only delivery partners. 

Deliveroo is like Amazon's e-commerce platform. Where various vendors have listed themselves as sellers. Customers may search for products. And Amazon is responsible for the dispatch and delivery of products. 

Similarly, Deliveroo is not responsible for ‘cooking’ any food item. Rather, it allows different restaurants and food chains to list themselves, upload their menu, and prepare orders received. Deliveroo’s delivery partners reach the restaurant location as soon as the order is prepared. Then deliver the food to the required customer’s address. 

An app like Deliveroo requires almost similar features to UberEats-like mobile app. Common app features and functions include:

• Customer signup, login, and profile creation
• Restaurant listing and profiling
• Menu upload and management
• Order Management
• Maps API 
• Payment Gateway

Therefore, app development cost remains almost similar. Thus, Deliveroo-like app development may cost you anywhere between £7,200 and £50,000 in total. However, there are other factors like targeted mobile app launch platform, chosen technology stack, and chosen company for the development that also affect the cost. 

Native Business: 

On the contrary, if you are an existing food business with its own restaurants, hotels, or food chains and you are looking forward to digital transformation. Then too, you will need a food delivery app. 

However, since there is only one business has to be listed, the cost of app development may not be skyrocketing as above. It is due to the reason that the menu remains almost the same. Single-business food delivery apps need a personalised and consistent user interface and app design. 

As a result, food delivery app development cost for a food business may range between £4,800 and £15,000. However, the common features of food delivery apps for this genre will also include customer profiling, order management, Maps API and Payment Gateway etc. But since multiple restaurants and menus are not to be uploaded, therefore, development is budget-friendly in this genre. 

Step #2: Brand It! 

Once decided on the business model, robust branding is very important for your food delivery app. Until your brand is unique and catchy, it will not capture the attention of the target audience. Therefore, pay attention towards the following aspects of your brand:

Get A Unique Logo 

The brand logo must be as unique as possible. However, simplicity is the key! Less is more! If your logo is too complex to be understood, it fails its purpose. A logo leaves a lasting impression and reminds you of your business immediately. 

Also, wisely designed business logos also suggest the business model as well. Say, for example, the logo of Uber East is simple yet unique. It suggests that Uber, a cab provider also provides food delivery service. 

It is clear from the logo and brand name that Uber connects restaurants, delivery partners, and customers through its apps. 

Name Your Brand

The brand name needs to be creative yet informative. Deliveroo is a good example of a robust brand name. The name itself is suggestive of the business model. Having ‘Deliver’ as a term in the brand name suggests that the business works to ‘deliver’. The same goes with Uber Eats. 

Plan Business Image

As you plan digital transformation with food delivery app development, you will also need a website to represent your business. Why would a customer choose you when there are already so many food delivery apps in the UK? 

Certainly, you will need to distinguish yourself from others. Also, as a new business comes to life, people in the UK want to know more about it before using it. It is because UK people are more curious and research-driven. 

Therefore, plan for a great business image through a well-built website. Provide your detailed introduction in the ‘about us’ section. Let people know 

• Who you are 
• Where do you come from
• What purpose does your food delivery business serve
• Your Mission and Vision 

Also, provide contact details. Include a valid phone number, email address and corporate address. So that people may have faith in you. 

Step #3 Decide on Food Delivery App Development Method 

Next, you need to decide on the Food delivery app development method. Here are 4 popular methods with their own pros and cons: 

Hire An IT Team

If your business is completely app-based, then you may plan to hire an in-house IT team. Mobile app development is not the end but the beginning of your digital transformation. Once, you create a mobile app, that will also require regular updates and maintenance. 

So, you can have your own IT team that includes resources for development, project management, testing, and technical maintenance. However, to hire a mobile app development team has its own advantages and disadvantages:

Pros 

• On-time services
• Better project management
• More project authority, control, and monitoring
• Easy to hold team discussions
• Anytime app updates and upgrades
• Modify app design free of cost at any time

Cons

• Need to offer High salary packages as per emerging norms
• Fixed cost even after the end of development
• At the end of development, you may have to lay off developers
• Layoffs will invite a bad business reputation as an employer
• Developers might be keep on switching jobs to try new kinds of projects

Hire Mobile App Development Company

The best option for a Food Delivery App owner is to hire a mobile app development company in London or outsource food delivery app development to a B2B IT company. 

Hiring a professional company is a standard norm in the food industry these days. Therefore, consider hiring an app development company as it is the best option you can have. 

Pros 

• 10x more professional project management
• No need to hire a team
• One-time fee payment, no recurring salaries
• Lifetime free app maintenance
• Much budget-friendly as compared to hiring and owning an in-house team
• The app development company will approach you by itself for app updates
• NDA-assured development (legal provision for companies not to disclose your project idea and share source code with anyone before the project launch. Also, binds the firm legally to provide 360-degree support to the aspiring app owner.)

Cons

• Less project control 
• Robust research is required to find a reliable company
• Time restrictions in connecting (can connect only the working hours)

Hire Freelance App Developer 

Food delivery app development is a big project and must be handled by a professional team of developers. However, for whatever reasons, if you wish not to hire a company but only a developer, then you may plan to hire a freelance app developer. The pros and cons will include: 

Pros 

• You might get an unbelievable price deal on hiring a freelance app developer.
• A freelance app developer in the UK may cost as low as £250 a month.
• Depending upon the features and functions of your app, he/she will estimate the duration.
• Luckily, if your app is simple to build, you will get the app faster, and the cost will also be small. 
• A dedicated freelance app developer will be free to connect at a time you want, with no time restrictions.
• Also, dedicated app developers will focus on your project alone leading to more focused development.
• Overall your time, budget, and project management all get optimised. 

Cons

• How will you know if the freelance developer has the required knowledge and skill set?
• What if he/she takes money from you, but delivers no project?
• Forget about NDA assurance. 

Try DIY App Builders

These days DIY app builders are getting quite popular in the UK. However, you will need to have a live website for your business to make an app with the DIY app builders. Then, you will follow the steps that the app builder shows you. 

Pros 

• Super easy approach.
• No coding is required.
• Much budget-friendly option, you may get an app for a few hundred pounds.
• Fast app creation process. 

Cons

• App Store and Play Store review guidelines are strict. An app made with an app builder is more likely to fail the review due to a lack of compliance.
• Where will you go for app maintenance needs?
• Who will support you during the troubleshooting issues?
• Do you have experience in submitting apps to the App Store or Play Store? If not, then who will do the same for you?
• Even if the DIY App builder owner company extends a helping hand, you might not get dedicated services. 
• These DIY app builders are a new idea, high on experimentation. It may or may not emerge as a successful business. 
• For example, DIY website builders suddenly became quite popular during the initial years of launch. However, today still custom web development is preferred by top businesses for SEO-friendly and unique business websites. 

Step #4 Start Hunting for App Developers 

Based on the brainstorming you and us did above about different ways to getting food delivery app development services, now it is time to hunt for the app developer. Make sure that you choose an experienced, dedicated, skilful and knowledgeable app developer for your project. 

Rest your project should suffer poor management and weak app infrastructure. So, choose the app developers carefully. Incorporate these steps: 

Search, Research, or Hunt! 

• Always search for app developers actively. 
• Research on their online presence, past projects delivered and client satisfaction.
• If choosing a mobile app development company in the UK, search for and connect with multiple companies to get a clear picture of development methods, duration, and cost. 
• Likewise, if hunting for a freelance developer, connect with multiple freelancers and get an idea of their work.
• However, if hiring an in-house team, then you must go with sufficient interview rounds. 

Interview & Quality Check! 

• Never get over-impressed with the online presence of a company or freelance app developer.
• Make a list of at least 7-8 app development companies and freelancers that seem best for you. 
• Then, interview them as robustly as possible. Ask them technical questions, learn from them about their technology stack and get insight into their previous work. 
• Similarly, take duration and price quotes from each of the developers. Compare what price and duration seem more realistic and genuine. 
• Only after an interview and a 360-degree quality check, hire an app developer (company or freelancer).

Finalisation

• While finalising your app developer, make sure that you ask for NDA assurance.
• Apart from this, before starting the project, ask for an app prototype design. An app prototype is a 2D model or a kind of photograph of the app design. It will help you get a clear idea of what end product you will get. 
• At this stage, you can provide your feedback and make changes if you feel so. 
• Take the final decision very carefully, but after handing over your project to the development team, do not get too carefree.
• Rather, you have to take an active part in project management and monitoring.
• Connect with the developer at least once a week and get a progress report from him/her. 
• Leaving your project totally in the hands of the developer might make him careless too. 
• So, play an active role throughout the development. 

Step #5 Test & Improve 

Completion of food delivery app development is not the end of your journey. Rather, you still have a long way to go. Do not plan to launch the app hastily to the public. Testing is the most crucial phase in the app development cycle and hence you must not overlook the same

Even while submitting an app to the App Store or Play Store, the app undergoes vigorous app review and quality checks. A glitchy app with poor app architecture, weak encryption and vulnerability to malware is subject to immediate rejection. 

Furthermore, if somehow, your glitchy app passes the quality check (0.001% probability), the target audience will contribute towards its ultimate failure. Therefore, embrace manual and automation testing compulsorily. 

The best possible is to follow agile methodologies of testing in which every piece of code is tested during the ongoing development in small units. Apart from this, Beta testing is the most recommended procedure from us. 

Beta testing is the process in which an app owner can launch a mobile app for a limited audience for ‘testing’ and feedback purposes. In this case, with a limited audience, the app will get real audience feedback without reaching 100% of the target audience. It will give the following benefits: 

• You get feedback from the real target audience.
• No need to disclose an app to 100% of the target audience.
• This reduces the chances of app failure.
• When an app is beta-tested, the ‘improved’ and ‘iterated’ version reaches the final target audience. 

For Beta testing purposes, the App Store by Apple Inc. provides a platform named TestFlight. In the UK, as almost half of the population is Android users and the other half is iOS users, businesses in the UK prefer cross-platform app development services. As a result, you can Beta test your food delivery app on TestFlight and make necessary improvements before the final launch. 

Step #6 Get Ready for Marketing & Advertising 

Digital Transformation is a continuous pursuit as we said above. Eventually, now it is time for the next move. Marketing and Advertising are the heart and soul of every business. In the absence of marketing, brand awareness undergoes serious repercussions.

Your product might have a thousand qualities that can ‘create a difference’ in the lives of its users. But, how the potential users or your target audience would know that? Marketing is the key! So, plan for marketing campaigns now. 

Print advertisements, banner advertisements, pamphlets or maybe television commercials everything you must try and have a budget for. However, we do not mean that you must spend thousands of pounds on only advertisements. Rather, you can allocate a budget and duration to each method.

Pro Tip: Do Not Overlook Digital Marketing of Your Food Delivery Application

Above all, these days, digital marketing and content marketing are the king! A Google search on the relevant keywords for your business is the most opportunistic way to ‘get noticed’ and spread brand awareness. As a result plant for digital marketing campaigns as well.

The best advice is to hire a digital marketing team and let them research your competitors, people’s search queries in the food delivery app industry, relevant keywords etc. They will optimise your business website such that you will rank on the top-most of the Google Search Result Page (SERP) whenever a person searches for ‘Food Delivery Apps’.

Additionally, the digital marketing team will also help you make a social media strategy, they can help you collaborate with influencers, YouTubers and TikTok stars as well. This will give your brand an immediate hype. 

Let’s Sum Up

The completion of all these 6 steps provided above is the best and the most professional way to launch a food delivery app in the market. You as an app owner must have a clear business model idea and clarity on your budget. As there are pre-existing food delivery app giants to already compete with, you have to think out of the box to make a difference. Choosing a mobile app developer carefully, prototyping the end application judiciously, and testing the app robustly will ensure a high-quality food delivery app. Furthermore, your active role pre, during, and post-development is also a necessity to get the best application. Even after the development, your role must not end. Rather, you have to market your product vigorously with print, media, and digital marketing techniques. Following this roadmap, you will certainly reach the castle of success. All the best for your delicious food delivery app development journey in advance!

FAQs

1. How Do I Start A Food Delivery Startup? 

Research and willpower are the keys to starting a food delivery startup. If you are really interested in launching a business in the Food and Beverage industry, then identify your USPs. Figure out whether you can launch a new food chain business, or buy a franchise, or do you wish to provide the food delivery and logistics. After identifying your niche, you can plan things as explained in the blog above. 

2. What Are Some Unique Ideas for App Food Delivery Business? 

Food delivery apps are many that can connect customers to different restaurants and food chains. Therefore, only a unique business idea for an app-based food delivery business can make a difference and capture attention. These days, ‘personalisation and customisation’ are quite popular ideas in the UK and abroad. So, you can plan Food startups like customised fruit ice-creams, smoothies, shakes etc. Additionally, you may introduce a popular 

3. How Much Does It Cost to Build a Cross-Platform Food Delivery App? 

Food Delivery App Development Cost depends upon the number of features, functions, and UI/UX design of the app. However, for an estimate, a Cross-Platform food delivery app can cost anywhere between £14,000 and  £35,000 depending upon its complexity. 

4. How To Build a Food Delivery App Like UberEats?

UberEasts is a complex and robust kind of food delivery app storing, managing and retrieving billions of petabytes of user data. Also, UberEats combines different kinds of complex APIs like Maps and payment gateway. As a result, making a food delivery app like UberEats requires robust research. However, we would highly recommend thinking something different than competing UberEats to drive more name, fame and recognition.