How To Easily Build An App Like ChowBus

Last Updated on June 1, 2022

Did you know that 51 percent of US customers buy food from casual dining restaurants using delivery services? Why do you think that is happening? Convenience & pace of course.

It’s a busy world where convenience and pace are the two of the most prestigious elements of our modern life.

Every service business must have versatility, ease of use and the ability to deliver the customer choices and be aware of the needs of app users. The best on-demand food delivery applications, such as UberEats, Deliveroo, Postmates, etc., have been popular and have worked hard just to ensure that they provide the best experience for their application users.

Taco Bell estimates that its mobile application and website receive orders 20 percent higher than those it receives in-store, according to retail dive. This is an opportunity and promises that modern business people find lucrative, developers find difficult and that customers profit.

The younger generation, the millennials are changing the idea of going out and eating to eating in, where they could enjoy the food they love without having to step out for it instead. They want and expect their favourite restaurants to provide on the screen and food supply apps are in great demand in such a scenario.

Were you aware that 57% of millennials prefer food to be delivered to their homes just so that they can watch their favourite shows in their houses?

Today, online food ordering applications account for almost every 2nd order placed across the nation. And this only becomes possible with numerous innovative ideas & apps. One such unique app idea which has been operating in the US is ChowBus. 

Let’s talk about it a little.

What Is ChowBus?

Amidst all the on-demand delivery apps out there, is ChowBus which has entirely changed the game. 

Founded by Suyu Zhang and Linxin Wen in 2015, Chowbus is an online and mobile platform to order food, curate regular food from some ethnic dishes, delivering it to your home or office directly hot and fresh. It is the shell-centered ordering experience that makes Chowbus different, making it easy for consumers to sample authentic ethnic food.

Chowbus enables local restaurants to grow their businesses with technology, tools and marketing. Chowbus’s goal is to reconnect Chinatown with its supporters, with over 3,000 restaurants in over 25 major cities around the globe.

How Can You Get An App Built Like ChowBus?

The process of building an app like ChowBus could be broken down into 7 simple steps. They are:

1. Validation Of Idea

The world food supply industry is about 108 billion dollars, which is 1% of the total food market and 4% of food consumed by restaurants and their markets. The experts on the market also predict that the market will hit $300 billion by 2030.

In the next five years, food delivery apps will see a further rise of about 16% in combination with changes to mobile technology and a growing number of apps on the market. 

Before you create a food delivery app, review these reasons for the growing popularity & see whether your app would be a decent match for the same reasons in the longer run.

2. Finalizing A Food Delivery Model

Broadly categorizing, there are two major models of food delivery apps that exist in the market. They are:

• Aggregator Model

For more than a decade, the aggregator model or food delivery applications from a third party have been on the market. Between you and your favourite restaurant, the aggregators act as the perfect middlemen.

This model helps consumers to browse a range of restaurants and menus. First, the user creates an account, selects the list of restaurants and their feedback from other users.

After deciding, they put an order and the information for the distribution is processed. Connecting the two parties is the key feature of this third-party app. This model uses apps like Zomato.

• Delivery Model

This is a very new form of delivery service which only appeared in 2013. This is a platform similar to the model aggregator with only one functionality — The fulfillment of the order is done by the app itself.

This is very profitable for startups because they do not have to operate a separate distribution system for orders, unlike the aggregator model. And this greatly lowers expenditures.

As for the existing restaurant, this only leads to profitability, as they can now minimize workplace expenditure and focus more on the principal production portion.

You can also check out the different types of food delivery apps and how they work to take reference on how you should go ahead with your food delivery app.

3. Requirements To Run The Aggregator Model

To run an aggregator business like ChowBus, you would be needing three major apps; They are:

• Customer App

Certainly, the customer app is the key. This is the app that is installed on the customer’s device and is used to order food or groceries from their listed restaurants.

As this app is the most critical app, you must make sure it is finished perfectly. Bug-free and smooth UI/UX must be secure. The app must-have functionalities that enhance the user’s ordering experience. 

• Admin App

Clearly, the admin app can be used by the approved staff of the food service or of the restaurant. This is the app for receiving customer orders, submitting orders, processing payments, monitoring orders, and keeping the logic of the entire process up to date.

You should develop it as a web-based program, not a smartphone application. Since it is the brain of the whole procedure, the production and maintenance of this app must be given considerable attention.

• Delivery Agent App

This app is for the people who deliver the product. You will know with this app if there are new orders, even approve and deny the order. They will even find out where the order is dropped and how to get there. In short, this app will help them deliver food to the consumer in all ways.

4. Finalizing The Key Features

When you have defined the key features of your customized food delivery app, you could be a little more sure that your app is special and different from the apps you provide. Some of the basic features which you could include in your apps are:

• Fast & easy registration process
• Hassle-free profile management
• Easy search options
• Editable preferences on the home page
• Integrated payment gateways
• Ratings & Reviews
• Push notifications
• Offers, coupons & loyalty benefits

5. Finalizing The Tech Stack

All the features you need to make a food delivery app have now been listed to you. Now we’ll tell you the technology stack needed to add the functionality to your application.

• Autho may be used for registration and authorization. In all kinds of processes – SMS approval, e-mail license, classical permission, etc., they provide a stable authorization mechanism.
• You may use the Google Places API to add information on restaurants..
• Braintree or Stripe SDK can be used for a safe and secure payment gateway.
• You can incorporate integrated route optimization with the Routific API. The delivery workers would also know the best routes for placing an order

6. UI & UX Design

We’ll enlighten you about some of the important factors that you need to think about before we start talking about how to create a food ordering app.

These factors may lead to your application success or break that down. These are the software stacks used by the business development company for the expert food supply application, so take note. They are:

• Identifying The Right Segment

Everyone loves food. Therefore, when it is on the market, everyone can use your food delivery app. Right?

Now, when you think about this, you’re not entirely wrong. Everybody likes food delivery apps, but before you apply for a restaurant, you still have some priorities to remember.

• You must first define your customers to set up your niche. Who’s the app for you? Students or workers?
• Do they prefer fast food or healthy food in the restaurant?
• Are they vegetarians or lovers of hardcore meat?

You can only separate your app from all other apps after you evaluate all the details.

• Implementing The Right UX

When you make a food supply app, you cannot neglect the value of the correct UX design.

And there is no exception to your food supply app. The success of your application is driven by a successful UX design. You must make sure the application is user-friendly. You must also be able to quickly locate the details you need.

But you must know that the interface must be both comprehensive and minimal when thinking about building a food delivery app. Maintain it clean and smooth only with essential screen details. And don’t forget to organize the documents.

• Having A Functional Logistic System

You need to develop an appropriate logistics system while thinking about how to develop a food supply application.

Put these things into account in your logistics. You will need to take into account the city roads and how long each route takes. When your logistics are planned, that is what you can think about. Of course, you can scale your company very quickly by building a food supply app using the right logistics

7. Choosing The Right Development Company

The correct food app manufacturer on request must be selected to assist you in making a food supply submission. The developer should understand your goal and incorporate modified software and agile strategies in order to produce the best outcome.

Although two major categories of developers are present: freelancers and agencies, it is often advisable to go for the latter. Food Delivery App Development Agencies like Oyelabs have the right skills and new development instruments available, which are mostly missing in freelancers. The right food ordering app developer will produce the applications within the defined time limits and will never fit your budget.

Plus, a product licensing, assurance, and dedication that freelancers frequently fail to give are given with an app produced by an agency. Therefore, if you want quality services provided within a minimum timeframe and budget, you can always go for an agency.

Technology Stack You Can Use For An App Like Chowbus

• Payment Gateway : Square API, Braintree, Stripe, PayPal
• Push Notifications: Amazon SNS, Urban Airship, Firebase Cloud Messaging
• Find User Location: Core Location Framework, Google Places API, Google Maps
•  Restaurant listing: GrubHub API, FourSquare API

How Much does it cost to build an app like ChowBus

You must think about how much it is going to cost after you know how to build a food delivery app? Determining The Cost

Tasks	Hours Required
Technical Documentation	50 hours
UI/UX Design	50 hours
Backend and Database	60-70 hours
Development	120 hours
Testing and bug-fixture	100 hours
Total work time requirement	350-400 hours

Regardless of the kind of app you are making, its price tags are always available. So what would the cost of your food app on-demand be? Simple. You just need to calculate the hourly rate by the number of hours.

Development Cost = Hourly Rate x Number Of Hours

Developers’ Location	Development Cost/Hour
US	$200-$300
Europe	$100-$200
India	$40-$100

Taking the median development cost of $50 to $100 per hour, the cost of building a food delivery app like ChowBus will be $18,000 to $40,000.

The cost of developing a food delivery app reflects the characteristics you use in the food production app. The more features you have, of course, the more expensive your app would be.

If your customers don’t like your software, all your expenses will be drained down. Your feedback will help to iterate the process and develop every user review.

You will need to decide the essence of your app when you create a food supply app. Regardless of whether it’s an indigenous, online or hybrid app, the prices are decided. Oh, don’t forget to pick the right application developer.

Conclusion

There are on-demand food applications flooding the market. You aren’t the first one to get such an idea. The competition is cutting-edge, but there are two ways via which success can be achieved. You can get discouraged by the competition, then turn around to drop the concept. Or just take your chances and go ahead.

If you believe enough in your thinking, then you can build a food ordering app with the right technique and strategy to ensure that you’re a crowd favorite in no time.  Or, tell your food supply app concept to us & we will give you the best advice, skill and support.

Frequently Asked Questions for building an app like ChowBus (FAQs)