How to Build a Grubhub Clone App For Your Food Delivery Business?

Build a Grubhub Clone App

Since 2004, Grubhub Food Delivery Application has been serving Americans with their favorite restaurant food. It is an almost two decades old food delivery app that has excelled in connecting Americans with their favorite dine-in places for ordering food online. When you wish to develop a Grubhub Clone App, you must know the features offered by the Grubhub food delivery solution because features and UI are the essential aspects for building any application. Also, the time and cost of the application depend mainly on these two elements.

Let us begin!

Before we discuss the features and UI of the Grubhub Food Delivery Application for building a perfect clone app, let us talk about the future of investing in the food delivery business in the coming years. The below image depicts the Food Delivery App Users in the USA, considering 2018-2023 with its % change.

Food Delivery Business Demand 

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According to the USA market research, the food delivery business will experience a massive surge in the coming years. In the year 2019, the food delivery application usage was recorded by 38 million users, and in the year 2020, it got enhanced by 15%.

According to the stats and calculation, it is estimated that by the end of 2021, 20% of more food delivery app users will be added to the list of active downloads. Isn’t that a fantastic start to figure out the growth and popularity of the food delivery business in the USA?

Hence, if you are thinking of investing your funds in the cloud-kitchen delivery or food delivery business in 2021, this is the right time to start building an online ordering system.

Online Food Delivery: market data & analysis

The revenue in the Online Food Delivery market is forecasted to reach US $1.20tn in 2024.

It is expected to exhibit a compound annual growth rate (CAGR 2024-2029) of 9.04%, resulting in a projected market volume of US $1.85tn by 2029.

The worldwide revenue of US $1,195.4 billion in 2024 is expected to increase to US$1,854.5 billion by 2029.

Busy lifestyles, developing technologies, and the recent coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic have all played a role in the growth of the restaurant food delivery market in the United States. More than ever before, consumers are ordering their favorite meals to be delivered right to their doorsteps. In 2023, the number of users of the online food delivery market in the U.S. was estimated at 161 million in the meal delivery segment, a figure that was forecast to exceed 173 million by 2028. The revenue of the online food delivery market in the U.S. was also forecast to grow year-on-year over the next five years.

What is a Food Ordering Solution?

A food ordering solution comprises a complete food ordering process that includes the three apps and an admin panel for running a food delivery business. To be precise, any on-demand delivery solution will require a minimum of three apps to make it run successfully.

Grubhub food ordering solution also comprises three apps and its effective sync for making the process complete.

Essential Features for a Grubhub Clone App

To build a robust and successful Grubhub clone app, you must integrate essential features for three key user groups: customers, restaurants, and delivery agents. Additionally, an admin panel is crucial for overseeing operations.

Customer Features:

User Registration and Login: Easy sign-up through email, phone, or social media accounts.

Restaurant Listings: Categorize restaurants by cuisine, location, popularity, and user ratings.

Search and Filters: Allow users to search for restaurants or dishes and filter results by distance, rating, delivery time, etc.

Real-time Order Tracking: GPS integration for customers to track their orders in real-time, from food preparation to delivery.

Secure Payments: Integration with popular payment gateways (credit/debit cards, PayPal, mobile wallets) and the option for cash on delivery.

Reviews and Ratings: Customers can leave feedback on their dining and delivery experience, which improves app credibility.

Push Notifications: Inform customers of order status, special promotions, or restaurant offers.

Restaurant Features:

Restaurant Dashboard: Manage orders, track deliveries, and view customer feedback in real-time.

Menu Management: Easily update menu items, pricing, and availability through the dashboard.

Order Notifications: Restaurants receive instant alerts for incoming orders.

Order Management: Accept, reject, or modify orders based on restaurant capacity and timing.

Payment Management: Restaurants can track payments, view transaction history, and process payouts.

Promotions and Discounts: Create and manage restaurant-specific promotions to attract more users.

Delivery Agent Features:

Delivery Agent Profile: Profile setup, including personal details, vehicle information, and working hours.

Order Assignment: Receive nearby delivery requests and accept or decline them based on availability.

GPS Navigation: Route optimization and tracking through Google Maps or similar services for timely deliveries.

Earnings Overview: View daily, weekly, and monthly earnings and track payment history.

Delivery Confirmation: Secure methods to confirm delivery (e.g., OTP or digital signature).

Admin Panel Features:

Dashboard: A comprehensive overview of users, restaurants, orders, and revenue.

User Management: Manage profiles of customers, restaurants, and delivery agents.

Order Management: Monitor real-time orders, resolve disputes, and handle refunds.

Analytics: Generate detailed reports on app performance, user activity, and revenue trends.

Promotions and Discounts: Oversee platform-wide promotions and discounts.

Technology Stack for Building a Grubhub Clone App

The right technology stack ensures scalability, reliability, and security for your food delivery app. Here’s a recommended stack:

Frontend (Customer, Restaurant, Delivery Agent Apps):

Mobile: React Native or Flutter for cross-platform development (iOS and Android). Alternatively, Swift (for iOS) and Kotlin (for Android) can be used for native development.

Web: React.js or Angular for web-based dashboards and admin panels.

Backend:

Node.js or Ruby on Rails for server-side programming.

Express.js for handling API requests and managing database interactions.

Database:

MongoDB (NoSQL) or PostgreSQL (SQL) to store user, order, and restaurant data.

Cloud and Hosting:

AWS (Amazon Web Services) or Google Cloud for scalable cloud hosting solutions.

Firebase for real-time data synchronization, user authentication, and push notifications.

Payment Gateway:

Stripe, PayPal, or Braintree for secure online payments.

Geolocation Services:

Google Maps API or Mapbox for geolocation, real-time tracking, and navigation.

Push Notifications:

Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) for Android and Apple Push Notification Service (APNS) for iOS.

Step-by-Step Process for Building a Grubhub Clone App

Step 1: Conduct Market Research

Before starting development, understand the local market. Identify your target audience, analyze competitors, and assess the region’s restaurant density. This will help you fine-tune your app’s features and positioning.

Step 2: Define the Scope of Your App

Decide whether your app will cater to a specific cuisine, a type of restaurant, or focus on a particular region. You’ll also need to decide whether to build an app for Android, iOS, or both.

Step 3: Choose the Right Platform (iOS, Android, or Both)

Developing your app for both iOS and Android will ensure a broader reach. However, you can start with a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) on one platform to test your market.

Step 4: UI/UX Design

A smooth and intuitive user interface is crucial for user retention. Focus on a clean design, simple navigation, and clear call-to-action. Wireframe the app to map out the user journey and get feedback from potential users before starting development.

Step 5: Backend Development

Begin developing the backend by setting up servers, databases, and APIs. The backend will manage user data, orders, payments, and notifications.

Step 6: Third-Party Integration

Integrate essential third-party services like:

Payment Gateway: Stripe or PayPal for seamless payment processing.

Map Services: Google Maps for accurate order tracking and delivery routes.

Push Notifications: Firebase Cloud Messaging to keep users informed about order status, promotions, etc.

Step 7: Testing and QA

Testing is critical. Conduct rigorous testing on multiple devices and platforms to ensure a seamless user experience. Test the app for performance, security vulnerabilities, and bug fixes.

Step 8: Launch

Once testing is complete and the app is stable, launch it on both Google Play and the App Store. Ensure your app store listing is optimized with the right keywords and visuals to attract users.

Building a Grubhub clone app

To build a food delivery clone application like Grubhub– your online food delivery solution shall require the following apps to be designed and developed.

  1. Customer App
  2. Restaurant Owner App
  3. Driver App

1) Customer App

The app development company must consider the critical customer app features to be designed and developed for the customer side.

A clone app development means building a similar application – hence, your app requires Grubhub alike features.

The customer application is the soul of the food delivery process.

We can term it as the action app because the customer will record the order action for asking the restaurant to deliver the food. Hence from User Interface to User Experience, the customer food ordering app development requires a detailed structure and output.

How to Hire Dedicated Team for Food Delivery App Development?

Customer App Features Include:

  • Profile setup
  • Exploring offers and rewards
  • Browsing restaurants
  • Customize Order
  • Track orders in real-time
  • Easy reorder

The above screenshots depict Grubhub Customer App screen layouts. The first screenshot on the left is about the browse restaurant layout that includes restaurant display as per the selected or auto-detected delivery address.

It also includes filtering the cuisine for having a more specific list on the screen

The second layout is about the food cart. Here before the payment, the food cart shows the items selected for the delivery along with its quantity and price.

It includes a button for adding more items before proceeding with the final checkout. The total price comprises the tax and delivery fee, and it is mentioned separately for the customer’s reference. One more exciting option on the screen is the tip amount.

Here the customers can select the tip amount before moving to the final checkout.

The other essential features of the Grubhub customer app that needs to be precisely designed and developed for your food delivery ordering app is tracking Orders in real-time and easy reorder.

Using the real-time tracking food delivery app feature, the customer can easily track the real-time status of their food parcels.

Hence, a customer stays updated on each movement about their ordered food parcel such as ‘Order confirmed, Order getting prepared, Order prepared, Order picked up by the driver, Order about to deliver, Driver Near You and Order Delivered. Your next food delivery app development needs to be précised about such features for making the food delivery business successful. 

2) Restaurant App

Things to take care of before stepping into the food delivery market

The food delivery business is not everyone’s cup of tea. Believe us in due course, we have met many clients who have started their food delivery outlet, but very few can survive the market ups and downs.

Let us take a clear and recent example of the novel coronavirus pandemic. Many businesses were affected during the pandemic, and one of the significant effects was experienced by the hotel and food industry.

Even today, many people do not want to visit restaurants, nor do they want to order food online.

Currently, the market is divided into two segments. The first segment is the conscious segment, they do not wish to have a negligible risk associated with the novel virus, and hence, they are following 100% precautions.

On the other hand, there is a class or segment of people who have liberal thinking. They do not mind ordering food online and follow necessary precautions before using it.

The dine-in market has crashed, but the online food delivery market is surging for the last two months.

Many online food delivery businesses have gotten introduced in the past few weeks, claiming to deliver the best food delivery experience to their users. So, trust me- the market is selective and challenging.

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Steps to survive the food delivery market

So, if you are wondering that during such a challenging and competitive phase- how will you survive the food delivery market- here is what I would like you to know.

Your food delivery app development company needs to be the best in the following points for helping you survive the online ordering market.

  • Excellent Food delivery app UI
  • Delivering the best User experience
  • Food ordering app development with leading features
  • Machine learning or AI features can add cherries, such as the live chatbot feature, voice search, etc.
  • An admin panel dashboard for managing the business via web screen. A single-screen delivering the entire scenario of your business operations for making things easy and straightforward. It helps in running the company without any errors.
  • Reduce a digital marketing strategy for helping your online food ordering brand get the required market reach and visibility. The digital market is a need of the hour in 2020; applying the marketing tactics to your online brand can aid in many ways.

Challenges and Solutions

Delivery Logistics:

One of the biggest challenges in the food delivery business is ensuring timely deliveries. Use AI-based route optimization to help delivery agents find the fastest and most efficient routes.

Restaurant Acquisition:

Convincing restaurants to join your platform can be difficult in the early stages. Offer low commissions or exclusive deals to attract restaurant partners.

Customer Retention:

Retaining customers requires consistent quality service. Implement a loyalty program where repeat customers earn discounts or rewards.

Operational Costs:

Managing delivery agents, customer support, and app maintenance can be expensive. Focus on efficiency, using automation wherever possible, to reduce operational costs.

Cost of building Grubhub Clone App

Food delivery app development like the Grubhub clone application costs approximately between 10,000 USD to 22,000 USD depending upon the requirements of the food delivery app owner.

We at iCoderz Solution offer two options to the clients for building food delivery apps like UberEats, Zomato, Swiggy, Grubhub, and Postmates- one is the customized food delivery app development, and the other is acquiring readymade food delivery solutions.

Make your choice wisely.

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About Author

Ashish Sudra

Ashish Sudra is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at iCoderz Solutions. He has over 15 years of experience in the information technology and services industry. He is skilled in Digital Marketing, ASO, User Experience and SaaS Product Consulting. He is an expert Business Consultant helping startups and SMEs with Food and Restaurant Delivery Solutions.

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