Eatigo Like App Development: A Complete Guide

Are you inspired by the success of dining reservation apps like Eatigo and considering building a similar app of your own? Transitioning into the world of app development requires careful planning, strategic decision-making, and a deep understanding of the key steps involved. 

In this guide, we will walk you through the process of building an app like Eatigo, moreover, highlighting the crucial stages, factors to consider, and best practices along the way. 

So, without further ado, let’s get started!

What is Eatigo App?

Eatigo is a popular online platform that provides users with a convenient and hassle-free way to discover and book dining experiences at discounted prices. Moreover, it operates as a restaurant reservation and food discount app, offering a wide range of dining options across various cuisines and locations. Eatigo stands out by offering time-based discounts, allowing users to enjoy significant savings on their meals during off-peak hours. With its user-friendly interface and extensive network of partner restaurants, Eatigo has become a go-to choice for food enthusiasts looking to explore new culinary experiences while enjoying attractive deals. Whether it’s a casual brunch, a business lunch, or a special dinner, Eatigo provides a simple and efficient platform for users to find great dining deals and make reservations with just a few clicks.

How Does an App Like Eatigo Work?

Let’s dive into the key workings and functionalities that involve an app like Eatigo —

Download and Installation

Start by downloading the app from your respective app store. It is available for both iOS and Android platforms.

Registration and Account Creation

Once the installation is complete, create your account by providing the necessary details such as name, email address, and phone number. You may also have the option to sign up using your social media accounts.

Location-based Search

The app utilizes location-based services to identify restaurants in your vicinity. Thus, the app provides a list of available dining establishments along with their discounted time slots.

Browse and Select

Explore the list of restaurants and their corresponding offers. Each restaurant will have different time slots and discount percentages. Thus, it provides you with with range of options to select the one that suits your preferences.

Make a Reservation

After choosing a restaurant and desired time slot, proceed to make a reservation through the app. However, some restaurants may require prepayment or credit card details to secure the booking.

Dine and Enjoy

Arrive at the restaurant at the reserved time and enjoy your meal. The discount will be applied automatically to your bill, thus, ensuring significant savings.

Review and Feedback

Share your dining experience by providing ratings and feedback for the restaurant. This consequently helps other users make informed decisions and maintains the quality of service.

Key Market Takeaways

Credit: Statista

According to Statista The global food service market has experienced remarkable growth in recent years, with its size reaching a staggering 2.52 trillion U.S. dollars in 2021. Moreover, forecasts indicate that this figure is expected to soar to 4.43 trillion U.S. dollars by 2028, reflecting a remarkable compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.9 percent from 2021 to 2028. With such exponential growth in the food industry, it comes as no surprise that online restaurant booking platforms will consequently witness a significant rise in demand.

The Rise of Online Restaurant Booking Platforms:

As the world embraces digitalization, the traditional methods of making restaurant reservations are gradually being replaced by user-friendly mobile applications. These platforms offer convenience, a plethora of dining choices, and attractive discounts, all at the fingertips of food enthusiasts. With the food service industry witnessing exponential growth, consequently, the demand for such online platforms is set to skyrocket.

Research conducted in 2020 reveals that food delivery apps in the United States have exhibited remarkable revenue generation, with an impressive figure of approximately $26.52 billion. Projections indicate a significant upward trajectory, with expectations that this revenue will reach a staggering $42 billion by the year 2025.

Market Opportunity for Apps like Eatigo:

Within this thriving landscape, apps like Eatigo are poised to seize a substantial market opportunity. Eatigo, with its innovative approach of time-based discounts and an extensive network of partner restaurants, has already established itself as a prominent player in the online restaurant booking space. The food industry is expanding, consequently, there will be a surge in the number of people seeking cost-effective dining options without compromising on the quality of their culinary experiences.

Must-Have Features For an App Like Eatigo

Let’s explore a range of unique features that can elevate an app like Eatigo and make it a standout platform in the competitive food service industry.

Loyalty Bonanzas and Exclusive Rewards:

Delighting users and building lasting relationships are vital for the success of any app. Therefore, by integrating loyalty programs, rewards, and exclusive discounts, you can incentivize users to keep coming back. Offering personalized deals based on their dining history and preferences ensures a tailored experience that fosters loyalty and keeps users engaged.

Seamless Mobile Payments and Online Ordering:

In today’s digital age, enabling mobile payments and online ordering is a game-changer. By integrating secure and user-friendly payment gateways, users can conveniently settle their bills within the app, thus, eliminating the hassle of handling cash or credit cards. Additionally, providing the option to place food orders online for pickup or delivery adds another layer of convenience to the dining experience.

Smart Table Reservation System:

Efficient table reservation is a cornerstone of any successful dining app. Implementing a streamlined table reservation system with real-time availability updates ensures that users can secure their desired dining times with ease. Enhancements such as personalized seating preferences, special occasion reservations, and automated reminders enhance the overall reservation experience.

Location-Based Services:

Leveraging location-based services allows users to discover nearby restaurants, special promotions, and dining experiences tailored to their current location. Geolocation technology can provide targeted recommendations, making it easier for users to explore new dining spots while on the go.

Social Media Integration:

Integrating social media features enables users to share their dining experiences, post reviews, and recommendations seamlessly. By incorporating social sharing functionalities, users can showcase their favorite restaurants and dishes, amplifying the app’s reach and thus, fostering a sense of community among food enthusiasts.

Intelligent Chatbots:

Introducing chatbot assistance within the app offers instant support to users, addressing queries, providing recommendations, and resolving issues promptly. These AI-powered chatbots can handle common inquiries, offer personalized suggestions, and enhance the overall user experience by delivering efficient and reliable customer service.

Interactive Feedback Portal:

Empowering users to provide feedback and ratings directly within the app is essential for continuous improvement. A well-designed feedback portal allows users to share their dining experiences, suggest improvements, and report any issues they encountered. Engaging with user feedback demonstrates a commitment to enhancing the app’s offerings and building a user-centric platform.

Engaging Gamification Elements:

Injecting gamification elements into the app adds a fun and interactive dimension to the dining experience. Features like challenges, rewards for completing milestones, or exclusive badges for trying new cuisines can create a sense of excitement, encouraging users to explore more and engage with the app on a regular basis.

Online Food Tracking:

Enabling online food tracking enhances transparency and builds trust among users. Integrating features that allow users to track the status of their food orders, estimated delivery times, and real-time updates on their meal preparation progress can elevate the dining experience, consequently, ensuring customers stay informed and excited about their orders.

Quick Ordering:

In a fast-paced world, efficiency is key. Moreover, implementing a quick ordering feature allows users to reorder their favorite meals with just a few taps. By storing previous orders and personalizing the experience, users can save time and effortlessly satisfy their cravings. Consequently, you’ll imrov customer satisfaction.

Development Steps to Build an App Like Eatigo

Building a successful app requires careful planning, execution, and post-launch activities. Let’s delve into the development steps involved in creating an app like Eatigo.

Perform Market Analysis and Identify the Pain Points

Before diving into app development, conduct comprehensive market research to understand the current landscape, customer preferences, and pain points. Identify the specific issue you aim to solve or improve upon, such as optimizing restaurant reservations, offering discounts, or enhancing dining experiences.

Craft a Comprehensive Business Strategy

Create a solid business plan that outlines your app’s unique value proposition, revenue model, target audience, and marketing strategies. A well-defined business plan will serve as a roadmap and thus, help attract potential investors or partners.

Choose a Trustworthy App Development Partner

Choose a reputable software development partner with experience in building similar apps. Collaborate with them to discuss your requirements, timeline, and budget. Ensure the development team understands your vision. Therefore, bring provide technical expertise to bring it to life.

Design a Distinctive User Interface and Seamless Experience

Invest in creating a user-friendly and visually appealing user interface (UI) and seamless user experience (UX). Conduct user research, and design wireframes, and prototypes to refine the app’s look and feel. Prioritize features such as easy navigation, an intuitive reservation process, and attractive visuals.

Prioritize Data Security and Privacy

Data security and protection are paramount for any app dealing with personal information and payment details. Implement robust security measures, including encryption protocols, secure authentication, and compliance with privacy regulations like GDPR or CCPA.

Implement a Structured Development Process and Thorough Testing

The development phase involves transforming the design into a functional app. Adhere to an agile development methodology, breaking the process into sprints for incremental development and continuous testing. Also, don’t forget to regularly communicate with the development team to track progress and address any issues promptly.

Launch Your App with Strategic Pre- and Post-Marketing Efforts

Before the app launch, create a pre-marketing strategy to generate buzz and anticipation. Utilize social media, influencer partnerships, and targeted advertising to create awareness among your target audience. Collect feedback and conduct beta testing to refine the app’s performance and resolve any last-minute issues.

Engage in Post-Launch Activities for Ongoing Success

Once the app is launched, continue to monitor user feedback and make improvements accordingly. Gather user reviews, ratings, and suggestions to enhance the app’s functionality and user experience. Maintain regular updates, addressing bug fixes, security updates, and introduce new features and thus, stay competitive.

Building an app like Eatigo requires careful planning, collaboration, and continuous improvement. By following these development steps and adapting to user feedback, you can create a successful app that revolutionizes the food reservation experience.

Factors Affecting the Development Cost of an App Like Eatigo

Developing a successful dining reservation app like Eatigo involves careful planning, resource allocation, and consideration of various factors that can impact the overall development cost. Understanding these factors is crucial for budgeting and ensuring a smooth development process. Here are the key factors to consider:

App Features

• The complexity and number of features desired, such as advanced search filters, real-time availability updates, personalized recommendations, and integrated payment systems, can significantly influence the development cost. Features like table management, waitlist functionality, and loyalty programs may require additional development effort and resources.

Design and User Experience:

• The app’s visual design, user interface (UI), and user experience (UX) play a vital role in attracting and retaining users. Investing in high-quality design and intuitive user interactions can increase the development cost.
• Custom animations, seamless transitions, and engaging visuals may require additional design and development efforts.

Integration with Third-Party Systems:

• Integrating the app with external systems such as restaurant reservation platforms, payment gateways, or loyalty programs can affect the development cost.
• The complexity of the integrations, availability of APIs, and customization requirements can impact the time and effort required.

Platform Compatibility:

• Developing the app for multiple platforms like iOS and Android involves additional development effort, as it requires adapting the app to different operating systems and devices.
• Each platform has its own design and development guidelines that need to be followed, which can contribute to increased development costs.

Data Security and Privacy:

• Ensuring robust data security measures, such as encryption, secure authentication, and compliance with privacy regulations, adds to the development cost.
• Implementing measures to protect user data, prevent unauthorized access, and secure payment transactions requires additional resources.

Testing and Quality Assurance:

• Rigorous testing is essential to deliver a high-quality app. The cost increases with the complexity of testing, including functional testing, usability testing, performance testing, and compatibility testing across multiple devices and platforms.
• Ongoing Maintenance and Updates.
• Post-launch activities, including regular maintenance, bug fixing, and feature updates, contribute to the overall development cost.
• Keeping the app up-to-date with evolving technology trends, operating system updates, and user feedback requires ongoing investment.

Top 5 Apps Like Eatigo in the Market

Here are the top five apps in the market that offer comparable services, allowing you to discover and book dining deals at your favorite restaurants.

OpenTable:

With a vast network of restaurants worldwide, OpenTable is a popular choice for making online reservations.

Similarly to Eatigo, OpenTable provides real-time availability, reviews, and special offers, ensuring a seamless dining experience.

TheFork:

TheFork (formerly known as Dimmi) is another prominent app that connects diners with a variety of restaurants and exclusive offers.

Furthermore, TheFork offers discounted deals, loyalty programs, and personalized recommendations, enhancing your dining choices.

Quandoo:

Quandoo is a global dining platform that allows users to discover restaurants, read reviews, and make reservations in multiple countries.

With features comparable to Eatigo, Quandoo further offers special discounts and loyalty rewards, making it an excellent alternative for food enthusiasts.

TableGrabber:

TableGrabber enables users to explore dining options, reserve tables, and access exclusive promotions.

This tool offers time-based deals and discounts, allowing users to enjoy savings while dining out.

Resy:

Resy is a popular app that connects users to high-quality restaurants, providing seamless booking experiences.

Moreover, It offers a curated selection of restaurants, personalized recommendations, and in-app payments, ensuring convenience and satisfaction.

Why Is MySQL and PHP Important for an App Like Eatigo? 

In the context of developing an app like Eatigo, MySQL and PHP play essential roles due to their unique capabilities and compatibility with dynamic on-demand booking platforms. The app’s success relies on consistently updating users with available seats and booking timings, making accurate data display crucial.

Moreover, PHP, a well-established programming language, excels in creating dynamic applications. However, PHP alone lacks built-in data storage capabilities. This is where MySQL comes into play as the ultimate solution, offering secure and reliable data storage. The combination of PHP and MySQL further contributes to the app’s high performance by leveraging MySQL’s automated data retrieval features. Consequently, this ensures that the Eatigo app achieves fast-speed performance, providing users with a seamless experience.

Furthermore, both PHP and MySQL being open-source technologies offer a significant level of customization, empowering developers to tailor the restaurant booking app to specific requirements.

Essential Tech Stack to Build an App Like Eatigo

The tech stack used to build Eatigo is a combination of open-source and commercial technologies. The following are some of the essential technologies that are used in the app:

Backend:

The backend of the app is built on Java and Spring Boot. Spring Boot is a popular framework for building Java applications. It is easy to use and further, makes it easy to deploy applications to the cloud.

Frontend: 

The front end of the app is built on React Native. React Native is a framework for building native mobile apps using JavaScript. It is a popular choice for building mobile apps because it allows developers to use the same code base to build apps for both iOS and Android.

Database:

The app uses MongoDB as its database. MongoDB is a MySQL database that is well-suited for storing large amounts of data. It is also a good choice for storing data that is constantly changing, such as reservation data.

Cloud: 

The app is deployed on AWS. AWS is a cloud computing platform that offers a wide range of services, including computing, storage, and networking. It is a good choice for deploying mobile apps because it is scalable and reliable.

In addition to the essential technologies listed above, Eatigo also uses a number of other technologies, such as Google Maps, Stripe, and Twilio. These technologies are used to provide additional features to the app, such as location-based search, payment processing, and push notifications.

Conclusion

In conclusion, building an app like Eatigo requires careful consideration of various aspects, from conceptualization to development and post-launch activities. By following a systematic approach and considering the key steps and factors involved, you can create a successful dining reservation app that caters to the needs of users and restaurants alike.

However, always remember, success in this endeavor requires a customer-centric approach, innovation, and a commitment to delivering a seamless and delightful dining experience for users and restaurants alike. 

At our core, we are masters of crafting captivating mobile applications. Through our extensive proficiency in both front-end and back-end development, we guarantee a flawlessly seamless and immersive app experience. 

If you have a project in mind related to the development of an app similar to Eatigo, we invite you to reach out to us today. Let’s start a conversation about your specific requirements and how we can bring your vision to life.

FAQs

How much does Eatigo charge restaurants?

There is no cost associated with using Eatigo’s service. It is entirely free for users, and you will not be asked to provide any credit card information. The payment you make is solely for the discounted meals you enjoy at the restaurant itself.

What are the benefits of building an app like Eatigo?

There are a number of benefits to building an app like Eatigo, including:

• The potential for revenue. Eatigo generates revenue from commissions on restaurant bookings. This means that there is the potential to make a lot of money from the app.
• The potential to reach a large audience. Eatigo is available in over 20 countries. This means that your app could be used by millions of people around the world.
• The potential to improve customer service. Eatigo makes it easy for customers to book tables at restaurants. This can improve customer satisfaction and loyalty.

What are the challenges of building an app like Eatigo?

Some of the challenges of building an app like Eatigo include:

• The complexity of the app. Eatigo is a complex app with a number of features. This can make it challenging to develop and maintain.
• The cost of building the app. Building an app like Eatigo can be expensive. This is because you need to hire developers, designers, and testers.
• The competition. There are a number of other restaurant reservation apps on the market. This means that you need to make sure that your app is unique and offers something that other apps don’t.

What are the key features I should consider when developing an app like Eatigo?

Some essential features to include are restaurant listings, real-time availability, table reservations, user profiles, ratings and reviews, personalized recommendations, loyalty programs, and secure payment integration.