Customer app
Browse and search restaurants, menu customisation and modifiers, cart, scheduled orders, multiple addresses, live order tracking, ratings, and repeat ordering.
A food delivery product is not one app. It is four connected surfaces — customer, restaurant, driver, and admin — and most of the engineering difficulty sits in keeping them consistent while an order moves through them in real time.
The parts that decide whether it works in practice are unglamorous: menu items going out of stock mid-service, delivery estimates that hold during the dinner rush, and cash-on-delivery reconciliation at the end of a driver's shift.
What the platform is made of
Restaurant panel
Incoming orders with sound alerts, accept and reject with reason, prep-time setting, menu and availability toggles, opening hours, and settlement reports.
Driver app
Offline-capable job list, batched pickups, navigation handoff, proof of delivery, per-shift cash ledger, and earnings summary.
Admin dashboard
Restaurant onboarding, commission rules, zones and delivery fees, promotions, dispute handling, payouts, and live operational view.
Core features we build
- Real-time order status shared across all four surfaces
- Prep-time-aware delivery estimates rather than fixed windows
- Menu modifiers and combos that the kitchen can read without ambiguity
- Item availability toggled by the restaurant, reflected instantly for customers
- Zone-based delivery fees and minimum order values
- Promotions: percentage, fixed, free delivery, first-order, and referral
- Commission rules per restaurant, with automated settlement reports
- Cash on delivery with per-driver reconciliation
- Live tracking link by SMS or WhatsApp for customers without the app
- Ratings for both restaurant and driver, with moderation
What drives the cost
We quote every build individually because these factors move the number more than any feature list does:
| Factor | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Number of surfaces | A customer app alone is far cheaper than the full four-surface platform |
| Single vs multi-restaurant | Multi-restaurant adds onboarding, commissions, and payouts |
| Own drivers vs third party | Dispatch and driver apps add substantial scope |
| Payment methods | Each gateway and COD reconciliation adds integration work |
| Live tracking | Real-time infrastructure is a meaningful cost line |
| Platforms | iOS plus Android via Flutter is cheaper than two native builds |
Send your feature list and you get a fixed written price within 24 hours, with the scope it covers and a delivery date.
Typical stack
FlutterNode.jsPostgreSQLRedisWebSocketsGoogle MapsStripeFirebase
How we deliver
- 1Scoping call and written quote
Same day. Fixed price, fixed feature list, and a delivery date agreed before we start.
- 2Design
Clickable screens for every surface. Unlimited revisions before development begins.
- 3Build with daily visibility
A staging build you can open any day, and senior engineers reachable on WhatsApp.
- 4QA on real devices
Tested on the mid-range phones your users actually own, not just flagships.
- 5Launch
Store submission, production infrastructure, and go-live support.
- 6Handover
Full source code, documentation, and credentials. Thirty days of bug fixes included.
Questions, answered.
How much does a food delivery app cost?
It varies enormously with scope — a single-restaurant ordering app and a multi-restaurant marketplace with its own driver fleet differ by an order of magnitude. Send us your feature list and you get a fixed written price within 24 hours covering exactly what is included.
Can we start with just the customer app?
Yes, and for a single restaurant it is often the right call. Start with customer ordering and a simple kitchen view, prove that people order, then add driver dispatch and multi-restaurant support. That sequencing gets you revenue months earlier.
How does live tracking work for customers without the app?
A tracking link sent by SMS or WhatsApp that opens in a browser — no install required. It shows driver position, estimated arrival, and a contact option. This deflects most 'where is my order' calls.
Can it compete with the big aggregators?
Not on discovery — they spend heavily to own that, and pretending otherwise would be dishonest. Where a direct platform wins is repeat customers, margin, and owning the relationship. Most successful clients use aggregators for reach and their own app for loyalty.
Do you handle commission and restaurant payouts?
Yes — per-restaurant commission rules, automated settlement reports, adjustment handling for refunds and disputes, and payout scheduling. Money movement is built on a ledger so the numbers reconcile.
Six things we put in writing.
Not values on a wall — contract terms. Ask any other supplier to match them line by line.
A price in 24 hours
Send a brief, get a fixed written price and a delivery date the next working day. Free, no obligation, and the scope document is yours to keep even if you go elsewhere.
The price does not move
Fixed, not an estimate. If scope changes we re-quote in writing and you approve before we build it. You will never open a surprise invoice.
Half on delivery
50% to start, 50% when it is live and you are satisfied. You never fund the whole project up front.
Unlimited design revisions
We do not write production code until you approve the screens. Changing your mind at that stage costs nothing.
You own everything
Full source code, design files and credentials on delivery. No licence, no platform fee, nothing that stops another developer taking over.
30 days of fixes included
Free bug fixing for a month after launch, then an optional retainer only if you want one.
Every one of these is in the agreement before you pay anything. See how we evidence our claims →
Free quote
Tell us what you're building.
A paragraph is enough to start. You get a scoping conversation and a fixed written price with a delivery date within 24 hours — free, and yours to keep whether or not you go ahead with us.
- A senior engineer replies, not a salesperson
- Written quote inside 24 hours
- NDA before you send anything sensitive — just ask
- No obligation, no follow-up sequence
Prefer to talk now? WhatsApp +92 300 097 0544 or hello@qalmax.com.
Get your food delivery app scoped.
Fixed price, written delivery date, and full code ownership.