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Case Study: EMC Restaurant app - In-House Dining & Direct Ordering

How a Restaurant App Transformed In-House Dining & Direct Ordering

A well-established restaurant chain aimed to modernize its in-house dining experience while strengthening direct digital ordering. Although the brand enjoyed steady footfall, challenges such as manual table ordering, delayed service during peak hours, and limited digital customer engagement were impacting customer satisfaction and operational efficiency.

Elite mCommerce delivered a custom restaurant mobile app designed to streamline dine-in ordering, takeaway, and direct pickup—fully owned by the restaurant. The solution enabled digital menus, instant order placement, real-time kitchen updates, and direct customer communication without third-party dependency.

As a result, the restaurant achieved a 29% faster table turnaround, 31% increase in direct takeaway orders, and improved customer experience through seamless digital interactions. The app empowered the restaurant with full control over operations, branding, and customer data.

How a Restaurant App Transformed In House Dining & Direct Ordering

About the Client

The client is a growing restaurant brand operating multiple outlets across urban locations, primarily focused on casual dining and family-style service. The restaurant serves a mix of dine-in, takeaway, and repeat local customers.

As the brand expanded, maintaining service consistency and speed across outlets became challenging. The client wanted to adopt a digital-first approach to improve in-restaurant efficiency while creating a stronger direct connection with customers.

Their goal was to deploy a unified restaurant app that could support dine-in, takeaway, and customer engagement under one platform.

Business Challenges

Before implementing the restaurant app, the client faced several operational and customer experience challenges:

Manual table ordering causing delays during peak hours
High dependency on staff for menu explanation and order taking
No digital menu or real-time item availability updates

Limited visibility into order patterns and peak-time performance
No owned digital channel for takeaway and repeat orders
Inconsistent customer experience across multiple outlets

These issues led to longer wait times, increased staff pressure, and missed revenue opportunities.

Goals & Objectives

The restaurant defined clear objectives to improve operational flow and customer engagement:

Digitize dine-in ordering and reduce service delays
Enable direct takeaway and pickup orders via own branded app
Centralize menu, pricing, and order management

Improve table turnover and kitchen coordination
Capture customer data for loyalty and repeat visits

Long-term goals included enhancing brand perception, improving service efficiency, and building a scalable digital foundation for future expansion.

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Solution Overview

Elite mCommerce developed a custom restaurant mobile app tailored specifically for dine-in and direct ordering workflows. The solution included a customer-facing app and a centralized admin dashboard for restaurant operations.

Customers could scan QR codes at tables to view menus, place orders, and request service directly through the app. For takeaway customers, the app enabled direct ordering without third-party commissions.

The restaurant gained complete control over menus, pricing, order flow, and customer communication—creating a seamless digital dining experience.

Implementation / Approach

#1 Strategy & Planning

Elite mCommerce analyzed dine-in workflows, table service challenges, and kitchen coordination processes. Separate user journeys were designed for dine-in guests, takeaway customers, kitchen staff, and managers.

#2 Design & Architecture

The app UI focused on simplicity and speed, allowing customers to place orders with minimal effort. The backend architecture supported multi-outlet operations, table mapping, and real-time order syncing.

#3 Development & Execution

The solution included:

Customer restaurant mobile app
QR-based digital menu and ordering
Centralized admin and kitchen dashboard

Real-time order and table management
Secure payment and billing integration

The modular system allowed easy scaling across new outlets.

#4 Testing & Launch

Testing was conducted during peak dining hours to ensure performance. Staff training and a phased rollout ensured smooth adoption.

Implementation Highlights

29% faster table service
Reduced order errors and miscommunication

Key Features / Deliverables

Branded restaurant mobile app (Android & iOS)
QR-based digital menu and table ordering
Centralized order and table management dashboard
Direct takeaway and pickup ordering
Real-time kitchen order updates
Secure digital payments
Push notifications for offers and updates
Multi-outlet support with unified control
Analytics for order trends and peak hours

Technology / Tools Used

Flutter for cross-platform mobile development
PHP-based backend services
REST APIs for integrations
Firebase for real-time updates and notifications
Secure third-party payment gateways

Results & Business Impact

1. Operational Impact

29% faster table turnover
26% reduction in manual order handling
Improved kitchen and service staff coordination
Consistent operations across outlets

2. Revenue & Growth Impact

31% increase in direct takeaway orders
Reduced dependency on third-party ordering platforms
Improved upselling through digital menus
Better revenue predictability

3. Customer & Brand Impact

Faster and smoother dine-in experience
Increased customer satisfaction and repeat visits
Stronger brand perception through digital innovation
Ownership of customer data for future loyalty programs

The restaurant app became a core operational tool rather than just a digital add-on.

Key Takeaways

This case study demonstrates how a restaurant-owned mobile app can significantly improve dine-in efficiency and direct ordering. By digitizing core restaurant operations, the brand gained speed, consistency, and stronger customer relationships.

Owning the digital platform enabled the restaurant to scale confidently, enhance service quality, and future-proof its business in an increasingly digital dining landscape.

Want to modernize your restaurant operations with a custom mobile app built for dine-in and direct orders?

Talk to Elite mCommerce today to build a restaurant app that improves service speed, boosts direct revenue, and gives you full control over your customer experience.

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