Mobile appFood, grocery & deliveryOriginal by Deliveroo
Deliveroo positions itself in food delivery through a curated selection of quality restaurants and a polished user experience. It enriches choice by bringing popular restaurants that never offered delivery onto the platform, and in areas with high demand but no restaurants it creates supply with dark kitchen sites. A free-delivery subscription programme keeps frequent customers on the platform.
To build something similar, the customer app, restaurant tablet app, courier app and admin panel are the core components. In addition, dark kitchen operations need kitchen display screens and order routing, a demand heat map and area analysis, subscription management and performance reports for restaurants. Using data to find which cuisine is missing in which neighbourhood is the strategic core of the model.
How Deliveroo works: the core user flow
How many apps and dashboards do you need?
Customer app
Users discover curated restaurants, place orders, use subscription benefits and track delivery.
Restaurant and kitchen display
Restaurant or dark kitchen staff see orders in sequence and update preparation status.
Courier app
Couriers receive orders and navigate to the restaurant and the customer.
Admin and analytics panel
The team manages the restaurant selection, dark kitchens, local demand and subscriptions.
Critical features of a product like Deliveroo
Demand heat map
Analysis showing cuisines that are searched for but unavailable in each neighbourhood, supporting decisions to add restaurants or open kitchens.
Dark kitchen management
Several brands' kitchens at one site; orders are routed by brand to kitchen displays and the packing area.
Free delivery with subscription
A monthly membership programme with no delivery fee on orders above a set basket value.
Editorial discovery screens
Visually rich discovery and collection pages built around cuisines, popular dishes and curated picks.
Restaurant performance report
Improvement suggestions for restaurants based on orders, cancellations, preparation times and menu item performance.
Group orders
A shared ordering flow where several people add their own items to the same basket and can split the bill.
What goes into the first version, what comes later
First version (MVP)
- Curated restaurant list, menus and ordering flow
- Card payments and live order tracking
- Restaurant tablet app
- Courier app and automatic assignment
- Admin panel for restaurants, commissions and orders
Later releases
- Free-delivery subscription programme
- Dark kitchen displays and brand management
- Demand heat map and area analysis
- Group orders and corporate meal accounts
Modules and how the budget is calculated
The budget is calculated with 360 SOFT’s pricing model from the modules below, about 38 screens and the project’s complexity: roughly 226 person-days for the full scope and 138 person-days for the first version. Every module you drop lowers the budget directly.
| Module | Phase |
|---|---|
| Sign-up, login, social login | First version |
| User profile and settings | First version |
| Roles and permissions | First version |
| Admin dashboard | First version |
| Product / content catalogue | First version |
| Cart and checkout | First version |
| Advanced search and filters | First version |
| Online payments (Stripe / PSP) | First version |
| Subscriptions and recurring billing | First version |
| Maps, location, routing | First version |
| Push notifications | First version |
| Ratings and reviews | First version |
| Marketplace integration (Amazon, etc.) | Later release |
| Reporting and analytics | Later release |
Hosting, SMS, map APIs, app store accounts and payment-provider fees are separate items. Maintenance and improvements (optional): €750 / month. We send a fixed written price within 24 hours after a free discovery call.
The hard parts
Winning over premium restaurants
Quality restaurants are selective about commission and brand image; bespoke deals and a field sales team are needed.
Dark kitchen investment
Building kitchen sites requires significant capital; strong data analysis is essential to choose the right neighbourhoods.
Subscription profitability
The cost of free delivery must be balanced against per-order courier costs; minimum basket and usage rules must be set carefully.
Business model
Commission from restaurants and delivery and service fees from customers are the core revenue. The free-delivery subscription programme creates recurring revenue and increases order frequency. Renting dark kitchen space to restaurant brands and selling in-platform advertising take the model beyond a classic marketplace.
Get a free quote for your project
Let us scope it together and send a fixed written quote within 24 hours. NDA on request; you own the source code.
Choosing a company to build an app like Deliveroo
Most people searching “build an app like deliveroo” are really looking for a reliable app development company. When comparing quotes, check four things:
- Can you try similar products they have shipped, in the stores or live?
- Are the source code, design files, servers and store accounts transferred to you by contract?
- Do they show a working demo every two weeks, with written scope and acceptance criteria?
- Are maintenance, scaling and GDPR/security costs written into the quote?
Copyright and trademarks
A business model and features are generally not protected on their own, but the Deliveroo name, logo, interface design, content and source code are. That is why we build a product with similar functionality but your own brand, design and code. This is not legal advice; we recommend a trademark search before launch.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to build an app like Deliveroo?
A first version with the restaurant, courier and customer apps takes a few months of work. Dark kitchen and subscription modules are added as the business model matures.
Does the dark kitchen model need separate software?
Kitchen displays, brand-based order routing and packing area management require extra modules. These can share the same back end as the main platform.
What should I look for in a company building an app like Deliveroo?
Look at the team's experience with real-time location, courier matching and high-volume ordering systems. Analytics and reporting capability are also decisive in this model.
Are there copyright or trademark issues?
The food delivery and dark kitchen model is generally free to use; names, logos, design, content and code cannot be copied. This is not legal advice.
