Hospitality apps that work in day-to-day practice
From QR ordering systems to full delivery platforms: we build hospitality apps that integrate seamlessly with your existing POS, kitchen processes and delivery logistics. Technology that works with you, not against you.
The digital kitchen: why hospitality apps are now essential
In 2026, guests expect a seamless digital experience: ordering via QR code, real-time delivery tracking and personalised offers. Meanwhile, hospitality operators are struggling with staff shortages, rising costs and a tangle of standalone systems that don't talk to each other. A well-built hospitality app solves these pain points by bringing everything together in one platform tailored to your specific way of working.
QR code table ordering
Guests scan, order and pay at the table without needing service staff. Orders go straight to the kitchen, including table recognition, menu filters (allergens, vegetarian) and split payments. Shorter waiting times and higher revenue per cover.
Multi-restaurant delivery
Your own delivery platform alongside Thuisbezorgd and Uber Eats, without per-order commission fees. Optimised route planning, real-time tracking for customers, automatic dispatching and driver management. Direct contact with your customers instead of going through third parties.
Kitchen Display System
A digital kitchen screen that prioritises orders by timing and station allocation. Cold, hot, dessert: each station only sees the items relevant to it. Automatic timing for multi-course menus and visual alerts when wait times run too long. No more need for a receipt printer.
Smart loyalty & rewards
A loyalty programme that recognises guests without a physical card. Personalised offers based on order history, automatic birthday promotions and punch-card mechanics. Higher return frequency and direct communication via push notifications.
Online reservations
A reservation system with smart table planning, automatic confirmations and no-show prevention through prepayment or deposit. Waiting list functionality for fully booked nights and integration with Google Maps and social channels for direct bookings.
Real-time analytics
A dashboard showing revenue per hour, popular items, average order time and staffing levels. Predictive models for purchasing based on weather, events and historical data. Data-driven decisions instead of gut feeling.
Technology that keeps the kitchen running
A hospitality app must be reliable under peak load (Friday evenings, public holidays), work with unstable Wi-Fi and deliver millisecond-fast updates between the till, kitchen and courier. Our stack is built for exactly that.
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Real-time order processing
- WebSocket connections for instant updates
- Event-driven architecture (order → kitchen <200ms)
- Automatic retry on connectivity loss
- Priority queue per station
- Conflict resolution for simultaneous edits
Cloud-native & scalable
- Auto-scaling under peak load
- Multi-region deployment (low latency)
- 99.9% uptime SLA
- Database replication for zero downtime
- CDN for menu assets and images
Offline-first design
- Local storage of the menu and active orders
- Automatic sync as soon as the connection is restored
- Till transactions complete during Wi-Fi outages
- Progressive Web App for tablet kiosks
- Service Worker caching strategy
The right app approach for every hospitality concept
A dark kitchen has entirely different software needs from a fine-dining restaurant. We don't build one-size-fits-all solutions; we tailor the architecture, UX and integrations to your specific operation.
Restaurant & brasserie
Table service combined with digital convenience. Guests order via QR code or the menu, while front-of-house staff retain oversight through a handheld device.
- QR ordering + staff override
- Table management with floor plan
- Allergen filters and dietary preferences
- Split payments and tipping
Dark kitchen & ghost kitchen
Focused entirely on collection and delivery. No on-site guest experience, but maximum throughput and multi-brand operation.
- Multi-brand ordering pages from one kitchen
- Automated dispatching to couriers
- Aggregator integration (Thuisbezorgd, Uber Eats)
- Volume forecasting per brand
Hospitality chains & franchises
Central management of menus, pricing and promotions across all locations, with local flexibility where needed.
- Central menu management + local adjustments
- Location dashboard with comparison metrics
- Unified loyalty across all locations
- Roll-out tooling for new locations
Catering & events
Pre-ordering, batch production and logistics planning for large volumes. From corporate lunches to festival catering.
- Pre-order portal with deadlines
- Batch production planning per dish
- Delivery route optimisation (multi-drop)
- Quote-to-order flow for B2B
Development process: from receipt to working app
Hospitality works in shifts, with peaks and troughs. Our development process takes that into account: short iterations you can test during quiet hours, without disrupting service when it gets busy.
Operations analysis
We shadow a service, observe workflows and map out bottlenecks. Which tasks take up the most time? Where do orders go wrong? Which systems are currently used side by side?
Prototype & menu mapping
A clickable prototype of the ordering flow, KDS layout and, if needed, delivery tracking. We import your menu structure directly from your POS or Excel so you can test the prototype with your own dishes.
Iterative build
Fortnightly releases that you can try straight away in your test environment (or on a spare tablet in the shop). POS integration, payment integration and KDS developed in parallel.
Go-live & shift support
Launch on a quiet evening with standby support. Monitoring of order throughput, error reports and system load. After a week in operation: evaluation and fine-tuning.
Integrations with the systems you already use
A hospitality app only works if it integrates seamlessly with your existing POS system, payment provider and delivery platforms. We integrate with the systems most widely used in the Dutch hospitality sector.
Lightspeed Restaurant
Full POS sync: menu, orders, tables and payments. Bidirectional integration, so changes made in Lightspeed come through immediately.
Untill
Cloud POS integration for hospitality. Order routing to the correct station, real-time stock updates and unified reporting across all channels.
Thuisbezorgd / Just Eat
Incoming orders automatically appear in your KDS, with no manual re-entry. Status updates are sent back to the platform for customer tracking.
Uber Eats & Deliveroo
Multi-platform order management from a single dashboard. Menu sync, price adjustments and availability management handled centrally.
Mollie & Adyen
Online payments (iDEAL, credit card, Apple Pay) and card terminals. Automatic reconciliation and split payments for tips.
Stock management & purchasing
Integration with supplier portals and stock systems. Automatic purchasing suggestions based on sales figures and menu changes.
Frequently asked questions about hospitality apps
How much does it cost to have a hospitality app built?
+A basic ordering app (QR + KDS) starts at around €25,000. A complete platform with its own delivery, loyalty programme and multi-location management ranges from €50,000 to €90,000, depending on the complexity of the integrations and the number of user roles.
How long does it take to develop a hospitality app?
+A QR ordering system with POS integration goes live in 8 to 12 weeks. A full delivery platform with its own driver app, KDS and analytics takes 4 to 6 months. We always deliver a working MVP first, so you can start getting value from the system in the meantime.
Does the app still work if the Wi-Fi drops during service?
+Yes. We build offline-first: orders are stored locally and synced automatically as soon as the connection is restored. Till transactions and KDS display keep working, so the kitchen never grinds to a halt when connectivity drops.
Can I keep my existing POS system?
+Absolutely. We integrate with Lightspeed, Untill, NCR Aloha, Syrve and most other common POS systems via their APIs. Your team doesn't need retraining and existing workflows stay intact. The app adds functionality on top of what you already have.
How does the app handle peak demand on Friday and Saturday evenings?
+The backend scales automatically with the number of concurrent orders. We test scenarios with hundreds of simultaneous orders and monitor latency, error rates and system load in real time. If anything deviates, you receive an alert before your guests notice anything.
Do I have to pay commission fees like with Thuisbezorgd or Uber Eats?
+No. With your own ordering or delivery app, you pay no commission per order. You only pay the fixed costs for development, hosting and maintenance. Orders placed through your own channel are entirely commission-free, so the investment pays for itself quickly as order volume grows.
Ready to digitise your hospitality business?
Tell us about your concept, operations and wishes. We'll help you find the smartest route to a working hospitality app that fits your budget and growth plans.
From receipt to connected kitchen
Hospitality runs on speed, hospitality and consistency. The right technology strengthens all three. Let's look together at how a custom-built app can take your operation to the next level.
A complementary perspective on this topic can be found at applatenmaken.com: Building hospitality software.