Since its founding in 2004, Grubhub has grown to become one of the most widely used meal delivery applications in the United States. Similar to other food apps, this one generated a lot of excitement when it first launched and gradually gained popularity among U.S. citizens. Are you wondering why? The popularity of a mobile application can never be attributed to a single factor. Any food app that is now booming has several characteristics that satisfy customers, including timely order fulfillment, robust customer service, and more.
Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Postmates are just a few of the many applications that have millions of users, growing sales, and a strategic revolution. In this blog, we’ll discover the steps, features, and how to build a food delivery app like Grubhub in 2025. With the food delivery industry experiencing rapid technological advancements, businesses now have a golden opportunity to tap into this growing market. Whether you’re a startup or an established brand, understanding what makes these apps successful will help you create a platform that stands out in a competitive landscape.
Why Build a Food Delivery App Like Grubhub?
Before we discuss the cost and features of Grubhub, let’s first understand why it’s a great investment move.
Massive Market Size: The food market is ever-evolving, with significant developments occurring in this sector, especially following the integration of artificial intelligence. The global market is expected to cross $500 billion by the end of 2030.
User Behavior Shift: Nowadays, consumers expect quick outcomes, and this speed is not limited to the food delivery market. Businesses that offer food or groceries must provide an app that recommends items and offers contactless delivery. Apps like Grubhub have gained popularity because of rapid user satisfaction goals.
Restaurant Growth and Demand: Almost every eatery in 2025 depends on delivery mobile apps for profit and survival. Without online orders, food joints can face huge losses in incoming orders and sales.
Innovative Possibilities and Opportunities: The integration of smart technology such as AI, AR, and drones has given us new and exciting ways to engage with consumers and optimize logistics.
Core Features to Include in a Grubhub-Like App
Customer App Features
1. User Registration: The most important feature is an easy signup or login. You can integrate features such as social login or one-tap sign-up to heighten user engagement.
2. Menu Search: Customers like to browse menus with attractive photos, prices, and descriptions before ordering food. This feature is the backbone when you build food delivery app solutions for a seamless user experience.
3. Contactless Delivery: Contactless delivery has become a standard for safety and convenience. Customers can request doorstep drop-offs without physical contact. This option is essential when you create a food delivery app like Grubhub for today’s safety-conscious users.
4. Track Orders in Real-Time: Real-time order tracking provides customers with transparency on their order status. From preparation to delivery, they can monitor each step. GPS integration ensures accuracy and builds trust with users.
5. Rate & Review: Ratings and reviews allow users to share feedback, helping restaurants improve services. Customers rely on these insights to make informed decisions. It also adds credibility to your platform.
6. Payment Integration: A secure payment system is essential for smooth transactions. Offer multiple options like cards, wallets, and UPI for convenience. Keep in mind that food delivery app development costs can vary based on the payment security features you integrate.
Delivery Partner App Features
1. Simple Login: The Delivery partner app must contain a simple registration and login feature. A hassle-free process helps them start their day more effectively and inspires more people to join the platform.
2. Order Notification: New delivery requests are important and need to be addressed almost immediately. This is a significant feature as it helps to meet users’ demands more quickly.
3. Navigation and Route Optimization: If you want to build a food delivery like Grubhub, then this amazing and beneficial feature is a must-have! Integrated GPS navigation not only helps drivers but also saves precious time, because of which orders get delivered on time, eventually leading to better ratings.
4. Earnings Dashboard: With the use of this feature, partners can track their daily and weekly earnings easily.
5. Order History: A detailed order history lets delivery partners check completed deliveries and earnings. Keep in mind that implementing such features can influence the app’s cost.
6. Availability Toggle: Drivers can set their availability status with a single tap. Adding this when you create a food delivery app like Grubhub ensures flexibility and better order distribution.
Restaurant Panel Features
1. Profile Management: With this feature, owners can update their profile to keep users informed about opening hours, contact details, address, and other details.
2. Menu Management: A flexible menu permits restaurants to change their menu, prices, or upload new images. This is essential because when you create a food app, an updated menu directly impacts sales.
3. Order Management: This feature enables restaurants to accept, reject, and update order status.
4. Inventory: Stock fulfillment is essential. Inventory management is important and has contributed to its success.
5. Earnings & Reports: Revenue detailed reports can be viewed for best-selling items and consumer trends. With this, advanced analytics can add great value to influence the food delivery app development cost.
6. Promotions & Discounts: When you plan to create a delivery app like Grubhub, this feature becomes a major selling point. You need to have the capacity to inform users about any latest discounts or promotion codes.
Admin Panel App Features
1. Delivery Partner Management: Admins can manage delivery partners by approving any new registration that may come along, monitoring their activity, and making sure that everything complies with platform policies.
2. Order Monitoring & Control: With the help of this feature, the admin can track all previous orders, monitor delays or wrong deliveries in real-time.
3. Commission & Subscription Plan Management: As an admin, you also receive control over assigning commission rates for restaurants and subscription plans. When you plan to build a food delivery app platform, this feature will offer you amazing flexibility to create new revenue sources.
4. Payment & Transaction Oversight: This feature helps you track every single transaction, process payments for restaurants and delivery partners, and resolve payment issues as well.
5. Refund & Dispute Resolution: An effective dispute resolution feature is important as it assists admins to review issues, process refunds, and maintain consumer trust.
6. Promo Codes & Discount Management: Adding this functionality when you create a food delivery app like Grubhub can come in handy. Admins can craft and manage promotions, offer discounts, and much more.
Cost to Develop a Food Delivery App Like Grubhub
The following table represents all the significant development phases of an application and how much they affect the overall cost.
6 Steps to Build an App Like Grubhub
- Market Research: Through extensive market research, one can know about what’s going on, for example, which items are selling fast, or are in demand, or require more variety. When you invest in research, you invest in a good product.
- Choose Features & Choose Technology Stack: Next step should be to shortlist features and to choose the tech stack. Features of apps like Grubhub matter the most as they are responsible for generating users’ interest and directly affect the cost. On the other hand, the tech stack also influences the overall cost, so choose wisely and go for a technology framework that best matches your business requirements.
- Design UI/UX: The development and crafting of user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) is another important aspect of the app development process. The designing team’s skills and your requirements can either enhance or decrease the cost.
- Develop Frontend & Backend: This stage involves the goal of being a responsive, secure, and scalable app that delivers a smooth user experience.
- Extensive App Testing: Before the app launch, it goes under rigorous testing to check speed, security, and functionality.
- Deploy, Launch, and Marketing: After successful testing, the app is deployed on platforms such as Google Play and App Store. The marketing phase also begins once the app is ready to launch, and after launch, to increase awareness, downloads, and establish a strong market presence for your new food delivery app.
Partner with CodKnox to Build a Food Delivery App Like Grubhub
Developing a food delivery app like Grubhub in 2025 is a radical business decision. With a robust app, you can enter the online food market and meet rising consumer demand, integrate advanced technology, and new business models; it wouldn’t be wrong to say that the possibilities are endless. However, by understanding features, technology stack, and development cost, you can create a platform that delivers value. CodKnox is an experienced mobile app development company that can help you build a food delivery app like Grubhub. Our experts hold the skills and passion to craft an app that represents your business vision in the best light possible. To know more, contact our team.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. How much does it cost to build an app like Grubhub?
The cost to develop an app includes several aspects such as location, features, skills of the team, technology stack used, etc. However, the average cost to develop an app can range between $20,000 – 100,000 (or more).
Q2. What are some apps similar to Grubhub?
There are several food delivery apps similar to Grubhub, such as Uber Eats, DoorDash, Postmates, and Gopuff.
Q3. How long does it take to develop a food delivery app?
The timeline depends largely on the features of an app, the technology used, of developer, design requirements, and the development approach. However, a scalable app like Grubhub can take 6 to 9 months or more to develop, test, and launch.
