UrbanBites Cafe & Bakery
- Industry
- Food & Beverage
- Scope
- PWA Development, Order Management System
- Year
- 2024
Overview
Overview
UrbanBites is a boutique cafe and cloud kitchen in Bengaluru. Like many restaurants, their profit margins were being heavily eroded by 20-30% commissions from third-party delivery aggregators.
They needed a direct ordering platform that offered an experience as smooth as the aggregators, encouraging their loyal customer base to order directly.
The Challenge
What Wasn't Working
The goal was to reclaim margins without sacrificing the user experience:
- Unsustainable commission fees to third-party delivery apps
- Lack of direct customer data and remarketing capability
- Inefficient in-dine ordering process during peak cafe hours
- Need for real-time order tracking to match aggregator standards
Our Approach
How We Solved It
We built a Progressive Web App (PWA) using the MERN stack, delivering an app-like ordering experience directly through the browser without requiring App Store downloads.
For dine-in customers, we implemented a QR-code scannable digital menu that routes orders directly to the kitchen display system.
We integrated an automated SMS notification system via Twilio to provide live status updates, from prep to out-for-delivery, ensuring customers were always in the loop.
The Process
From Concept to Launch
Tech Stack
Tools We Used
- MongoDB
- Express
- React
- Node.js
- PWA
- Twilio API
The MERN stack allowed for rapid full-stack development with real-time capabilities necessary for order tracking. The PWA approach ensured maximum reach with minimal friction for end-users.
The Results
What Changed After Launch
0
Saved in Commission Fees
0
Direct Orders (Weekday)
0
Customer Data Ownership
The app successfully shifted a quarter of their weekday delivery volume to the direct channel, saving 18% in aggregator fees and allowing them to build a proprietary customer database for the first time.
Client Words
Getting our customers to order directly felt impossible until we launched this PWA. It's just as fast as the big apps, and we keep our margins.