How Much Does It Cost to Build a Restaurant Reservation App Like OpenTable?

Reservations at restaurants are no longer about making a call. They have modernized according to futuristic technology. For instance, the anxiety of making a call, the long conversation, and the follow-up call for confirmation have all been replaced by logging into an app and booking a table at a favorable restaurant.

As the concept has changed, the users and food-enthusiast find comfort in exploring invigorating restaurants, visiting them as per the allotted time, and enjoying the evening. This inclination of users towards restaurant booking apps has driven decision-makers to build a restaurant reservation app like OpenTable.

Breakdown of Cost to Build a Restaurant Reservation App Like OpenTable

Such enthusiasts who have a predilection for building an OpenTable-like app often have doubts about the cost of a restaurant reservation app. What factors affect the cost of OpenTable app development? How do we include the quoted cost in the budget? All these questions often confuse the decision-maker. Well, to assist you in assessing the entire cost variation, it is high time we comprehend the cost-affecting factors.

Custom Restaurant Reservation App Development Platform

Restaurant reservation app platforms are often dependent on the choice of restaurant decision-maker’s target audience. For instance, the iOS platform can be chosen to target the USA, while the Android platform is for the global audience. For those who want to target both audiences, the decision shifts to cross-platform. However, the choice ultimately affects the app development cost.

Development Platform (Simple App)	Duration	OpenTable App Development Cost
iOS App Development	1000-1400 hours	$35,000 to $100,000
Android App Development	900-1300 hours	$30,000 to $80,000
Cross Platform Development	1100-1500 hours	$20,000 to $70,000

Restaurant Table Booking App Size

The type of restaurant reservation features and functionalities you choose ultimately affects the final OpenTable app development cost. For instance, you can have a nominal functioning search bar at a low cost but for advanced search features, the capital investment rises.

Restaurant Booking App Size	OpenTable App Development Cost
Basic App	$30,000 to $55,000
Medium App	$55,000 to $90,000
Advanced App	$90,000+

UI/UX Design for Table Booking App

Oftentimes, the question arises for template based UI/UX design or for custom table booking app design. The response to it affects the final restaurant reservation app development cost as one requiresa ready-made template while the other requires the skills of UI/UX designers.

Designing Stage	Duration
Planning and Analysis	2-3 weeks
Wireframing and Prototyping	1-3 weeks
Low-Fidelity Wireframe	2-3 weeks
High-Fidelity Wireframe	3-4 weeks
App Designing	1-2 weeks
Prototype	4-5 weeks

Table Booking Cost Based on Technology Stack

We have mentioned the platform above, but the subsequent technologies aligning after those choices also affect the restaurant reservation app cost. Along with that, the inclusion of intelligent technology also eventually affects the cost. For reference, take a look at the table below.

Technology Stack	Estimated Cost
Frontend
React Native	$15,000 – $30,000
Flutter	$18,000 – $35,000
Native (Swift/Kotlin)	$25,000 – $50,000
Backend
Node.js	$10,000 – $20,000
Ruby on Rails	$12,000 – $25,000
Python/Django	$15,000 – $30,000
Database
MySQL/PostgreSQL	$3,000 – $8,000
MongoDB	$4,000 – $10,000
API Development	$8,000 – $15,000
Cloud Services
AWS/GCP/Azure	$5,000 – $12,000
DevOps Tools
CI/CD Pipelines	$4,000 – $10,000
Kubernetes/Docker	$6,000 – $15,000
Security & Compliance	$7,000 – $20,000
IoT Integration	$12,000 – $30,000

Hiring Model for Restaurant Table Booking App Development

Last but not least, the hiring model a restaurant chain chooses to develop the table booking app is imperative. Building an in-house team can be more expensive than hiring a specialist for restaurant application development services. The differences and variations are visible in the table below for reference.

Hiring Model	OpenTable App Development Cost	Key Features
In-House Team	$120,000 – $250,000/year per team	Full-time OpenTable app developers, designers, and QA engineers
Freelancers	$25 – $100/hour	Hire an OpenTable developer for specific tasks
Dedicated Team	$40,000 – $100,000/project	An OpenTable app development team of experts hired for one particular project
Outsourcing Agency	$50,000 – $200,000/project	End-to-end development by an external company
Staff Augmentation	$40 – $150/hour	Temporary resources integrated with your OpenTable app development team
Offshore Development Team	$25 – $70/hour	The OpenTable app development team is located in low-cost regions (e.g., Asia)
Onshore Development Team	$70 – $150/hour	Team located in the same country or region
Hybrid Model	Depends on the OpenTable app development team’s composition	Combines in-house, offshore, and freelancers

Conclusion

As we wind up, the cost to build a restaurant reservation app like OpenTable ranges from $30,000 to the highest of $150,000, based on factors like the hiring model, the app intricacies, and the app size. Since the decision depends on you, make a judgment after contemplating all the factors mentioned above in the blog.