Digital Marketplace Platform for Chefs and Their Customers

We designed our marketplace-based solution with the ability for scaling and branding it further by different business owners for various regions. The key USP of the solution was focused on the idea of not ordering takeaway food but inviting professional chefs to cook restaurant-quality meals right in the users’ kitchens. To date, we’ve already released on the market two standalone applications based on the White Label model — MyTable for the US market and Chefly for the Australian market. Both apps differ in design, branding, and certain UI elements.

The key idea of the application is to mark out two main user roles, namely:

• The Chefs can create and publish their profiles, describe their services and competencies, and find customers looking to order what they have on offer.
• The Diners can download the application for iOS or Android devices, contact any chef they choose, place an order, pay for it, and review their experience.

Chef Approval and Scheduling Flows

Chefs are allowed to register with our online dining services marketplace only after the MyTable or Chefly administrators check their professional certificates, run interviews, and assess the video footage of them at work. After successful registration, a chef is assigned the Chef role and the app users can start placing orders with him or her.

Chefs can create their personal events and indicate when they are available for hire. For this, they set up their work calendars (for example, marking they don’t take late-night orders), and indicate their hourly rates. Based on the rates and working time, the app automatically calculates the amount to be paid by the Diner.

Diner Registration and Ordering Flows

The other role in the application — the Diner — was intended for those ordering the Chefs’ services. When registering, Diners indicate the information about their kitchens and cooking equipment available, as well as their preferred cuisine (Italian, Japanese, etc.). Next, Diners can look up all the Chefs near them on an interactive map.

Diners can study Chefs’ profiles, check their ratings and menus, and place an order by indicating a convenient date and time. Also, a Diner can start a chat with the chosen Chef to discuss the details.

Once the order is placed, the Chef receives the request with information about the Diner’s kitchen, type of cuisine, chosen meal, and other details. The Chef can review the order and accept or reject it. After accepting the order, the Chef arrives at the Diner’s place, cooks a dish or several, and cleans the space afterward.

Backend Administration and Integrations

Along with the mobile apps for iOS and Android devices, our custom software development agency created a backend administration panel. With it, the management of both web and mobile versions of digital dining services marketplace inasmuch as chefs’ approvals and their access to the app, order placements, and payment calculation.

We also integrated a third-party service for buying groceries from various stores and delivering them to the Diner’s house before the Chef’s arrival. Diners can run this service right from the application and order the items from the list of ingredients that comes with each meal available for order.

To implement secure payments, we used the Stripe service. Once Chefs create their profiles, their Stripe accounts are set up automatically. Chefs can withdraw the money through Stripe to any banking card. Diners also add their banking cards during the registration to pay for Chefs’ services.

For the chat module, we integrated the Applozic service. Diners can initiate a chat with a Chef directly. Chefs can only answer those Diners who have contacted them first.