The business problem
A fast-growing US fast-casual restaurant chain was replacing its third-party ordering system with its own web and mobile experience, connected to its point-of-sale, loyalty program and kitchen workflows. The new app launched in 2026 on the web, iOS and Android. A chain like this needs ordering to feel the same in every location and to handle the way people really order: alone, with a group, and from wherever they are standing.
The technical challenge
- Group ordering. Several people need to contribute to one order without the app losing track of who added what.
- A customer-facing dashboard. A new area where customers see and manage their activity, built to fit the existing account and ordering flows.
- Finding the right location. Visitors arrive from a phone, a ZIP code or a city name, and must end up at a location that can serve them, for pickup or delivery.
What I built
- Group ordering on the web ordering app.
- A client-facing dashboard as a new area of the app.
- The nearby-locations feature: location detection, search by city or ZIP code, results within a radius shown on a map, and a switch between pickup and delivery.
Architecture
- Next.js (App Router) and React, with Chakra UI for the interface
- Google Maps Platform for the map and location search
- A separate back-end service for restaurant and menu data, which the app calls from the browser
- Sentry for error monitoring in production
Results
The app replaced the chain’s previous third-party ordering system and went live across its locations on web and mobile in 2026. It scores 100 for accessibility and for SEO in Lighthouse (whole-app results, not only my work). I do not have usage figures I am cleared to publish, such as the share of orders placed as group orders, and I would rather leave them out than estimate them.
What I would do differently
Load the map after the visitor starts a location search, rather than on first load, to cut the initial JavaScript, and make sure a typed ZIP code or city always returns results in the first step, since that is where an order begins.
Building an ordering or booking flow?
If you need app-like features such as accounts, dashboards, maps or multi-user flows, Next.js development is where I work. A technical assessment is a good way to start.