08 Aug 2025
Food & Drink

an app that's like uber eats, where users can order food from nearby ...

...food locations

Confidence
Engagement
Net use signal
Net buy signal

Idea type: Freemium

People love using similar products but resist paying. You’ll need to either find who will pay or create additional value that’s worth paying for.

Should You Build It?

Build but think about differentiation and monetization.


Your are here

You're entering a crowded market, essentially building an Uber Eats clone. Our analysis shows high confidence due to 13 similar products already out there, indicating significant competition. While there's medium engagement (average of 10 comments on similar products), the lack of positive signals for both 'use' and 'buy' suggests users are generally content with existing solutions or are hesitant to try new ones in this space. The 'Freemium' category fits because people expect food delivery apps to be readily available and easy to use, potentially resisting paying extra for premium features. Given the competitive landscape, differentiation and a solid monetization strategy will be crucial for your app's survival and growth. Don't just copy; find a unique angle.

Recommendations

  1. Given the crowded market, thoroughly analyze existing food delivery apps like Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Grubhub. Identify their weaknesses in specific areas, such as restaurant selection, delivery fees, or user experience. Focus on a niche market, such as healthy food delivery or partnering with local, independent restaurants underserved by larger platforms. Leverage feedback from competitors, such as offering menu image generation capabilities or addressing criticisms around the gig economy by prioritizing fair wages and local regulations.
  2. Since you are in the 'Freemium' category, clearly define who your power users are (e.g., people who order multiple times per week, businesses ordering for employees). Understand what aspects of the free version they value most. For example, if users heavily rely on personalized recommendations, explore how to enhance this feature in a premium version. Consider whether your target restaurant partners are capable of providing this service for free.
  3. Develop premium features that cater to these power users. Ideas could include faster delivery times, no-fee delivery windows during peak hours, exclusive restaurant partnerships, priority customer support, or advanced ordering options (e.g., scheduling recurring orders). Given that many similar projects struggled with differentiation, focus on a specific value proposition that sets you apart, such as eco-friendly packaging or partnerships with local farms for fresh ingredients.
  4. Explore charging restaurants a commission for increased order volume or offering premium placement within the app. Consider charging users a subscription fee for unlimited deliveries or other premium perks. Research alternative revenue streams, such as selling advertising space to local businesses or partnering with food suppliers for discounts. Be wary of focusing solely on restaurants, as they can be a challenging audience.
  5. Before launching, test your pricing model with a small group of users. Offer different subscription tiers or premium features at varying price points to gauge demand. Collect feedback on what users perceive as valuable and adjust your pricing accordingly. This will help you optimize your monetization strategy before a wider launch. Given user hesitation to pay, thoroughly research pricing strategies.
  6. Start by targeting a specific geographic area or demographic. Focus on building a strong user base and establishing brand recognition within that niche before expanding to other markets. This will allow you to refine your app and marketing strategy based on real-world feedback. Consider a launch in smaller communities where larger delivery services may have limited presence.
  7. Given negative feedback about slow website performance in similar products, invest heavily in a robust and scalable infrastructure. Conduct thorough testing to ensure your app is reliable, fast, and user-friendly. Optimize your code and server configuration to handle peak order volumes without performance degradation. Ensure your app is accessible to all users, including those with disabilities.
  8. Create a strong brand identity that resonates with your target audience. Emphasize your unique value proposition and communicate it effectively through your app design, marketing materials, and customer service. Build a community around your app by engaging with users on social media and soliciting feedback on their experiences. Given the volume of food delivery apps, brand recognition is crucial.

Questions

  1. Given the prevalence of Uber Eats and similar services, what specific underserved need or niche will your app address to attract users and differentiate itself from established competitors?
  2. Considering the 'Freemium' nature of the market and user resistance to paying, how will you design your premium features and pricing model to incentivize users to upgrade while still providing a valuable free experience?
  3. How will you approach building relationships with local restaurants and delivery personnel to ensure fair compensation and sustainable partnerships, addressing concerns about the gig economy model and promoting ethical business practices?

Your are here

You're entering a crowded market, essentially building an Uber Eats clone. Our analysis shows high confidence due to 13 similar products already out there, indicating significant competition. While there's medium engagement (average of 10 comments on similar products), the lack of positive signals for both 'use' and 'buy' suggests users are generally content with existing solutions or are hesitant to try new ones in this space. The 'Freemium' category fits because people expect food delivery apps to be readily available and easy to use, potentially resisting paying extra for premium features. Given the competitive landscape, differentiation and a solid monetization strategy will be crucial for your app's survival and growth. Don't just copy; find a unique angle.

Recommendations

  1. Given the crowded market, thoroughly analyze existing food delivery apps like Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Grubhub. Identify their weaknesses in specific areas, such as restaurant selection, delivery fees, or user experience. Focus on a niche market, such as healthy food delivery or partnering with local, independent restaurants underserved by larger platforms. Leverage feedback from competitors, such as offering menu image generation capabilities or addressing criticisms around the gig economy by prioritizing fair wages and local regulations.
  2. Since you are in the 'Freemium' category, clearly define who your power users are (e.g., people who order multiple times per week, businesses ordering for employees). Understand what aspects of the free version they value most. For example, if users heavily rely on personalized recommendations, explore how to enhance this feature in a premium version. Consider whether your target restaurant partners are capable of providing this service for free.
  3. Develop premium features that cater to these power users. Ideas could include faster delivery times, no-fee delivery windows during peak hours, exclusive restaurant partnerships, priority customer support, or advanced ordering options (e.g., scheduling recurring orders). Given that many similar projects struggled with differentiation, focus on a specific value proposition that sets you apart, such as eco-friendly packaging or partnerships with local farms for fresh ingredients.
  4. Explore charging restaurants a commission for increased order volume or offering premium placement within the app. Consider charging users a subscription fee for unlimited deliveries or other premium perks. Research alternative revenue streams, such as selling advertising space to local businesses or partnering with food suppliers for discounts. Be wary of focusing solely on restaurants, as they can be a challenging audience.
  5. Before launching, test your pricing model with a small group of users. Offer different subscription tiers or premium features at varying price points to gauge demand. Collect feedback on what users perceive as valuable and adjust your pricing accordingly. This will help you optimize your monetization strategy before a wider launch. Given user hesitation to pay, thoroughly research pricing strategies.
  6. Start by targeting a specific geographic area or demographic. Focus on building a strong user base and establishing brand recognition within that niche before expanding to other markets. This will allow you to refine your app and marketing strategy based on real-world feedback. Consider a launch in smaller communities where larger delivery services may have limited presence.
  7. Given negative feedback about slow website performance in similar products, invest heavily in a robust and scalable infrastructure. Conduct thorough testing to ensure your app is reliable, fast, and user-friendly. Optimize your code and server configuration to handle peak order volumes without performance degradation. Ensure your app is accessible to all users, including those with disabilities.
  8. Create a strong brand identity that resonates with your target audience. Emphasize your unique value proposition and communicate it effectively through your app design, marketing materials, and customer service. Build a community around your app by engaging with users on social media and soliciting feedback on their experiences. Given the volume of food delivery apps, brand recognition is crucial.

Questions

  1. Given the prevalence of Uber Eats and similar services, what specific underserved need or niche will your app address to attract users and differentiate itself from established competitors?
  2. Considering the 'Freemium' nature of the market and user resistance to paying, how will you design your premium features and pricing model to incentivize users to upgrade while still providing a valuable free experience?
  3. How will you approach building relationships with local restaurants and delivery personnel to ensure fair compensation and sustainable partnerships, addressing concerns about the gig economy model and promoting ethical business practices?

  • Confidence: High
    • Number of similar products: 13
  • Engagement: Medium
    • Average number of comments: 10
  • Net use signal: 1.7%
    • Positive use signal: 5.6%
    • Negative use signal: 3.9%
  • Net buy signal: -3.4%
    • Positive buy signal: 0.6%
    • Negative buy signal: 3.9%

This chart summarizes all the similar products we found for your idea in a single plot.

The x-axis represents the overall feedback each product received. This is calculated from the net use and buy signals that were expressed in the comments. The maximum is +1, which means all comments (across all similar products) were positive, expressed a willingness to use & buy said product. The minimum is -1 and it means the exact opposite.

The y-axis captures the strength of the signal, i.e. how many people commented and how does this rank against other products in this category. The maximum is +1, which means these products were the most liked, upvoted and talked about launches recently. The minimum is 0, meaning zero engagement or feedback was received.

The sizes of the product dots are determined by the relevance to your idea, where 10 is the maximum.

Your idea is the big blueish dot, which should lie somewhere in the polygon defined by these products. It can be off-center because we use custom weighting to summarize these metrics.

Similar products

Relevance

Restaurant/Grocery Menu and Ordering API for 1.1M Stores (US and CA)

27 Apr 2024 Food & Drink E-Commerce

We spent the past 5 years developing technology to pull real-time menus/grocery store inventory and submit orders. We first made a consumer app that helped you to find the best online ordering deal, and we would link you out of the app (Like KAYAK). Then, we decided we needed to have ordering on our app, so we built the tech to get menus/inventory and send in orders (Like Expedia). We grew our app to 1,210,200 users and decided to pivot B2B and offer other companies the ability to pull menus/inventory and send in orders. We now have dozens of companies such as TripAdvisor using our API. Here are a few live examples:Restaurant-- https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g30196-d873164... (click "Order Online")Grocery-- https://myallen.jupiter.shop/recipe/b48d9a29-9f60-4866-9fdf-... (Entire inventory and add checkout feature is powered by MealMe)

Offering demo keys for feedback.


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RestoGPT AI - AI that turns menus into food delivery apps

RestoGPT - the first AI-powered online ordering storefront builder for restaurants. Submit a menu - get a commission-free online storefront with built-in payment processing, on-demand delivery driver fleets, menu management, AI order manager, CRM, and more 🍔

The Product Hunt launch of RestoGPT AI has received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with many users congratulating the team and praising the innovative concept. Users highlight its potential to revolutionize restaurant operations, particularly for smaller establishments. Several comments express excitement for its AI-driven online order automation and commission-free model. There are inquiries about its applicability to various restaurant types, international availability, integration with food delivery apps like DoorDash, and menu image generation. Some users have questions about the product's differentiation and driver sourcing. The product is seen as a game-changer for restaurants, offering website solutions, streamlining operations, and helping small businesses compete.

Users criticize the product's focus on restaurants, a challenging target audience. Concerns exist regarding the product's differentiation from existing AI solutions like RestoGPT. The current presentation, specifically black text on a white background, is questioned for restaurants without online menus. The core problem being addressed—bad restaurant websites—is acknowledged, but users express reservations about the product's approach or specific features.


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I've updated my food delivery repo. Feedback Welcome

Hey everyone! Over the past few years, I've dedicated my time to crafting a customizable solution for food delivery management. Now, I'm excited to showcase the culmination of all my work. Throughout the development journey, I've successfully incorporated all the planned features and even expanded upon them based on valuable feedback from the community.My methodology has consistently involved seeking input from platforms like Reddit and forums, where I engage with like-minded individuals. Some of the recent enhancements stem directly from this collaborative feedback, and I'm eager to gather more insights on the latest update to the project.Designed with a focus on individuals or businesses looking to start their own food delivery services, this solution simplifies the process of adding vendors, managing food items, coordinating deliveries, and overseeing riders. Beyond these core functionalities, you'll find a bunch of other features, including order tracking, real-time notifications, and more.Since I don’t have a substantial team backing me, I truly appreciate any assistance you can offer. Every form of contribution is valued.Give it a star and share your thoughts in the comments section. Your support means the world to me!

The Show HN product, likely a delivery service platform, received mixed feedback. Users appreciated the open-source frontend but criticized the proprietary backend and API, questioning the viability of the business model against giants like Uber and Doordash. Technical issues such as broken images, slow website performance, and lack of testing were noted. Some see potential in smaller communities and non-food deliveries, while others doubt the willingness to pay for the codebase. There's interest in pivoting towards POS systems or white-label services, and concerns about the service's availability and adherence to local regulations.

Users criticized the product for broken images, slow website performance, and poor code quality, including a lack of testing. The proprietary nature of the API/backend was a concern, limiting self-hosting and interoperability. The business model and market competition were questioned, with doubts about profitability and benefits to consumers and small businesses. Criticisms also targeted the gig economy's impact on wages, limited availability, especially in rural areas, and the lack of global service. The open-source aspect was unclear, and there were issues with delivery methods and rider availability.


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Eater - restaurant menu data

31 Dec 2024 API

API used to query food menu items on food delivery apps for now we just pull uber eats data, but will other apps soon.


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