technologies: Kotlin, Swift
Practi, later known as Just Eat POS, has been digitalizing restaurant operations for years, helping restaurants and stores across Israel and the UK find savings through technology.
One major concern for restaurant owners is the high cost associated with partnerships with third-party delivery providers. By hiring their own drivers, restaurants can offer more affordable delivery options to their customers. However, effective collaboration between couriers and waitstaff can only succeed with the right technology, ensuring that in-house deliveries are just as competitive as those offered by specialized platforms.
Another restaurant owners’ concern is the inability to manage all deliveries within a single app. Typically, when they hire external delivery providers, waitstaff has to manage separate apps, such as Deligoo. Restaurant owners seek an all-in-one solution, allowing their staff to handle all deliveries directly through the POS application.
Practi addressed these issues by enhancing their multifunctional POS system with a delivery management app that connects restaurants directly with their drivers. Our team developed this solution, along with many others, during our 10-year partnership with Practi (later acquired by Just Eat Takeaway.com).
The delivery drivers app, available for iOS and Android, simplifies the collaboration between restaurant couriers and waitstaff. Waitstaff can easily assign orders to drivers, and drivers also have the option to assign themselves to orders.
The app then navigates couriers to the delivery destinations, providing all necessary order details, including payment status (whether the order has been prepaid or requires payment upon delivery). Once the delivery is completed, the driver updates the order status, informing the waitstaff that the meal has been delivered and confirming the payment method chosen by the client.
The app ensures that in-house drivers have all the essential information on their phones, eliminating time-consuming discussions with waitstaff. Since the app is integrated with Just Eat POS, waitstaff can manage all online orders from a single device, with real-time data transfer to drivers. This allows waitstaff to efficiently handle online orders while simultaneously managing other tasks on the same POS device. Every online order is synchronized in real-time, whether it originates from an external food delivery platform or is a phone order. Therefore drivers have instant access to new orders and can focus on quick order collection and delivery.
One of the technical challenges was implementing geolocation in a way that didn't excessively drain the phone's battery. To optimize battery usage, we developed a solution that sends location data at specific intervals when the app is active. When the app runs in the background, location updates are only sent when there is a significant change in the driver’s location. This approach helps preserve the battery life of couriers' devices.
The app became a valuable asset for new and existing Just Eat POS users. After its launch, it was especially appreciated by restaurants seeking to offer their customers in-house delivery services, free from the additional fees typically associated with popular food delivery platforms.
