If you are one of the 30% of venues that have an application, the good news is you are ahead of the majority that don’t. You are likely driving more direct delivery ordering, reducing marketplace costs, and catching more customer data. The bad news is you are likely stuck with a high-cost app that is hard and slow to update. 

For both the haves and have-nots, the good news is that a new era of Magic Apps has arrived, enabling those with an App and those without to quickly create a lower-cost, seamlessly integrated Magic App that does more for less.

The State of Restaurant Apps

As of 2025, industry data suggests that roughly one in three Australian hospitality venues- about 30% to 35% - operate with their own branded mobile app, primarily for ordering, loyalty, or reservations.

Within the restaurant and café segment, adoption rates are higher among larger and quick-service operators, while smaller independent venues still rely heavily on delivery platforms or POS-integrated solutions. Specific insights include:

• Approximately 20% of all digital restaurant orders in Australia are placed through restaurant-owned apps, indicating growing consumer engagement with in-house mobile channels.

• Around 73% of Australian diners use mobile apps (restaurant or third-party) for quick-service or pickup orders, showing the near-universal penetration of app-based engagement in hospitality delivery models.

For context, fast food and national chains like McDonald’s, KFC, and Hungry Jack’s, dominate app adoption and download volumes, while smaller multi-venue operators are entering the space more gradually via shared white-label solutions and booking platforms.

In short, app ownership remains concentrated but is rapidly expanding as a new generation of technology reduces development costs and diners demand direct, mobile-first ordering experiences.

What Diners Want

• Ease and speed: Ordering and payment must be simple, quick, and mobile-friendly. Diners expect the same frictionless flow they get from major delivery apps.

• Loyalty that feels natural: Rewards should be part of the ordering experience, not an afterthought. If loyalty sits elsewhere, it will go ignored.

• Seamless experience between POS and App: Using QR linking to enable loyalty rewards redemption and payments from the POS, delivery receipt and more - within the Magic App.

• Flexible options: Pickup, takeaway, and catering are now standard expectations, not extras.

• Authentic brand feel: Diners want an app that looks and feels like your venue, not a generic template.

The Harsh Reality of Building an App From Scratch

Building an app that meets these expectations is costly, time-consuming and complex.
A custom restaurant app can cost anywhere between AUD $40,000 and $300,000 and take three to nine months to launch. That’s before updates, bugs, or new integrations.

Even with that investment, most are creating another ordering platform - often without seamless integrations to other technologies they use. The result is an app that diners use once, then delete.

For many operators, the real problem is that the traditional build model is broken. What you need is an app that cuts hefty development costs but covers all customer touchpoints and use cases without adding friction to the flow. 

A Smarter Way to Build: Low-Cost, No-Code App

Liven Nomnie - the leading Magic App - gives restaurants all the benefits of a custom app without the cost, delays, or risk. It’s a web app branded your way - stored on your mobile screen or activated from a QR code to deliver a full ordering and loyalty experience. Diners don’t need to download any app and can still browse, order, pay, and earn rewards in one seamless experience. 

Your Nomnie App provides a simple and seamless pathway to your POS, CRM, and loyalty programs, giving you a simple way to update menus, promo banners, and offers instantly without developers or coding knowledge. 

Magic Apps are Better

Persistent web apps - the geeky name for a Magic App -  have significant advantages over traditional web apps. They are redefining how users interact with digital products. Unlike traditional native or desktop applications, persistent web apps combine the best of web and app experiences to deliver speed, reliability, and flexibility.

Here’s why they stand out:

• Simple and easy to create, manage and deploy: So easy in fact you can do it yourself and be up and running with an app seamlessly integrated with loyalty, digital ordering and your customer database in under a day.

• Seamless Updates: Persistent web apps update automatically from the server, ensuring every user accesses the latest version instantly, without manual downloads or app store approvals.

• Offline Access: They can function even in low or no internet connectivity, keeping users engaged wherever they are.

• Cross-Platform Reach: A single codebase allows Magic Apps to run on any device - mobile, tablet, or desktop - eliminating the cost and complexity of developing separate iOS and Android apps.

• Faster Performance: Because data and resources are stored locally, load times are significantly improved, offering a snappier, app-like experience in a browser.

• Greater Discoverability: Magic apps can be indexed by search engines, boosting visibility and organic traffic—something native apps can’t easily achieve.

• Ease of Maintenance: Centralised hosting allows developers to manage and secure one system instead of maintaining multiple platform-specific versions. Nomnie Studio means you can edit your Nomnie Magic App in a snap.

Magic Apps provide venues with a cost-efficient, scalable, and user-friendly alternative to traditional apps - bettering the performance of traditional apps while delivering universal accessibility.

Priced under $100 a month, it achieves up to 90% diner engagement while keeping your brand and data in your control.

The Business Impact of Getting It Right

When diners open your Nomnie App, their entire ordering journey happens in one flow: browse the menu, place an order, pay, and earn rewards instantly through an embedded digital wallet. All of this without third party integrations or redirects; just fast, seamless ordering every time.

Loyalty isn’t an add-on; it’s embedded in the experience. Users can earn Brandollars as rewards- your venue’s own branded currency that replaces points with real, spendable value. Guests can see, earn, and redeem them as they order, turning every transaction into a reason to return. With redemption rates of up to 80%, Brandollars outperform traditional loyalty programs and help venues build genuine, repeat engagement.

Venues can also offer dine-in, scheduled pickup, and catering options directly from this app, capturing every type of order through one system. That flexibility converts casual customers into loyal regulars while maximising sales across every channel.

With ordering, payment, loyalty, and Brandollars unified in one branded experience, venues using the Nomnie App typically see a 20% higher revenue and up to 90% diner engagement. For one major QSR brand, moving from a traditional app to Nomnie increased engagement 400%.

The Takeaway

Growing orders, loyalty, and repeat visits don’t come from building another app. It comes from serving the entire journey - from enrolment to ordering, catering and more. Nomnie gives restaurants a fast, low-cost way to deliver the convenience diners expect and the loyalty they remember.

If you want to grow without giving away your margin or your customer relationship, it starts here.

Book a demo and see how your brand can own every order, every interaction, and every return visit.