How to make an app for a cafe

A cafe lives on regulars. An app can keep a stamp card for each regular, take counter orders with their names for calling out, remind you when milk or beans run low, and show what sold today.

Updated 2026-11-09

Who uses the app

The counter staff and the owner use it; regulars can also see their own stamp card. If only one counter phone uses it, data can stay on that phone. For the owner to check sales from home, or for regulars to see their stamps, connect your own Supabase database.

The screens a cafe app needs

Counter: Take an order by tapping items and sizes, add the customer's name, and mark it paid by cash or UPI
Order queue: Open orders by name and time for the barista, with a button to mark each one done
Stamp cards: Search a regular by phone number, add a stamp for each coffee and see who has earned a coffee on the house
Stock: Milk, beans, syrups, bread and cups with today's count and a low-stock list
Events: Upcoming open mics and game nights with the list of people who asked for a spot
Sales: Today's and this week's sales, by item and by hour

Features worth asking for

A stamp card per regular, found by phone number, with a reward after the number of coffees you choose
Order names for calling out at the counter
A low-stock list for milk, beans and cups, shared on WhatsApp to your supplier
Sales by hour, to plan staff for the evening rush
An event list with a WhatsApp reminder button for each person the day before
Item sizes and add-ons, such as an extra shot or oat milk, with their prices

Where the data lives

If one counter phone uses the app, the data can stay on that phone. For two counters, for checking sales from home, or for regulars to see their own stamps, connect your own Supabase database; if regulars pre-pay in the app, connect your Razorpay account too.

How to make it with AppCub, step by step

Decide what the app does. List the screens you need, for example: Counter, Order queue, Stamp cards, Stock, Events.
Describe it to AppCub. Paste the request below, changed to your own business and details.
Check the plan. AppCub shows the screens and features it will build. Change them in the chat until they are right; seeing the plan is free.
Try it on your phone. The app runs live next to the chat. Scan the QR code to install it, and ask for changes.
Share it. Share it as a web link, an APK file, or publish it on Google Play from your own developer account.

Copy this request, change the details to match your cafe, and paste it into AppCub:

Make an app for my cafe, Mehta's Brew Room in Pune, for the counter and for me. Screens: counter, order queue, stamp cards, stock, events and sales. At the counter, staff tap items with sizes and add-ons (extra shot ₹40, oat milk ₹50), enter the customer's name and mark cash or UPI. Stamp cards: find a regular by phone; after 9 coffees the 10th is on the house. Stock list for milk, beans, syrups and cups with a WhatsApp order to the supplier. Show sales by hour. Brown and cream colours.

AppCub also has a page about a restaurant menu app: see it here.

Tips for a cafe app

Start with the counter and the stamp cards; those are used every day. Add stock and sales after a week.
Decide your stamp-card rule before you start: how many coffees, which drinks count, and whether stamps expire.
Use the customer's phone number as the stamp-card key; regulars remember it better than a card number.
Give AppCub a photo of your printed menu board so the counter screen follows the same order.
Run the counter screen for one quiet morning alongside your old way before switching fully.

What it costs

Describing your app and seeing AppCub’s plan for it is free.
A new app usually takes 60 to 110 credits. Start with the 2-day trial for ₹99 (150 credits, enough for one app and a few changes) or the one-time App Pack for ₹499. Starter is ₹1,599 a month for 700 credits.
Google Play needs a paid plan (it includes the Play Store bundle and your app’s signing key) and your own Google Play developer account, a one-time US$25 fee to Google.
Work that fails or is rolled back costs no credits.

See all plans

Good to know

AppCub doesn't connect to card machines, billing machines or coffee machines, and it doesn't send automatic SMS offers. Reminders and offers go out when you tap the WhatsApp button.
AppCub builds Android apps. You can also share the app as a web link that opens on any phone; for the iPhone App Store, AppCub’s team can do it for you.

Questions

Can a cafe app replace paper stamp cards?

Yes. Ask for stamp cards found by the customer's phone number; staff add a stamp at the counter and the app shows when a reward is due.

Can regulars pre-order coffee from the app?

Yes, with a customer screen and your own Supabase database so the counter sees the order. For paying in advance, add a Razorpay pay button; the money goes to you.

Can the app tell me which drink sells the most?

Yes. Ask for a sales screen by item and by hour; it counts what the counter enters.

Can I use the app on a tablet at the counter?

Yes. It is an Android app, so it runs on an Android tablet, or you can open the web link in the tablet's browser.

Does the app work when the cafe Wi-Fi is down?

If the data stays on the phone, it works offline. With an online database, the phone needs internet to share orders between staff.

Can I start from a ready-made app?

There is no ready-made cafe app yet. You describe your cafe in the chat and AppCub shows a plan first; seeing and changing the plan is free.

Make your cafe app

Seeing the plan is free. Building starts with a 2-day trial for ₹99.

Start building