How to make an app for a dhaba

A dhaba runs day and night with changing shifts, regular drivers who pay at the end of the month, and ration that has to be bought before it runs out. An app keeps open bills, driver credit, stock and the night shift's cash in one place.

Updated 2026-11-09

Who uses the app

Usually the owner and the counter, across a day and a night shift. If one phone stays at the counter, the data can stay on that phone. If the owner checks from home or the night manager uses his own phone, connect your own Supabase database.

The screens a dhaba app needs

Tables: Open bills by table, charpai or truck number, with items added as they are ordered
Menu: Items and prices, grouped as dal, sabzi, tandoor, non-veg, thali and drinks
Driver khata: Regular drivers and transport companies who eat on credit, with each meal and payments made
Stock: Atta, rice, dal, ghee, oil, milk and gas cylinders, with purchases and a low-stock list
Staff: Cooks, tandoor men and helpers by shift, with advances given against pay
Day and night cash: Sales and cash per shift, so the morning handover is quick

Features worth asking for

Bills by truck number for drivers who don't sit at a table
A monthly credit statement per transport company as a PDF to share on WhatsApp
A WhatsApp reminder for drivers or companies with money due
A bill as a PDF to share or print from the phone
Shift-wise sales so the night shift's cash is counted separately
Staff advances deducted from monthly pay
Low-stock list for gas cylinders and ration, sent on WhatsApp to your supplier

Where the data lives

If one counter phone runs the app, its data stays on that phone and works without internet, which helps on highways with weak network. If the owner wants to see the night's sales from home, connect your own Supabase database.

How to make it with AppCub, step by step

Decide what the app does. List the screens you need, for example: Tables, Menu, Driver khata, Stock, Staff.
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 dhaba, and paste it into AppCub:

Make an app for my dhaba, Gill Highway Dhaba on the Ambala–Ludhiana highway. Screens: tables, menu, driver khata, stock, staff, and day and night cash. Bills can be for a table, a charpai or a truck number. Some regular drivers and two transport companies eat on credit and pay monthly; keep a khata for each with a PDF statement and a WhatsApp reminder. Stock for atta, dal, ghee, milk and gas cylinders with a low-stock list. Staff work day or night shift and take advances. Show sales per shift. Hindi labels. Yellow and brown colours.

Tips for a dhaba app

Start with tables and the driver khata; credit is where a dhaba loses the most track. Add stock after.
Use truck numbers as names for drivers on credit; that is how your staff already remember them.
Ask for Hindi labels and big buttons if the counter staff prefer them.
Agree with the transport companies on a billing date and ask AppCub to make the statement up to that date.
Count the night shift's cash against the app for a week before you rely on it.

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 billing machines, kitchen printers or food delivery apps, and doesn't send reminders to customers by itself. Statements and reminders go out when you tap the WhatsApp button; the installed app can also show you a reminder on your own phone at a set time.
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 dhaba app keep credit for truck drivers?

Yes. Ask for a driver khata with each meal on credit, payments made and the balance, and a monthly statement per driver or company.

Can I bill by truck number instead of table?

Yes. Tell AppCub that a bill can be opened against a table, a charpai or a truck number.

Can the app be in Hindi for my counter staff?

Yes. The app's labels and buttons can be in Hindi; ask for it in the chat.

Can I see the night shift's sales from home?

Yes, if the app is connected to your own Supabase database and the counter phone has internet.

Can the app print a bill?

It makes the bill as a PDF that you can share on WhatsApp or print from the phone. It doesn't connect to a billing machine or thermal printer.

Will the app work without network on the highway?

Yes, if one phone uses it; the data stays on that phone. A shared online database needs internet to keep phones in step.

Make your dhaba app

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

Start building