How to make an app for a tea shop

A tea shop sells hundreds of small cups a day, and the money that slips away is in the office rounds and the regulars who say 'write it down'. An app keeps the cup count for each office, each regular's credit and the day's milk, so the month-end bill matches what was drunk.

Updated 2026-11-09

Who uses the app

Usually the owner and the boy who does the rounds. If one phone stays at the counter, the data can stay on that phone. If the round boy marks cups on his own phone as he goes, connect your own Supabase database.

The screens a tea shop app needs

Rounds: Today's office round with each office, cups delivered and a tick, for the 11 AM and 4 PM rounds
Offices: Each office or shop on monthly billing, its daily cups and the month's total
Regulars' khata: Regulars who pay later, with what they had and what they paid
Counter sales: Quick taps for cutting chai, full chai and snacks, with the day's total
Stock: Milk litres, tea leaves, sugar, ginger, gas and cups, with the day's use and a low-stock list
Month end: A bill for each office and a list of everyone with money due

Features worth asking for

One tap to add cups to an office during a round
A monthly bill per office as a PDF to share on WhatsApp
A polite WhatsApp reminder to offices and regulars with money due
Milk used per day against cups sold, to spot waste
Big buttons and Hindi labels for counter use
A daily summary of cash, UPI and credit

Where the data lives

If only the counter phone uses the app, the data stays there and works without internet. If the round boy marks cups on his own phone, connect your own Supabase database so his counts reach the counter.

How to make it with AppCub, step by step

Decide what the app does. List the screens you need, for example: Rounds, Offices, Regulars' khata, Counter sales, Stock.
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 tea shop, and paste it into AppCub:

Make an app for my tea shop, Bittu Tea Point in Chandigarh. Screens: rounds, offices, regulars' khata, counter sales, stock and month end. I send tea to 25 offices in the market at 11 AM and 4 PM; the round boy taps how many cups each office took. Offices pay monthly at ₹12 a cup; make a PDF bill for each and a WhatsApp reminder. Regulars can take tea on credit. Counter sales with big buttons for each item. Stock for milk, tea leaves, sugar and gas. Hindi labels. Red and cream colours.

Tips for a tea shop app

Start with the office rounds and month-end bills. Counter sales can come later, or never, if you count cash at night anyway.
List offices in the order the round boy walks, so he can tick down the screen.
Agree the billing date with offices, such as the 1st of every month, and ask AppCub to bill up to that date.
Ask for the biggest buttons possible on the rounds screen; it is used with a kettle in the other hand.
Keep a paper count for the first week and compare it with the app before you trust the bills.

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 or card machines, and doesn't send reminders or bills to customers by itself. They 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 tea shop app count cups for each office?

Yes. Ask for a rounds screen where each office has a button to add cups, and the month's total builds up on its own.

Can the app make the monthly bill for offices?

Yes. It makes a PDF bill for each office from the cups recorded, which you share on WhatsApp.

Can my round boy use the app on his phone?

Yes. Connect a Supabase database and share the app with him as a web link or APK file.

Can I keep credit for regular customers?

Yes. A khata screen keeps each regular's cups, snacks and payments, and shows who owes how much.

Can the app show how much milk I use?

Yes. Enter milk bought each morning and left at night, and the app shows use per day against cups sold.

Is the app too complicated for a small tea shop?

It can be as small as you want. Many tea shops need only rounds, offices and month end, with big buttons and Hindi labels.

Make your tea shop app

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

Start building