How to make an app for a tiffin service

A tiffin service changes every evening: two customers pause for a wedding, one adds dinner, the delivery boy forgets a dabba at an office. An app keeps the list of who eats tomorrow, how many to cook, and what each customer owes at the end of the month.

Updated 2026-11-09

Who uses the app

Usually the owner, at the kitchen. If the delivery boy marks deliveries and dabbas on his own phone, or customers pause their own tiffins, connect your own Supabase database so everyone sees the same list.

The screens a tiffin service app needs

Tomorrow: Who gets lunch and dinner tomorrow, total tiffins to cook and the Jain or special requests
Customers: Each subscriber's plan, address, delivery area, start date and paused days
Pause: Mark a customer's days off; the month's count and dues change by themselves
Delivery route: Tiffins grouped by area in the order the delivery boy goes, with a call button for each customer
Dabbas: Steel dabbas out with each customer and which are still to come back
Dues: Month-end amount for each customer after paused days, paid or pending, with a WhatsApp reminder

Features worth asking for

A count of tiffins to cook for each meal, after pauses and extra orders
Paused days carried forward or deducted, by the rule you choose
Delivery list by area and in route order
Dabba tracking so steel boxes don't go missing
Month-end bill as a PDF to share on WhatsApp
A WhatsApp button to send tomorrow's menu to all customers, one tap each
Trial customers marked separately so you can follow up after a few days

Where the data lives

If only you use the app at the kitchen, the data can stay on your phone. If the delivery boy or customers use it on their own phones, connect your own Supabase database from the chat; to collect the monthly fee online, connect your Razorpay account as well.

An example design AppCub drew for a tiffin service app — An example design from a request like the one below. Your app follows your own words, colours and details.

How to make it with AppCub, step by step

Decide what the app does. List the screens you need, for example: Tomorrow, Customers, Pause, Delivery route, Dabbas.
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 tiffin service, and paste it into AppCub:

Make an app for my tiffin service, Patel Tiffin Seva in Ahmedabad. Screens: tomorrow, customers, pause, delivery route, dabbas and dues. Customers take lunch, dinner or both on a monthly plan: ₹2,600 lunch only, ₹4,800 both. If a customer pauses with a day's notice, those days are taken off the month. Show how many tiffins to cook for each meal tomorrow, with Jain requests separate. Group deliveries by area: Navrangpura, CG Road, Gurukul. Track which steel dabbas are still out. At month end, make a bill PDF and a WhatsApp reminder for unpaid dues. Green and cream colours.

AppCub has a ready-made app you can start from: see it here.

Tips for a tiffin service app

Start from AppCub's ready-made tiffin app, which is free to start, and change the plans and areas in the chat.
Decide your pause rule before you build: is a paused day deducted, or carried to the next month? Give AppCub that exact rule.
Enter customers in the order of the delivery route, so the route screen matches how the boy rides.
Mark trial customers clearly; they need a WhatsApp message after two or three days.
Run the app for one week next to your notebook before you stop writing it down.

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 Zomato or Swiggy, doesn't show the delivery boy's live location and doesn't send automatic messages. Menus and reminders 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

Is there a ready-made tiffin app?

Yes. AppCub's ready-made tiffin app starts free in about 5 minutes; you then change the plans, menu and delivery areas in the chat.

Can the app work out the month's bill after paused days?

Yes. Tell AppCub your rule for paused days, and the dues screen shows each customer's amount for the month.

Can customers pause their own tiffin from their phone?

Yes, if the app uses your own Supabase database. Customers mark the days they don't need food and the kitchen sees it in tomorrow's count.

Can the app tell me how many rotis to make?

It shows how many tiffins go out for each meal. If you give AppCub the rotis per tiffin, it can show the roti count too.

Can the delivery boy see his list on his own phone?

Yes, with an online database. He sees the deliveries by area and can mark each one delivered and each dabba returned.

What is the difference between the tiffin app and a mess app?

A tiffin app is built around delivery: addresses, routes and dabbas. A mess app is for members who come to eat at your place.

Make your tiffin service app

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

Start building