Food delivery

Food delivery is multi-role by default. Consumer browses menus and tracks orders. Merchant manages menu, accepts or rejects, and marks ready. Rider or driver gets dispatch, navigation, and proof of delivery. Admin or ops handles disputes, promos, zones, and reporting.

Core features: restaurant discovery, menu and modifiers, cart and checkout, payment handoff, order status timeline, live or staged tracking, ratings, notifications, and merchant onboarding. Marketplaces add commission and payout views on admin.

Customer places order → merchant accepts (or auto-accept) → kitchen prepares → ready for pickup → rider assigned → rider en route → picked up → delivered → completed → payout and rating. Each step is a status backend and all apps must agree on.

I draw this flow with the client first, then map statuses to API fields and Framework7 screens. Dispatch rules (manual vs auto, batch vs single) change per product — the flow diagram is where we lock that before anyone writes PHP or Cordova code.

I don't jump straight to screens. Every build starts with a process flow — who does what, in what order, and what status the system shows at each step. That flow becomes the shared map for you, me, backend devs, and QA.

Typical sequence: discovery call → role and feature matrix → process flow sign-off → API contract draft → mobile build per role → integration passes → store or web release → handoff notes. AI speeds drafting at each step; sign-off stays human.

You get visibility at each gate — not a black box and a surprise at launch.

Production mobile for these products is Framework7 plus Cordova — one JavaScript codebase for iOS and Android, native plugins where the product needs camera, GPS, push, or file upload.

I usually split by role: consumer app, merchant or provider app, rider or courier app, and sometimes a lightweight admin mobile surface. Same API layer pattern in each — auth token, role guard, API module, status-driven screens that match the process flow we agreed on.

Framework7 handles routing, lists, forms, modals, and pull-to-refresh patterns that feel native enough for delivery and booking products. Cordova wraps it for the stores. I map each process-flow step to a screen or state so backend devs and QA know exactly what mobile expects at each status.

Before store submission I run device passes on real phones — cold start, background resume, location permissions, and offline or slow-network behavior on the paths that matter for your product.

I'm not siloed on mobile while backend guesses endpoints. I lead with the process flow and a written API contract — roles, status enums, request and response shapes, and error codes the apps already handle.

What I hand backend devs: a status diagram (order/trip/booking/shipment states), JSON samples per endpoint, which role calls which route, and what happens on 401 or invalid transitions. PHP and MySQL on the server side; PDO with prepared statements; thin handlers that match the contract mobile already built against.

During build I review backend PRs for contract drift — field renames, missing statuses, auth gaps — before mobile QA wastes a week. When the contract must change, we version it and update mobile in the same sprint. That coordination is how multi-role platforms stay in sync in production.

On solo or lead full-stack work I own mobile, API shape, and often the PHP layer behind it. AI engineering means Cursor rules in the repo — Framework7 patterns, Cordova plugin usage, API client conventions, security bans — plus skills for recurring tasks like new screens or endpoints.

AI drafts Framework7 pages, API boilerplate, and PHP handlers from the signed-off process flow. I review every diff for security, contract alignment, and store rules before merge. Fellow devs get the same rules and contract doc so AI output stays consistent across the team.

Fast drafts, careful release — whether the product is a delivery app, booking platform, or member portal. See AI engineer services or the blog posts on React Native rules and PHP backends for the same discipline on other stacks.