The Reality of Building Profitable Restaurant Ordering Websites as a Young Developer: A Personal Reflection
In the competitive world of web development, many aspiring programmers find opportunities to support themselves while honing their skills. However, the journey often involves complex challenges, especially when it comes to fair compensation and recognizing the value of one’s work. Today, I want to share a personal story that highlights these issues, along with some reflections that might resonate with others in similar positions.
My Background and Experience
I am a 21-year-old computer science student from Nepal, currently in my fifth semester. Over the past two years, I’ve dedicated myself to developing and maintaining online ordering platforms for small to medium-sized restaurants primarily based in the United States. During this period, I’ve built over 15 fully functional, customized restaurant websites, each tailored to meet the specific needs of individual clients.
The Scope and Complexity of My Projects
What sets my work apart is the level of customization involved. Each restaurant website includes features such as:
- Dynamic delivery fee calculations (fixed vs. distance-based)
- Automated order restrictions based on customer location
- An admin panel for configuration and management
- Integrated cart systems, receipt and tax processing
- Real-time order routing to printers, email notifications to staff and customers
- Support for multiple payment gateways (Stripe, PayPal, Clover, Authorize.net, and more)
- Flexible modifiers for add-ons and toppings with various selection rules
- Scheduling options like ASAP, same-day, or future orders with configurable hours and holidays
All of this was built from scratch using raw PHP on the backend, complemented by JavaScript and CSS for the frontend. The websites are mobile-responsive and are actively used by clients and customers daily.
Financial Outcomes and Challenges
Despite the considerable technical effort and the tangible value these platforms generate—one site alone has surpassed $200,000 in sales over just 14 months—the financial compensation I received has been minimal. Each project was paid only a flat fee of $75, one-time, with no ongoing support or maintenance fees.
To date, I have earned less than $1,000 across all projects, even though I continue to handle updates, bug fixes, and feature enhancements personally. It’s disheartening, especially when a middleman—even one claiming familiarity with the industry—suggests that these are simple “copy-paste” jobs and that I should expect more such projects without additional recognition.
The Feelings of Exploitation
