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A beautifully plated chef-cooked meal — EatCookJoy app experience.
EatCookJoy UAE · App Development Brief

Build the household food agent for the UAE — full development scope.

A complete engineering blueprint: feature spec across Customer, Chef, Admin and Platform layers, the technology stack, the seven AI workflows, the team you need to hire, the month-by-month build plan, and a clean Scope-of-Work you can download as PDF and send out for quotation.

Web · iOS · Android EN + AR · RTL Halal-first All 7 Emirates 8–12 month build
● Live
▸ 00 · See it in motion

The app — live walkthrough.

A working build of the EatCookJoy chef-booking experience — captured directly from the founder's device. Browse 847+ chefs, custom menu builder, AI weekly meal-plan, checkout. Same flow that ships to the UAE store.

Recorded May 2026 · iOS · Plays muted on open — tap the speaker for audio.

⬇ Download MP4 ↗ Open full-screen
01 · Feature Specification

What needs to be built.

Four pillars: the Customer App, the Chef App, the Admin Dashboard, and the cross-cutting Platform-Wide features. Every item below is in scope.

C

Customer App · Web + iOS + Android

Email / phone signup with social login (Apple, Google)
Onboarding Taste Profile: cuisine preferences, dietary tags, allergens, family size, budget
Browse 16,848-recipe vault — search by cuisine, time, calories, dietary profile
AI Meal Concierge: conversational session-builder ("Friday dinner, 6 people, halal, < AED 950")
Snap-a-Dish — photo upload → AI identifies dish → matches a chef who cooks it
Live chef availability calendar + transparent pricing breakdown
Booking flow: session type → menu → chef match → confirm → pay
Stripe payment with AED + UAE VAT invoicing
Post-session 3-question feedback + Net Promoter Score
Household Cookbook: every dish ever served, ratings, one-tap re-book
Push / SMS / WhatsApp / email notifications · calendar invites
K

Chef App · Mobile-first

Chef onboarding wizard: ID, food-handler licence, bank, specialities, photos
Live availability calendar with one-tap block / open
Booking request inbox · 60-second accept SLA
Recipe brief per session: ingredients, allergens, household notes
Groceries shopping list auto-generated · expense capture in-app
In-app messaging with client (templated quick-replies in EN + AR)
Earnings dashboard · auto Stripe payouts within 2 business days
Performance score, client reviews, tier progression
Auto-reminders for compliance renewals (30 / 7 days)
A

Admin Dashboard · Operator

KPI dashboard: bookings, revenue, churn, AOV, chef utilisation
Chef CRM: approvals, compliance tracking, performance scoring
Booking management + conflict resolution + cancellations
Payment reconciliation, dispute handling, refunds
Recipe vault management: add, tag, curate, archive
Geographic demand heatmaps by emirate / neighbourhood
Customer support ticket queue with assignment + SLA
Chef payout controls and platform-fee configuration
Security audit logs and WAF alerts
Push notifications + email-marketing tools
P

Platform-Wide · Cross-cutting

Arabic + English bilingual app with full RTL support
One shared codebase: Web + iOS + Android (React Native)
Real-time notifications: push, email, SMS, WhatsApp
Stripe Connect with AED pricing + UAE VAT compliance
WAF + security monitoring (incident-response playbook)
GDPR & UAE PDPL data-privacy compliance
SEO-optimised pages for chef and cuisine discovery
Affiliate & referral program with attribution
Analytics data warehouse (Looker Studio / Metabase)
Offline-safe booking flow for slow connections
02 · Technology Stack

The proven building materials.

Stack chosen for speed, maintainability and team availability in the UAE / MENA market. Same stack that powered the original $1M ARR marketplace rebuild — battle-tested.

Frontend
Next.js + React

Web app + marketing site in one. SEO-friendly URLs, RSC for speed. Why: one language for web and mobile teams.

Next.js 15React 18TypeScriptTailwind
Mobile
React Native + Expo

One codebase → iOS + Android. 80% shared code, 40–50% cheaper than native builds.

Expo RouterPushRTL Arabic
Backend
Node.js + GraphQL

API for bookings, matching, payments. GraphQL keeps payloads small for slow phones.

NestJSGraphQLRESTJWT Auth
Database
PostgreSQL + Redis

Postgres for relational data. Redis for instant availability cache. Supabase optional.

Postgres 16RedisSupabaseFull-text search
Payments
Stripe Connect

Client charges, auto split-to-chef, refunds, AED + UAE VAT invoicing, dispute handling.

Split paymentsAEDVAT-ready
Cloud
AWS + Vercel

AWS for backend / DB / storage. Vercel for the global edge CDN. 99.9% uptime target.

AWS RDSS3VercelDocker
Security
WAF + VAPT

Web Application Firewall blocks attacks in real time. Pen-test before launch — catch vulnerabilities early.

AWS WAFCloudflarePen testing
Analytics
Airtable + Looker

Airtable for chef CRM and ops. Looker Studio for live revenue / bookings dashboards.

AirtableLookerMetabase
Reference case study
The $1M ARR rebuild — written up by Hypernest Labs.

The original EatCookJoy marketplace rebuild — the exact stack, AI workflows and team structure summarised on this page — is documented end-to-end in the Hypernest Labs case study. Read it before the vendor call.

Read the case study ↗
03 · AI & Automation Layer

Seven places AI replaces manual work.

Each row is a production workflow the AI / Automation engineer must build. Operates on top of the Tech Stack above.

1
Smart Chef Matching
Custom matcher pairs each booking to the best available chef by cuisine, dietary expertise, location, ratings and live calendar — what was a 4-hour human process becomes < 90 minutes end-to-end.
OpenAI APIPostgreSQL vector searchCustom rules engine
2
Personalised Meal Planning (GPT-4)
GPT-4 + recipe-RAG against the 16,848-recipe vault. Allergen-filter layer ensures every suggestion is safe. Customer types "suggest something different this week" → instant menu.
GPT-4 APIRAGAllergen filter
3
Automated Booking Workflow (n8n)
Confirmation email · chef notification · calendar invite · payment link · reminder SMS — all auto-generated in n8n workflows. Zero manual ops per booking.
n8nTwilio SMSSendGridGoogle Calendar
4
Automated Chef Payouts (Stripe Connect)
Session-complete → Stripe auto-splits payment: platform fee retained, chef share pays out in 2 business days. No spreadsheets, no manual reconciliation. Full VAT audit trail.
Stripe ConnectAuto splitVAT invoicing
5
AI Customer-Support Chatbot
GPT-4 + knowledge-base RAG handles 80% of common tickets ("change booking", "I want to cancel", "can my chef cook keto?"). Escalates to a human only when needed.
GPT-4Intercom / CrispKnowledge base RAG
6
Predictive Analytics & Heatmaps
Python ML learns which Dubai neighbourhoods spike Thursday evenings, which cuisines rise during Ramadan, which chefs have high cancellation. Live heatmaps + alerts in the admin dashboard.
Python MLLooker StudioGeographic heatmaps
7
Automated Chef-Compliance Tracking
Food-handler certificates expire — the system auto-emails chefs 30 days and 7 days before expiry, and auto-disables non-renewed profiles. Never have an uncertified chef live on the platform.
Airtable automationsn8nSendGrid
04 · Team Roles & CV Verification

The five-to-seven roles needed.

Day-to-day responsibilities + the exact items to verify on every candidate's CV before hiring. Roles below assume a fractional CTO leading two full-stack devs, one mobile, one AI engineer, one designer, one QA.

TL
Tech Lead / Fractional CTO
Architecture & Engineering Head

What they do day-to-day

Designs the entire system architecture before any code is written
Makes all major tech decisions: stack, hosting, security approach
Leads the dev team — code reviews, engineering standards
Acts as the technical translator to non-engineering stakeholders

CV must-haves · verify these

Built a marketplace or multi-sided platform — not just a website
Node.js + Next.js + PostgreSQL with real project names
Stripe Connect or payments on at least one live project
Led a team of 3+ developers — not solo freelance
VAPT or incident-response history is a strong bonus
FS
Full-Stack Developer × 2
Feature Development

What they do day-to-day

Builds the booking flow, chef profiles, recipe search
Builds the admin dashboard
Connects Stripe, Google Calendar, notifications APIs
Writes and tests backend API endpoints

CV must-haves · verify these

React + TypeScript with actual GitHub repos to inspect
REST or GraphQL endpoint development with examples
PostgreSQL or MySQL — they must be able to write SQL
Third-party API integration: Stripe, Twilio, Google in past work
Show a project where they built both front & back end
MO
Mobile Developer
iOS + Android (React Native)

What they do day-to-day

Builds iOS + Android from one shared codebase
Push notifications, GPS / maps, camera features
App Store + Google Play submission process
Offline-capable booking and recipe browsing

CV must-haves · verify these

Live app in App Store or Google Play — open the link
React Native + Expo specifically
Push notifications via Firebase Cloud Messaging
Payment SDK integration — Stripe Mobile or Apple Pay
RTL Arabic support — dealbreaker for the UAE market
AI
AI / Automation Engineer
GPT Integration & Workflows

What they do day-to-day

Integrates OpenAI GPT-4 for meal planning & chatbot
Builds n8n / Make.com automation workflows
Trains the chef-client matching algorithm
Builds predictive analytics & demand forecasting

CV must-haves · verify these

OpenAI API or LangChain project with actual working output
n8n or Make.com builds — screenshots or live demo
Python for ML models and data pipelines
RAG experience — critical for the recipe-search AI
Ask them to write a live demo prompt during interview
UX
UI / UX Designer
Product Design & UX

What they do day-to-day

Designs every screen in Figma before devs build
Creates the app's visual brand identity
Ensures booking flow is easy for non-tech clients
Arabic RTL layout for UAE market

CV must-haves · verify these

Portfolio with real app designs — Figma links must open
Mobile-first experience (not just desktop websites)
Arabic / RTL design experience — critical for UAE
Full design-system / component library, not just screens
Food or marketplace app in portfolio is a bonus
QA
QA Engineer
Testing & Quality Assurance

What they do day-to-day

Tests every feature before it goes live
Writes automated tests that run on every code change
Tests on real UAE devices in Arabic + English
Payment-flow testing — refunds and edge cases

CV must-haves · verify these

Automated testing: Cypress, Playwright or Jest
API testing with Postman — show example test suites
Payment / financial-flow testing history
Mobile testing on iOS Simulator + real Android device
05 · Development Timeline

Month-by-month build plan.

8–12 months end-to-end. Foundation first (no rushed code), MVP middle, mobile + AI last, then 1–2 month hardening before launch.

Month 1–2
Phase 1 — Foundation
Discovery, Design & Architecture
No code written yet. Get foundations right — rushed foundations lead to expensive rebuilds.
Hire Fractional CTO + Lead Designer
Define every user story (customer, chef, admin)
Design every screen in Figma (mobile + web)
Design database architecture and API structure
Set up dev environment, AWS, Git repositories
Import and structure the 16,848-recipe database with all tags
Month 3–5
Phase 2 — Core MVP
Booking Engine + Payments + Chef CRM
The core loop must work: client books → chef accepts → payment processed → session happens.
Client registration, profile, dietary preferences
Chef profile + live availability calendar + skill tags
Recipe search and filter by cuisine, allergen, dietary profile
Complete booking flow: session → menu → chef match → confirm
Stripe Connect integration + automated chef payouts
Email + SMS notifications: confirm, reminders, updates
Admin dashboard: bookings, payments, chef CRM
Month 6–7
Phase 3 — Mobile + AI
iOS + Android + AI Features Layer
Take the working web product to mobile. Add the AI features that make the product remarkable vs. competitors.
React Native build — client app + chef app
Push notifications for bookings & session reminders
GPT-4 meal-planning assistant integration
AI chef-matching algorithm live in booking flow
n8n automation workflows: compliance, payouts, CRM
Google Calendar sync for clients and chefs
Arabic RTL support across all screens
Month 8–9
Phase 4 — Security & QA
VAPT, Hardening & Beta Testing
Pen-test before launch. Run a closed beta with 25 founding chefs and 100 customers in Dubai.
VAPT cycle — fix every finding before launch
Load testing (1000+ concurrent bookings)
Beta with 25 chefs / 100 customers (Dubai + Abu Dhabi)
App Store and Google Play submissions
Customer-support playbook and Intercom setup
Month 10–12
Phase 5 — Public Launch
Marketing Activation & Scale
Public launch across all 7 emirates. Marketing campaigns activated, weekly dish drops, growth loops live.
Public launch · all 7 emirates
Paid acquisition (Meta + TikTok + Google + WhatsApp)
Affiliate / referral program live
SEO content engine + AEO cornerstone pages
Weekly KPI review · Looker Studio dashboards
06 · Scope of Work · for engineer / vendor quote

The clean, simple-list Scope of Work.

Print or save this section as PDF using the button at the top of the page. The page is configured so the printed file contains only this Scope of Work — no marketing visuals — ready to email to engineering vendors for quotation.

1 · Project Overview

2 · Customer App — required features

3 · Chef App — required features

4 · Admin Dashboard — required features

5 · Platform-Wide — required features

6 · Technology Stack — required

7 · AI & Automation Layer — required workflows

8 · Team — vendor must propose

9 · Timeline — phased delivery

10 · Vendor deliverables on quote

Ready to send to a vendor?

Tap the button to save this Scope of Work as a PDF in your Downloads folder. The PDF contains only sections 1–10 above — no marketing visuals — clean and ready to attach to a Request for Quotation.