I think individual businesses (I am talking about the neighbourhood grocery stores and restaurants) ought to move to their own websites, their own apps (at least branding if there are template apps) as much as they can. I believe we have had enough of centralisation and consolidation which aren't problematic only when they are about a messaging service or a social network.

Yes, this should have been solved by the web, but you can't push notifications to it or rely on local storage (thanks to Apple). Also, generally people' don't even want to know what an URL is.

That's not how it actually is. Apple actually rejects those type of template apps. The restaurants use an ad-hoc way of installing the apps. So those apps are only available to the restaurant for example.

No, Apple accepts white label applications. Their requirement is that if you're going to release a white label application, then it should be released under the customer's own individual Apple developer account rather than having them all under one developer account.

Sure, unless you’re one of those restaurants that wants their own app.

>Can we agree that each restaurant having a separate app is one of the dumbest outcomes imaginable?

Nope, can't agree there. Every outlet/brand should have it's own app in my book.

For what purpose? Why not just a good website? Why do I need some integrated solution when its probably just a shim around their website anyway? That sounds awful tbqh, download a binary for every website that I have little control over.