Stop paying commission on customers who already love you
Aggregators are good at finding new customers. Paying them on every repeat order is not. Here is how restaurants move regulars to direct ordering.
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Watch the commission leak
Commission-free ordering means taking orders on your own website, WhatsApp and QR codes instead of an aggregator app, so you keep the full bill. With OwnCart you pay ₹10,000 per outlet per year and 0% commission. Most restaurants keep Swiggy and Zomato for discovery and move regulars to direct ordering.
Aggregator vs your own ordering
| Aggregator app | OwnCart | |
|---|---|---|
| Commission per order | Often 25–30% | 0% |
| Your cost | Grows with every order | ₹10,000 per outlet per year, plus gateway and message charges |
| Customer phone and history | Kept by the platform | Yours, exportable |
| WhatsApp remarketing | Not possible | Abandoned cart, win-back, broadcasts |
| Prices and offers | Platform rules and funded discounts | Your menu, your codes, your timing |
| Discovery by new customers | Strong | Via your Instagram, QR, Google and ads |
The strategy: keep both
New customers find you on aggregators. Once they are regulars, there is no reason to pay commission on every visit. Put a QR in every delivery bag and on every table, send green bills on WhatsApp, and invite regulars to order direct with an OwnRewards incentive.
What does commission really cost?
300 direct orders a month at a ₹450 average bill is ₹1,35,000 a month. At 28% commission that is ₹37,800 a month, over ₹4.5 lakh a year, for one outlet. Try your own numbers in the commission calculator.
Proof from Chennai
Tositos in Chennai (Anna Nagar and Velachery, on PetPooja) takes orders directly on WhatsApp. In the words of co-founder Gayathri: “We've completely eliminated commission charges charged by Swiggy and Zomato.”
Common questions
Should I stop using Swiggy and Zomato?
No need. Keep aggregators for new customers who discover you there. Use OwnCart for your regulars, table orders and WhatsApp orders, where paying 25–30% commission makes no sense. See commission-free ordering.
Is ordering direct really cheaper for the guest?
Yes. Even with the delivery charge added, the total for the same order on the restaurant's own channel is still lower than on Swiggy, Zomato or other delivery aggregators, and the food is still delivered home.
Does OwnCart take a commission on restaurant orders?
No. OwnCart charges 0% commission on orders. You pay a flat ₹10,000 per outlet per year for the Restaurant plan. Payment gateway fees (for example Razorpay) and Meta's WhatsApp message charges are billed separately.
Who owns the customer data?
You do. Every order saves the customer's phone number, addresses and order history in your OwnCart account. You can segment it, message it on WhatsApp and export it as CSV.
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