You can convert Zomato customers to direct customers without touching the platform's data, because the conversion happens on things you already own: the box, the bag, your Google listing, your Instagram bio and your shop door. The customer finds your direct channel there, decides to try it, and from the second order onwards the commission is gone. The method below is the one that keeps you inside the partner terms and inside Indian consent rules, and it works because the hard part, getting someone to like your food, is already done.
Expect it to be gradual. A realistic goal is to move a steady share of regulars over a few months, while the app continues to bring in new customers. Here is how to do it step by step.
The rules first: what you can and cannot do
Three boundaries keep this clean, and they are not hard to respect.
- You do not get customer numbers from Zomato. Numbers are masked, and the partner terms cover how platform data can be used. Do not try to extract or save them, and do not message anyone using a number you only have because of an app order.
- Your packaging and your listings are yours. Printing your brand, your WhatsApp number and your ordering link on the box is normal branding. Keep the insert about your restaurant rather than about the platform, and check your current agreement for anything specific about inserts.
- Consent before marketing. Under India's data protection rules and WhatsApp's own policies, you need the customer's opt-in before you send promotional messages. The first direct order is where you collect it. Our guide on getting WhatsApp opt-in without annoying customers covers the wording.
Inside those lines, everything below is simply good marketing.
Step 1: build the direct channel before you promote it
The insert will fail if the customer scans it and lands in a chat where someone types "menu?" and waits. Before printing anything, have a WhatsApp ordering bot on your business number, a menu with prices and availability, UPI payment, delivery zones with charges, and a dashboard where orders arrive with an alert. A store page with a web menu helps too, since some customers prefer to browse a page before they chat.
Test it with five regulars you know personally. If they can order in under two minutes without asking a question, you are ready. The direct ordering guide lists everything the channel needs.
Step 2: the packaging insert
This is the main conversion tool. A small printed card in every delivery bag, or a sticker on every box, with four things on it.
- Your restaurant name and a line of warmth: "Thank you for ordering. We cooked this one for you."
- A QR code that opens a chat with your WhatsApp number, with a short prefilled message such as "Hi, I would like to see the menu."
- The reason to switch, in one line: "Order direct on WhatsApp and get free delivery on orders above ₹399."
- Your store link in text form, for people who prefer to type it.
Keep it to a business-card size and print a few thousand at a time; the cost per card is a rupee or less. Put one in every order, including app orders, dine-in bills and pickup bags. The same QR goes on the shop door, the counter and the bike box. Order direct campaigns has more examples of wording that works.
Step 3: give a reason that costs less than the commission
Customers switch for a benefit, and you can afford a generous one because every direct order saves you the commission. On a ₹400 order at a 25 percent effective rate, that is ₹100 you were not keeping. Here is how common incentives compare against it.
| Incentive | Cost to you on a ₹400 order | Commission saved | Net gain per direct order |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free delivery above ₹399 | About ₹35 (your rider or per-trip fee) | ₹100 | About ₹65 |
| ₹50 coupon on the first direct order | ₹50 once, then nothing | ₹100 | ₹50 on the first order, ₹100 after |
| 10 percent off every direct order | ₹40 every time | ₹100 | ₹60, but it becomes a permanent discount |
| Free item on the fifth direct order | About ₹60 spread over five orders | ₹500 over five orders | About ₹440 over five orders |
The figures are illustrative, and the delivery cost assumes a short trip. The pattern holds whatever your numbers are: a one-time coupon or a threshold-based free delivery beats a permanent percentage discount, because the discount keeps costing you after the habit has formed.
Step 4: make the first direct order effortless
The customer scanning your card is comparing you against an app that remembers their address and their last order. Match that. The bot should open with the menu, not a greeting that needs a reply. Address should be captured once and reused. UPI should be the default payment, with cash on delivery as an option if your area expects it. The confirmation should state the order, the amount and a delivery estimate.
If the coupon from the insert can apply automatically when they place the order, better still. Every extra step at this point loses a share of the people who scanned.
Step 5: collect consent and stay in touch
The first direct order is the moment to ask one question: may we send you offers and new dishes on WhatsApp? Most customers who just chose to order direct say yes. From then on, a short broadcast every week or two keeps your number near the top of their chat list: the weekend special, a new dish, a rainy-day offer. This is the step the apps can never match, because they never gave you the number.
Keep the frequency low and the content useful. A restaurant that sends daily promotions gets blocked; one that sends a good offer on Friday afternoon gets orders on Friday night.
Step 6: measure it for 90 days
Track four numbers each week: cards given out (roughly your order count), first direct orders, repeat direct orders, and direct orders as a share of total orders. A dedicated coupon code on the insert tells you exactly how many first orders came from it. After 90 days you will know your conversion rate and can decide whether to raise the incentive, change the wording or print more cards.
If you already understand what the app is costing you per order, the dashboard will show the saving building up. If not, run the numbers once with the guide to reducing Zomato commission so you know what each converted customer is worth.
What this looks like on Tezzu
Tezzu gives you the direct channel the insert points to. The QR on your card opens a chat with your own WhatsApp number, where an ordering bot shows the menu, takes the order and address, and collects payment by UPI or card through Razorpay, or marks it cash on delivery. The same menu sits on a free store page at tezzu.in/store/your-name for the text link. Nothing is installed.
The incentives in Step 3 are built in. Delivery zones carry distance-based charges and a free-delivery threshold per zone, and coupons can be set to auto-apply, so the ₹50 first-order offer on the card applies itself. Consent is collected in the flow, and WhatsApp campaigns with a prepaid wallet handle the broadcasts in Step 5. The live dashboard's customer insights show first-time versus repeat customers, which covers the measurement in Step 6. Pricing is a plan from ₹999 a month, unlimited orders, ₹10 per order and no commission.
Setup takes about 30 minutes, the WhatsApp Business API is connected through Meta's embedded signup, and you keep your number. Every plan starts with a 7-day free trial.
Build the channel before you print the cards
The setup playbook takes you through connecting your number, the menu, payments, delivery zones and coupons, so the first customer who scans your insert gets a clean order.
Read the setup playbookFrequently asked questions
Is it allowed to put a flyer in a Zomato order?
Putting your own branding and contact details on your own packaging is standard practice, and that is what the insert is. Keep it about your restaurant and your ordering link rather than about the platform, and check your current partner agreement for any specific clause on inserts, since terms change. What is not acceptable is using the platform's customer data to contact people directly.
Does Zomato give restaurants the customer's phone number?
No. Customer numbers are masked, and calls or messages go through the platform. That is the core reason restaurants build their own channel: on an aggregator you never own the relationship, so you cannot reach a customer again or find out why they stopped ordering. On your own WhatsApp number, with consent, you have the number and the order history.
What offer works best to get customers to order direct?
Free delivery above a minimum order and a one-time coupon on the first direct order both work well and cost less than the commission they replace. A permanent percentage discount also works but keeps costing you after the habit has formed, so most restaurants avoid it. Whatever you choose, state it in one line on the insert and make sure it applies automatically at checkout.
How long does it take to move customers from Zomato to direct?
Think in months rather than weeks. Each customer needs to see the insert, decide to try the new channel, have a good first experience and then form a habit. With a card in every order, a clear incentive and a smooth bot, a steady share of regulars moves over the first quarter, and the direct list keeps growing after that as long as you stay in touch.