If you are searching for how to reduce Zomato commission, the honest answer has two parts. You can trim the rate and the extras you pay on each app order, and that usually saves a few percentage points. The bigger saving comes from moving the orders that do not need Zomato, mostly repeat orders from regulars, to a channel where you pay no commission at all.
Zomato and Swiggy commission is commonly 18 to 30 percent of the order value, and that is before GST on the commission, payment charges, ads and the discounts you fund. The nine tactics below work on each of those layers. Some you can do this week; others take a month or two to show up in your payout.
Know what you are paying before you try to cut it
Open your last Zomato payout statement and separate the deductions into four buckets: the commission itself, GST charged on that commission, payment gateway or processing charges, and promotional costs such as discounts and ads that come out of your side. Most owners track only the headline rate and are surprised by the effective number.
The effective rate is what matters. If a ₹500 order pays out ₹340 after everything, your effective cost is 32 percent, whatever the contract says. We go through each line in what Zomato really costs a restaurant. Do that exercise once, then come back to this list with your real number.
Tactics 1 to 3: lower the rate itself
1. Negotiate at renewal, with your order history in hand
Commission rates on aggregators are not the same for every restaurant. They vary by city, cuisine category, order volume and how long you have been listed, and they are set through your account manager. That means they can be discussed. Walk in with your monthly order count, your average order value, your rating and your rejection rate.
Ask for a lower base rate in exchange for something the platform values: consistent prep times, a low rejection rate, or a commitment to stay listed through the next year. You may not get a big cut. Even two or three points on ₹3 lakh of monthly app sales is ₹6,000 to ₹9,000 a month.
2. Say no to bundled add-ons you did not ask for
Rate increases often arrive dressed as a package: a higher commission in return for better visibility, a promoted tag, or inclusion in a programme. Treat each add-on as a separate purchase and ask what it costs on its own. If a visibility add-on raises your effective rate by three points and you cannot see a matching rise in orders within a month, drop it.
3. Switch off the promotions you are funding
Many offers shown on the app are paid for by the restaurant, partly or fully. Flat discounts, buy-one-get-one deals and free delivery promotions can each take another 10 to 20 percent off an order. Review which ones are live, which ones are required for your listing, and which were switched on by default when you joined. Keep the ones that bring new customers. Remove the ones that only discount orders you would have received anyway.
Tactics 4 to 6: shrink what you pay commission on
4. Price your app menu to carry the commission
Most restaurants list the same prices on the app as on their own menu, which means the commission comes straight out of margin. Pricing the app menu a little higher, so that the app price minus commission lands close to your counter price, is common practice. Check your partner agreement first, since some contracts include price parity clauses, and keep the difference modest so customers do not feel cheated.
Example: a ₹250 thali on your counter menu. At 25 percent commission, listing it at ₹250 on the app leaves you ₹187.50. Listing it at ₹299 leaves you about ₹224. The customer still sees a familiar price band and you recover most of the gap.
5. Set packaging charges deliberately
Packaging charges are shown separately to the customer and, depending on your agreement, may or may not attract commission. Price them at your real packaging cost rather than leaving them at zero. Underpricing packaging quietly moves money from your side into the platform's percentage calculation. Our guide on Zomato packaging charges covers how to set them.
6. Keep bulk and catering orders off the app
A ₹4,000 party order placed through Zomato costs you the same percentage as a ₹200 snack order, which can mean ₹1,000 gone on a single order. Large orders almost always come with a conversation, and that conversation can happen on your WhatsApp number instead. Put a line in your listing description and on your packaging: for party orders, message us directly.
Tactics 7 to 9: move the repeat orders to your own channel
This is where the real reduction lives. A customer who has ordered from you three times does not need Zomato to find you again. If that customer places the fourth order on your own WhatsApp number or store page, the commission on that order drops to zero. Our guide to direct ordering for restaurants explains why this channel has the highest margin of anything you run.
7. Put your own ordering link on every box
Every Zomato order you deliver is a chance to introduce your direct channel. A small printed card or sticker with a QR code to your WhatsApp number and a short line like "Next time, order direct and get free delivery over ₹399" is enough. You are not contacting the customer through Zomato's data; you are letting them find you. See how to convert Zomato customers into direct customers within the rules for the full method.
8. Give a clear reason to order direct
Customers will not change a habit for nothing. The reason can be cheaper than you think, because you are saving 25 percent on every direct order. Free delivery above a threshold, a ₹50 coupon on the first direct order, or a reward on the fifth order all cost far less than the commission they replace.
9. Message your own list, on a schedule
Once people have ordered on your WhatsApp number, you have their consent and their number. A weekly broadcast with the weekend special, a new dish or a rainy-day offer keeps your name near the top of their chat list. On an aggregator, your relationship with the customer ends at the payout. On your own channel it compounds, which is the whole idea behind the 30/70 rule.
A worked example across the nine tactics
Say a restaurant does 600 app orders a month at ₹400 average, so ₹2.4 lakh in app sales, at an effective cost of 30 percent including everything. That is ₹72,000 a month going to the platform. Here is what each group of tactics might recover.
| Tactic group | Change | Monthly saving (illustrative) |
|---|---|---|
| Negotiate and trim extras (1 to 3) | Effective rate falls from 30 to 26 percent | About ₹9,600 |
| Price the app menu (4) | App prices 8 percent higher on the remaining app orders | About ₹14,000 |
| Move bulk orders (6) | 20 party orders a month at ₹2,000 taken on WhatsApp | About ₹10,000 |
| Move repeat orders (7 to 9) | 150 of 600 orders move to direct at ₹10 per order | About ₹14,000 |
| Total | Before plan cost and your own delivery cost | About ₹47,000 |
These numbers are illustrative and they overlap a little, so treat the total as a direction rather than a promise. The biggest lines are the ones most owners never work on: pricing the app menu properly and moving repeat orders off the app.
What this looks like on Tezzu
Tezzu is the direct channel that tactics 7, 8 and 9 need. You take orders on your own WhatsApp number through an ordering bot, and you get a free store page at tezzu.in/store/your-name with a web menu. Customers do not install anything. Orders land in a live dashboard and on the staff app with new-order alerts.
There is no commission. Plans start at ₹999 a month with unlimited orders and a flat ₹10 per order, so a ₹400 order costs ₹10 and so does a ₹4,000 party order. Delivery zones let you set distance-based charges and a free-delivery threshold per zone, which is the incentive from tactic 8. Coupons can auto-apply on a first direct order, and WhatsApp campaigns with a prepaid wallet cover the weekly broadcast in tactic 9. UPI and card payments run through Razorpay, and cash on delivery is supported.
Setup takes about 30 minutes, including the WhatsApp Business API connection through Meta's embedded signup, and you keep your own number. Every plan starts with a 7-day free trial. The full fee structure is in Tezzu pricing explained.
Set up your direct channel this week
The setup playbook walks you through connecting your number, building the menu and setting delivery zones, so your repeat orders have somewhere to go.
Read the setup playbookFrequently asked questions
Can you negotiate Zomato commission?
Yes, within limits. Rates are set per restaurant through the account manager and depend on city, category, volume and listing history, so there is room to discuss them, especially at renewal or when you are being asked to accept a new programme. Bring your order volume, rating and rejection rate to the conversation. Expect a few points of movement rather than a halving.
What is the lowest commission Zomato charges restaurants?
Zomato does not publish a fixed rate card, and rates differ by restaurant. Commission on the big aggregators is commonly reported in the range of 18 to 30 percent of order value, with newer or smaller restaurants often at the higher end. Your effective rate after GST on commission, payment charges and funded discounts is usually several points above the contracted rate.
Is it allowed to put my WhatsApp number on the packaging of a Zomato order?
The packaging is yours and most restaurants print their own branding and contact details on it. What you should not do is use customer data obtained through the platform to message people, since that data is masked and covered by the partner terms. Read your current agreement, keep the insert to your own branding and ordering link, and let the customer choose to come to you.
How much does it cost to take orders directly instead of through Zomato?
On Tezzu, plans run from ₹999 to ₹3,999 a month with unlimited orders and a flat ₹10 per order, with no commission. At ₹400 average order value that is 2.5 percent per order versus 25 percent or more on an aggregator. You also carry delivery yourself, either with your own rider or a third-party service, so compare the full cost per order and not just the fee.