The 30/70 Rule: Keep Aggregators for Discovery, Own the Repeat Order

The 30/70 rule is a restaurant direct orders strategy with one idea at its centre: let Zomato and Swiggy find you new customers, and make sure the second, third and twentieth order from each of those customers comes to you directly. Aggregators are good at discovery and expensive at everything else. Commission commonly runs 18 to 30 percent of order value, which is a reasonable price to pay once for a stranger and a terrible price to pay every week for a regular. The target is a mix of roughly 30 percent of orders from the apps and 70 percent direct, reached over months rather than overnight.

This guide explains why the repeat order is the one worth fighting for, how to measure where you stand today, and a five-step method to shift the ratio without leaving the apps or breaking their rules.

What the 30/70 rule means in practice

The numbers are a direction, not a law. A new cloud kitchen in its first quarter might sit at 90/10 in the apps' favour, and that is fine; discovery is what it needs. A twelve-year-old neighbourhood restaurant might be at 20/80 without trying. The rule says two things regardless of where you start.

• Treat every aggregator order as paid customer acquisition. The commission is the acquisition cost. Judge it the way you would judge an ad: did this bring a person who will come back?
• Treat every repeat order on an aggregator as a leak. A customer who has ordered from you three times on Swiggy is paying Swiggy a cut on your relationship. Your job is to close that leak politely.

Owners who think about it this way stop asking "should I leave Zomato" and start asking "how do I make the second order cheaper". The first question leads to a risky all-or-nothing decision; aggregator dependency explains what that risk looks like. The second leads to a process you can run every week.

Why the repeat order belongs on your own channel

Take a customer who orders a ₹400 meal from you four times a month. Here is what a year of that customer looks like on each channel. The direct column assumes a 2 percent payment gateway charge and a ₹10 per-order platform fee, which is what a flat-fee ordering tool like Tezzu charges; your own delivery cost applies in both cases in different forms, so it is left out to keep the comparison clean.

Now multiply by the number of regulars you have. A restaurant with 150 customers like this is looking at over ₹7 lakh a year of margin that goes to the app for orders it did nothing to create. Funded discounts, packaging absorbed and ad spend make the real gap wider; the direct ordering guide goes through each of those lines.

The first order is different. A stranger who found you by scrolling the app was never going to message your WhatsApp number. Paying ₹118 to acquire a customer worth ₹4,800 a year is a good trade. The rule is about not paying it 48 times.

How to get to 30/70 in five steps

Step 1: measure where you are now

For one week, log every order by channel: Zomato, Swiggy, phone, walk-in, WhatsApp, store page. Then, for the aggregator orders, mark each one as "recognised" or "new" based on the name on the slip. You cannot see numbers, but after a few months in business you know your regulars.

You now have two figures: your current aggregator share, and the repeat share inside it. If 40 percent of your app orders are from names you recognise, that 40 percent is your immediate opportunity. Write both figures down with the date; you will re-measure every month.

Step 2: build a direct channel that is easier than the app

Customers will not switch to something harder. "Call us" loses to the app because the app remembers their address and takes UPI. Your direct channel needs to do at least this much:

• A menu they can tap through on WhatsApp or on a store page link, with photos and prices.
• Saved address and one-step reorder for returning customers.
• UPI and card payment inside the flow, plus cash on delivery for those who want it.
• Order confirmation and status updates on WhatsApp, so they are not calling to ask where the food is.
• Delivery charges that are clear before they confirm, ideally free above a threshold.

A WhatsApp ordering platform does all of this on your own number; the WhatsApp Business app alone does the catalog and little else. Get the channel live and tested with staff before you tell a single customer about it.

Step 3: convert discovery into direct, within the rules

Every aggregator order is a chance to introduce the direct channel. The tools that work are the ones that live in your own packaging and your own premises.

• A printed card in every packet with a QR code to your WhatsApp order link and a clear reason: "Order direct, free delivery above ₹300" or "10 percent off your first direct order".
• A sticker on the box lid with the number. Cards get thrown away with the bag; the lid is seen while eating.
• The same QR on dine-in bills and at the counter.
• Your Google Business Profile and Instagram bio pointing at the order link, so anyone who searches your name after an app order finds the direct route.

What you must not do is message numbers taken from aggregator order details without consent, or badmouth the app inside its own chat. Converting Zomato customers within the rules sets out the boundaries, and order direct campaigns has message and card templates you can copy.

Step 4: make the second direct order automatic

Getting one direct order is the easy half. The second is where the ratio actually moves. Three things make it happen.

• A reason to come back. A simple loyalty offer on WhatsApp, such as every fifth order gets a free dessert, costs you far less than a 25 percent commission and gives the customer a reason to use your number instead of the app. A loyalty program on WhatsApp needs no app or card.
• A reminder at the right time. A short WhatsApp broadcast on Friday afternoon to customers who have opted in, with the weekend special, lands when they are deciding what to eat. Keep it to one or two a week.
• A price that is visibly better. Keep your direct menu a little below your app menu, or keep prices equal and offer free delivery direct. The customer should be able to see why they switched.

Step 5: manage the aggregator side deliberately

Once direct orders are flowing, the apps become a marketing expense you control rather than a channel that controls you.

• Turn off restaurant-funded discounts except for launches. They mostly subsidise regulars who would have ordered anyway.
• Run ads only when you want new faces: a new area, a new brand, a slow season.
• Keep your rating healthy, because discovery still depends on it. Fix packaging and prep time before you cut the radius.
• Trim the delivery radius to the distance where food arrives in good condition. Long-distance app orders earn you a bad rating and a 25 percent commission on the same ₹400.

Re-measure monthly. The aggregator share should fall a few points each month as regulars move across. When it is near 30 percent and your direct orders are steady, you have the mix the rule describes, and leaving entirely becomes an option rather than a necessity.

Mistakes that break the rule

• Launching the channel before it works. A customer who tries your WhatsApp number, gets no reply for twenty minutes and goes back to the app will not try again. Test with staff first and make sure new-order alerts reach whoever is on shift.
• No reason to switch. "Order direct" on its own is a request for a favour. Free delivery, a lower price or a loyalty reward is a trade.
• Cutting the apps too early. If direct orders are 15 percent of sales and you delist, you lose 85 percent of your volume overnight. Let the ratio move first.
• Messaging too often. One broadcast a week keeps you in mind; one a day gets you blocked, and blocked numbers hurt your WhatsApp account's standing.
• Ignoring delivery. The app did your delivery. Direct orders need your rider, a hyperlocal partner, or pickup, costed by distance so far-away orders carry their own charge.

What this looks like on Tezzu

Tezzu is built around the direct side of this rule. You connect your own WhatsApp Business number through Meta's embedded signup, and customers order by chatting with the bot or by opening your free store page at tezzu.in/store/your-name. There is no app for them to download, which is what makes the direct channel easier than the aggregator for a returning customer.

The pieces that drive repeat orders are included: coupons that auto-apply for the "order direct and save" offer, delivery zones with per-zone free-delivery thresholds, WhatsApp campaigns to opted-in customers from a prepaid wallet, and order reviews collected after delivery so your ratings live on a page you own. The live dashboard shows orders, revenue and customer insights, so the monthly re-measurement in step 1 takes a minute.

Pricing is flat: plans from ₹999 a month, ₹10 per order, no commission, unlimited orders, and a 7-day free trial on every plan. Setup takes about 30 minutes, and the setup playbook covers menu, zones, payments and the first test order in sequence.

Frequently asked questions

How do I increase direct orders for my restaurant?

Give customers a channel that is as easy as the app, then give them a reason to use it. Practically: WhatsApp ordering or a store page with saved addresses and UPI, a card or sticker in every packet with a QR code and an offer, your order link on Google and Instagram, and a light touch of weekly WhatsApp reminders to customers who opted in.

Is it against Zomato or Swiggy rules to ask customers to order direct?

Putting your own number and offer inside your own packaging is your own marketing, and most restaurants do it. What the agreements and platform policies object to is soliciting inside the app chat, misusing customer data the app shares for delivery, or messaging those numbers without consent. Read your agreement and keep your outreach to your own channels.

How long does it take to reduce dependence on aggregators?

Expect the aggregator share to move a few percentage points a month once inserts, a working direct channel and a repeat offer are all in place. Reaching something close to 30/70 from a starting point of 70/30 typically takes two to three quarters for a restaurant with a stable local base. Faster usually means you already had regulars waiting for an easier way to order.

Should a brand new restaurant follow the 30/70 rule?

Yes, but with a different starting point. In the first months, let the apps do discovery and accept a high aggregator share. Put the direct channel and the packaging inserts in place from day one anyway, so every new customer is introduced to your number from their first order. The ratio will shift as your regular base grows.

What is a good percentage of direct orders for a restaurant?

There is no single right number. The rule suggests aiming for around 70 percent direct over time because repeat orders are usually the majority of a settled restaurant's volume, and those are the orders where commission hurts most. A restaurant in a transient area with few regulars may settle lower; a neighbourhood favourite may go much higher.