The Indian Hotel and Restaurant Association recently launched an app called ‘Waayu’ that aims to provide a commission-free platform for food delivery. The app allows hotels, restaurants, and catering businesses to place delivery orders without incurring any commission charges.
According to a statement released by the industry body on Monday, the platform will assist restaurants in setting more competitive prices for their menu. Over a thousand brands, such as Mahesh Lunch Home, Bhagat Tarachand, Banana Leaf, Shiv Sagar, Guru Kripa, Kirti Mahal, and Persian Darbar, have already joined the platform.
The brand has appointed actor and investor Suniel Shetty as its ambassador.
With Waayu, restaurants can receive their payment directly and immediately into their own bank accounts through various payment modes like Paytm, Google Pay, UPI, net banking, debit or credit cards, or cash on delivery. They can choose to deliver their orders through available options like Grab or Dunzo, or by using their own delivery staff.
In addition, the Waayu app will provide a SaaS platform that automates the order workflow, enabling restaurants to manage orders efficiently, according to the industry body. The app is developed by Anirudha Kotgire and Mandar Lande under the name Destek Horeca.
“We are working with a plan of onboarding over 10,000 restaurants in the next three months from Mumbai, Pune, and the suburbs. Our next step is to take WAAYU in both metro and non-metro cities across India. We aim to disrupt the online and dine-in food industry with deep technology to provide quality food from popular restaurants at affordable rates. Zero commission model has always been our unique selling proposition and we would continue to do so,” Lande said.
This initiative comes at a time when restaurants in various cities are expressing dissatisfaction with food delivery companies like Zomato and Swiggy, citing high commissions and delayed deliveries. Recently, some Mumbai-based eateries have reported that Zomato has reduced the delivery radius for online orders, possibly due to a shortage of delivery personnel.
In March, Zomato not only increased the commissions on food delivery orders but also urged restaurants to spend more by advertising on the platform and bearing the cost of cancellations.
