Waayu Food Delivery App: Creating a disruption in favor of Restaurant Owners

The Indian food delivery market was dominated by Swiggy and Zomato. But times have now changed with the entry of other new entrants like ONDC, Thrive, Tata Neu, Flipkart, and Ola. Founded in 2022 by Mandar Lande and Anirudha Kotgire, new entrant Waayu has flipped everything with its zero commission inside the game-changing model of this market. Founded in 2022, Waayu was conceptualized by its founders to capture a sizeable market share and change how food delivery functions for both restaurants and customers alike.

The Vision and Core Philosophy

The vision at Waayu is unwavering-to empower restaurants through the breaking of this cycle of high commission fees of existing platforms. To establish a fair, technologically advanced, and cost-efficient ecosystem that will benefit both eateries and their customers in equal measure. At Waayu, incorporation of technology and partnerships ensure affordability, efficiency, and scalability across the food delivery chain.

Unique Selling Propositions (USPs)

• Zero-Commission Model: Probably the most important feature of Waayu would be its subscription-based model, eliminating the traditional commission system. Each restaurant has to pay a one-time set-up fee of INR 4,650 apart from a monthly fee of INR 1,200 while larger chains are charged INR 2,000 per outlet. This further brings down operational costs in restaurants.
• AI-Powered Efficiency: Waayu leverages artificial intelligence in the real-time matching of restaurants with delivery partners such as Dunzo, Shadowfax, and many more for speedier and cost-effective order deliveries. Delivery rates dynamically adjust to give customers the best price.
• Integration with ONDC: Coming into the Open Network for Digital Commerce as a seller marketplace in September has expanded its reach for Waayu. Partnerships with platforms like Paytm, Ola, and Tata Neu have propelled its user base to over 10 lakh and onboarded 3,000+ restaurants.

Key Features

• Comprehensive Restaurant Network: Starting from Mumbai, Waayu has expanded to Hyderabad, Pune, and Navi Mumbai, with further plans for Bengaluru and beyond. Its network includes popular names like Mahesh Lunch Home, Shiv Sagar Veg Restaurant, and Pista House.
• Tech-Driven Solutions: Integrating advanced systems like recipe management, self-ordering kiosks, and customer analytics, the brand cuts food waste by up to 30% and boosts restaurant efficiency.
• Restaurant Marketplace: Waayu will further create a zero-commission marketplace for restaurants to procure necessary supplies to optimize their operational costs.
• Economical and Transparent Pricing: At an affordable annual rate of INR 24,000, Waayu provides services against its competitors’ high commissions, as much as INR 7-10 lakh per annum.

Roadmap and Future Goals

While the aggressive plans for Waayu involve scaling to 24 cities in the next 18 months, it is eyeing over 5,000+ restaurants within a year. Besides that, the platform is also planning digitization initiatives for road vendors; a pilot with ONDC has already been in place. Also, the founders want deeper penetration into Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities-reach 803 districts of India.

On the technological front, Waayu is working to integrate 15 point-of-sale solutions, thus smoothing the operational ecosystem for restaurants. Besides, it contemplates a scalable platform with features such as inventory management and advanced analytics to suit the changing needs of its partners.

Market Disruption

While India’s online food delivery market is likely to surge threefold by 2030, Waayu’s innovative approach challenges incumbents and offers a sustainable alternative for restaurants. With its customer-centric policies and relentless focus on technology, Waayu will likely disrupt the food delivery business.

Ahead of this journey, though the road may be full of challenges, the promise of Waayu’s combination of technology, affordability, and inclusivity shines through a bright avenue for market share capture and long-term value creation in the ecosystem.