The new Waayu app offers cheaper food than Swiggy and Zomato

Mumbai hotels have created their own online platform for food delivery, Waayu, which promises to be 15-20 per cent cheaper than other aggregators. Called Waayu, the food delivery app is said to address problems restaurants and customers face with existing online food delivery services, like high commissions, unfair ratings, biased reviews, and poor quality and support.

Waayu, a Destek HORECA product founded by tech entrepreneurs Anirudha Kotgire and Mandar Lande, is supported by the Mumbai-based Indian Association of Hotels and Restaurants (AHAR) and other industry bodies. It is a (SaaS) Software as a Service platform that connects customers with over 1000 Mumbai restaurants, including Bhagat Tarachand, Banana Leaf, Mahesh Lunch Home, Shiv Sagar, Guru Kripa, Kirti Mahal, Persian Darbar and Ladu Samrat.

Waayu reportedly does not charge any commission to restaurants, allowing them to offer competitive prices and better customer value. The platform aims to provide customers with affordable, timely, hygienic and quality food and avoid the problems of high prices, delays, lack of hygiene, low quality and lack of customer service. The company has also hired Suniel Shetty, the actor and hotelier, as their brand ambassador.

"Waayu app will transform the online food delivery industry by embracing a commission-free model. We have 16 revenue streams, but not all will kick in from the beginning. We will have a fixed fee deal with the restaurants at an introductory price of Rs 1,000 per month per outlet. Later, it will be increased to Rs 2,000 a month. There is no per-order commission," said founder Anirudha Kotgire

The app reportedly gives restaurant owners more flexibility and control over online ordering. They can receive payments directly to their bank accounts using methods like UPI, Paytm, Google Pay, net banking, and credit or debit cards. They can also choose their preferred delivery partners, like Grab and Dunzo, or have their own staff. The app will soon be integrated with the government's ONDC platform and expand to more cities in the coming months.