How to get orders without Swiggy and Zomato.
Six ways to take orders directly from your guests, what each one costs, and the honest limits, starting with the big one: someone has to deliver the food.
Updated 10 October 2026
Take orders through your own online ordering page, QR codes on tables, WhatsApp, phone, an order link on your Google Business Profile, and offers that bring past guests back. Most of these cost little or nothing to run. The real costs are delivery (your own rider, or per trip from ₹48 in Mumbai on Porter) and the staff time to handle orders. Direct orders work best with guests who already know you; the apps are still where new customers find you.
Who orders direct?
People who already know your food: regulars, neighbours, offices nearby, and guests who saw your board, your bill or your Instagram. You won’t replace the apps’ reach. But every regular who orders direct instead of through an app saves you the commission, GST and fees on that order. Our Swiggy and Zomato commission guide shows how much that is.
Six ways, with costs and limits
| Channel | What it costs | Honest limits |
|---|---|---|
| Your own online ordering page: a menu link guests order from | The software’s fee (a monthly plan, a percentage or a per-bill fee, depending on the provider) plus delivery | Guests need to know the link; you deliver; you collect payment |
| QR table ordering: guests order from their table | The software, plus printed QR stickers | Dine-in only; staff still serve and check orders |
| WhatsApp orders | The WhatsApp Business app is free; staff time | Each order is typed into billing by hand; easy to miss messages in the rush |
| Phone orders | A phone line and someone to answer | Missed calls at peak time; wrong addresses and dishes |
| Google Business Profile order link | Free | Google may also show delivery apps that say they work with you; mark yours as preferred |
| Repeat-guest offers: points, an “order direct” discount, messages to past guests | The discount you give | Message only guests who agreed; too many messages get you blocked |
1. Your own online ordering page
A page with your menu where guests choose dishes, enter their name, number and address, and send the order to you. Look for one that takes orders straight into your billing, shows sold-out dishes, lets you set delivery areas and a minimum order, and lets guests pay by UPI directly to you. UPI payments of ₹2,000 or less carry no merchant fee. Under NPCI’s new rules, larger ones can cost the restaurant up to 0.4%; the start was set as 15 October 2026, and small merchants are exempt (see UPI charges for restaurants).
2. QR table ordering
A QR code on each table opens your menu, and the order reaches the counter or kitchen. It saves captains’ time in the rush and makes it easy to add a round of drinks. It is for dine-in, not delivery, but it builds the habit of ordering from your own menu on the phone. See QR table ordering.
3. WhatsApp orders
Use the free WhatsApp Business app on a phone at the counter: add your menu as a catalogue, set quick replies for “Menu please” and “Where are you?”, and put the number on bills and parcels. It works well for regulars and office lunches. Broadcast messages from the app reach only guests who have saved your number.
4. Phone orders
The oldest channel still works, especially for family dinners and nearby homes. Write the order back to the guest before hanging up, and enter it into billing straight away so the kitchen gets a KOT.
5. An order link on Google
People searching for you on Google Search and Maps see your Business Profile. In it, open Food ordering, choose Add a link, paste your ordering page and turn on “Preferred” for pickup or delivery. Google says delivery providers that state they have a relationship with your business can also appear automatically, so marking your own link as preferred matters.
6. Offers that bring guests back
- Loyalty points on the guest’s phone number, used on the next visit or order. See loyalty and offers.
- An “order direct” offer, such as a free sweet or 10% off above ₹400, only on your own page or phone orders.
- A message to guests who haven’t come back in a month, sent from your own WhatsApp to guests who agreed to hear from you. See WhatsApp marketing.
The big one: delivery
The apps deliver; on direct orders, you do. Your options:
- Pickup only. No delivery cost at all. Good for a start.
- Per-trip delivery. Book a two-wheeler delivery on an app such as Porter. In Mumbai its fare starts at ₹48, which includes 1 km and 25 minutes; longer trips cost more (porter.in, checked 10 October 2026).
- Your own rider. As an example only: a rider costing ₹15,000 a month plus ₹3,000 of fuel, delivering 15 orders a day, works out to about ₹40 an order. Use your own numbers.
An example direct order: ₹400 of food, ₹40 for delivery, ₹15 for packaging and ₹3 for billing software leaves ₹342 before food cost. The same order on an app at 22% commission leaves about ₹272 in our worked example. On a direct order you also add 5% GST to the bill if you are registered under the regular scheme, and pay it yourself; on app orders the app pays it.
Newer options
ONDC, the government-backed open network, lets restaurants list through seller apps and be ordered from on several buyer apps; ask a seller app what it charges and how many orders it brings in your area. Ownly, Rapido’s food delivery service, was reported by Business Today in July 2026 to charge restaurants no commission, with about 20,000 restaurants listed. It started in Bengaluru and reached Hyderabad in September 2026; we found no launch in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai or Thane by 10 October 2026, so check whether it serves your area.
Getting the word out
- Your ordering link and WhatsApp number on every printed bill and parcel sticker.
- A poster with a QR code at the counter and the door.
- The link in your Google Business Profile, Instagram bio and WhatsApp status.
- Asking happy guests at the counter: “Next time, order directly from us.”
Direct orders with Venditas
Venditas includes your own online ordering page (venditas.in/o/your-name), QR table ordering, loyalty points, offers and WhatsApp campaigns sent from your own phone. Orders arrive in the POS for staff to accept, and the KOT goes to the kitchen. Every printed bill can end with your ordering page address. There is no commission: a direct order costs ₹3 like any paid bill, after 30 days free. There is no card payment gateway, and Venditas does not run riders: guests pay at pickup, on delivery, or by UPI straight to you, and you deliver with your own person or offer pickup only. It needs internet.
Costs in this guide are examples and public prices as of 10 October 2026. Your own numbers will differ.
Sources
All checked on 10 October 2026.
- Porter: two-wheeler delivery in Mumbai, for the ₹48 starting fare including 1 km and 25 minutes
- Google Business Profile Help: food ordering links, for adding a link, marking it preferred and third-party providers
- Business Today, 28 July 2026: Rapido’s Ownly goes live in the main app
- Entrepreneur India: Rapido launches Ownly in Bengaluru and Telangana Today, September 2026: Ownly enters Hyderabad
- ONDC: food and beverages
- Our own guides: UPI charges from 15 October 2026 and Swiggy and Zomato commission
Quick answers
Can a restaurant take online orders without Swiggy and Zomato?
Yes. Your own online ordering page, WhatsApp and phone orders, and an order link on your Google Business Profile all bring orders with no commission. The apps still bring new customers; direct orders work best with guests who already know you.
How do I deliver without Swiggy and Zomato?
With your own delivery person, or by booking a two-wheeler delivery per trip. Porter’s two-wheeler fare in Mumbai starts at ₹48, including 1 km and 25 minutes (porter.in, October 2026); longer trips cost more. Or offer pickup only.
Is WhatsApp ordering free?
The WhatsApp Business app is free. The cost is staff time: someone has to read each order, reply and enter it into billing. Sending automatic bulk messages needs the paid WhatsApp Business API, charged per message.
How do I add an order online link on Google?
In your Google Business Profile, open Food ordering, choose Add a link, paste your ordering page address and mark it as preferred for pickup or delivery. Google may also show delivery apps that say they work with you.
Do I charge GST on direct orders?
Yes, if you are registered for GST under the regular scheme: the bill carries 5% GST like a dine-in or takeaway bill, and you pay it. A composition scheme restaurant adds no GST and pays 5% of turnover itself. On Swiggy and Zomato orders the app pays the 5% instead.
Should I leave Swiggy and Zomato?
Not necessarily. Many restaurants use the apps to be found by new customers and push regulars to order direct. Work out what each app order really leaves you before deciding.
See it with your restaurant in mind.
Ask the founders to show an order, a KOT and a bill on a call. Tell us your bill count and printer model; we’ll work out the cost and setup with you. 30 days free, then ₹3 per paid bill. First 100 restaurants: we set it up for you, free.