What is Food Aggregator Commission?
Food aggregator commission is the percentage that platforms like Zomato and Swiggy deduct from every order a restaurant receives through them. In India this typically runs 18 to 30 percent of order value, plus GST on the commission, payment gateway charges and optional advertising fees. On a ₹500 order a restaurant may actually receive only ₹350 to ₹400 after all deductions.
Commissions are the single biggest complaint of Indian restaurant owners, because food margins are often thinner than the commission itself. The common counter-strategy is channel mixing: stay on aggregators for discovery and new customers, but move repeat customers to direct channels — a WhatsApp ordering number, a QR-menu website with delivery, or a simple phone line — where the same ₹500 order keeps its full margin.