Rapido's zero-commission model disrupting food delivery.
Rapido is making a play to disrupt the food delivery market in India, dominated by Zomato and Swiggy, with its Ownly app. Launched in Bengaluru after a trial period since June 2025, Ownly aims to target the 70,000 restaurants in the city not listed on major platforms due to high commission costs.
Rapido CEO Aravind Sanka plans to leverage a zero-commission model to attract smaller restaurants and street food vendors, similar to how Rapido initially digitized auto rickshaws. This approach seeks to address the gap between the average cost of eating out in India (₹100) and the higher average order value on existing food delivery platforms (₹400).
The strategy mirrors that of Meesho in e-commerce, focusing on cost efficiency to unlock a market segment often ignored by larger players like Flipkart and Amazon. By offering a zero-platform fee, Ownly allows restaurants to list actual prices without inflating them to cover commissions, potentially appealing to a broader customer base.
Rapido’s existing bike-taxi fleet provides a structural advantage in logistics, as food delivery demand complements the peak hours for bike-taxi services. This allows for more efficient driver utilization and lower delivery costs compared to platforms relying solely on food delivery.
While other companies like Amazon and Ola have struggled to gain traction in the food delivery market, Rapido hopes its focus on fair pricing and efficient logistics will create a sustainable model. The company currently has 2,300 restaurants on its platform in Bengaluru and plans to expand further.
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