According to reports from Moneycontrol, Rapido-backed food delivery platform Ownly has achieved a significant milestone by processing more than 50,000 daily orders in Bengaluru, capturing approximately 10% of the city's food delivery market. This represents a substantial increase from the 40,000 daily orders reported in July, when the platform held an estimated 7% share of the city's food delivery market. The milestone comes barely five months after the platform went live across the city, giving Rapido early evidence that its proposition of lower prices for consumers and zero commissions for restaurants can find traction in a market dominated by Swiggy and Zomato.
The early momentum has begun to influence established players, with several operators of large restaurant chains telling Moneycontrol that both Zomato and Swiggy have become more proactive in courting restaurant partners, offering sweeter commercial terms to retain them on their platforms. This competitive response demonstrates how Ownly's rapid growth is forcing incumbents to reconsider their market strategies. Nationally, however, Rapido remains a much smaller player compared to the established duopoly - Zomato fulfills more than 2.5 million food orders daily, while Swiggy processes around 2-2.2 million orders each day across India.
According to Moneycontrol reports, Empire, a Bengaluru-based restaurant chain, has witnessed impressive growth since joining Ownly in March. The platform's daily order tally for Empire has shown remarkable growth: 136 orders in March, rising to 398 in April, 685 in May, crossing 1,100 in June and already exceeding 1,700 orders in July. Group CEO Shakir Haq stated that the scale-up has been impressive and these are incremental revenues that weren't being captured earlier, with confidence that daily order numbers will soon touch 10,000 for their brand. This case study demonstrates how Ownly's model is delivering tangible benefits to restaurant partners.
As reported by Moneycontrol, Ownly is positioning its zero-commission model as an alternative to established players, allowing restaurants to keep menu prices closer to offline rates while customers pay a transparent delivery fee. This approach differentiates Ownly from traditional food delivery platforms and potentially offers restaurants more favorable terms for partnerships. Rapido co-founder and CEO Aravind Sanka has argued that the existing model has created a pricing mismatch that discourages repeat ordering, with the company's philosophy reflecting the belief that India's online food delivery market remains significantly underpenetrated despite more than a decade of app-based ordering. The platform's average order values remain at ₹200-220, roughly half of Swiggy and Zomato's ₹400-450, leaving it with a smaller revenue pool per order but potentially attracting more price-sensitive consumers.
The food delivery market is entering a fresh phase of competition after nearly two years of relative stability, with Flipkart preparing to launch an ONDC-powered food delivery service in Bengaluru and Swiggy scaling its budget-focused Toing offering. Zomato is also pushing affordable meals through Bistro, reflecting a broader industry shift towards value-conscious consumers. However, the battle is no longer centered on discounts alone, with companies increasingly believing that India's online food delivery market remains significantly underpenetrated. Ownly's early traction in Bengaluru demonstrates that restaurants and consumers are willing to try alternatives, potentially redrawing the competitive playbook for India's next food delivery war. The platform is now gearing up for multi-city expansion over the coming weeks, buoyed by its early traction in Bengaluru.
