On March 3, 2026, Rapido officially launched Ownly, its standalone food delivery app, after testing it in select areas of Bengaluru since June 2025.
Rapido CEO Aravind Sanka believes that the food delivery market is ripe for disruption, particularly given that Bengaluru has over 100,000 FSSAI-licensed restaurants, yet fewer than 30,000 are visible on major platforms like Swiggy and Zomato.
“The missing 70,000 restaurants represent a significant opportunity,” Sanka noted, drawing parallels to his previous success in digitizing autorickshaw services before the pandemic.
He pointed out that the average cost of dining out in India is around ₹100, while typical orders on existing platforms average ₹400. This discrepancy highlights a market gap that Ownly intends to fill.
“It's not a demand issue; it's about affordability and trust,” Sanka explained. By prioritizing a restaurant-first approach, Ownly aims to create a more equitable food delivery ecosystem.
Challenges in the Current Market
For years, Zomato and Swiggy have dominated India's online food delivery landscape, controlling over 90% of the market. However, both companies have recently faced stagnation in growth, leading to increased commissions and fees for restaurants and consumers alike.
- Swiggy's platform fee rose from ₹2 in April 2023 to ₹17.58, a 790% increase.
- Zomato's fee saw a similar increase from ₹2 to ₹14.90, a 645% hike.
These rising costs have forced restaurants to inflate menu prices, making food delivery less accessible to everyday consumers.
Targeting the Unseen Market
According to Sanka, while around 25-30 million users transact monthly on food delivery platforms, the number of people dining out is estimated to be 200-300 million. This indicates a massive untapped market.
Ownly's initial data from its Bengaluru launch shows that 15% of the 2,300 onboarded restaurants were previously offline, reinforcing the potential for growth in this segment.
Ownly's Unique Approach
By adopting a zero-commission model, Ownly allows restaurants to list their actual prices without the burden of commission costs. This strategy aims to make online food delivery more affordable for both consumers and restaurants.
“From a restaurant’s perspective, the cost of doing business online should be zero,” Sanka stated. This model enables restaurants to pass savings directly to customers.
Leveraging Logistics
Rapido’s existing logistics infrastructure provides a significant advantage. The company operates one of the largest fleets of bike-taxi riders, which can efficiently handle food delivery alongside their regular services.
“Our captains are already trained for food delivery, which keeps our logistics costs lower than those of our competitors,” Sanka added.
A New Direction for Food Delivery
Unlike many previous ventures in the food delivery space that struggled with logistics and unsustainable discounting, Ownly focuses on fair pricing without reliance on subsidies.
“We believe that honest pricing will allow us to build a self-sustaining business even at low order values,” Sanka concluded, although the long-term success of Ownly remains to be seen as it expands its restaurant partnerships.
