Running a restaurant has always been a competitive business, and today's digital landscape only intensifies the pressure to attract customers. Many restaurant owners need help filling their seats and maintaining steady foot traffic.
Fortunately, technology is changing the food business in India and the world at large. Thanks to online platforms like Zomato, restaurants now function like a marketplace, and internet traffic translates to real customers.
Listing your business on Zomato can raise your visibility and attract potential diners to your restaurant. So, to reap the maximum benefits one needs to register on the platform.
As a registered partner, you can enjoy the following with the “Zomato for business app”:
Get real-time notifications and reviews, and answer reviews quickly.
Manage and update your listing's information online through your computer or smartphone.
Enhanced advertising and promotion service.
Directly upload your special menu from the app.
Receive feedback and reviews to improve customers’ satisfaction.
Promote events like musical events, food festivals, etc., hosted at your establishment.
To list your business on Zomato, you need the following documents:
Private Limited Registration, Partnership, or LLP Registration.
An FSSAI Registration or License depending on the business's turnover, nature, and size.
GST Registration and Shop Act License in India
Bank account details
Your restaurant menu
Images for your top five dishes
If your restaurant business is not currently listed on Zomato, you can list it by performing the following steps:
Step 1: Visit the Zomato for Business App[1] link to register on the app.
Step 2: Use the search bar to find your restaurant's name on Zomato.
If the restaurant is in the listing, click on “Claim the Listing”. In other cases (if a restaurant is not listed on Zomato), click “Add your Restaurant” to Zomato business listings. Then, follow the steps in the “To Add Restaurant on Zomato” section.
Step 3: After adding or claiming your restaurant on Zomato, scroll down to the "Zomato for Business" page, where you'll find a registration form.
Step 4: Fill out the form with your name, restaurant name, email, phone number, and city. At this stage, you'll also include details like restaurant type, cuisines, opening hours, and upload images.
Step 5: The final step is physical verification. A Zomato executive will visit your restaurant to collect documents (Aadhar card, PAN card, FSSAI registration) and take photos. Once done, your restaurant will be listed.
To successfully run a restaurant on Zomato, businesses must follow specific guidelines. They include:
Users search for and identify where to eat or order using restaurant names.
You must write your restaurant's name as it appears on the board outside the restaurant.
Do not mention the types of restaurant and their taglines on Zomato. Only do so if you registered the restaurant's name with the tagline.
Zomato does not accept abbreviations in the restaurant name.
The restaurant address guides diners to the restaurant.
List your address in a standardized format for users to understand easily.
Avoid using more than one landmark, and do not use abbreviations.
Do not use neighboring restaurant names as landmarks, as it affects other restaurant search results.
Add the floor number and building name. This makes the location accessible, especially if the restaurant is above the ground floor.
A diner looks at the facilities offered when deciding about where to dine. Zomato refers to these as attribute tags.
Restaurants serving only vegetarian food are called “Pure Veg” (no meat and egg).
The “Smoking Area” tag is only for restaurants with a dedicated smoking area.
“Happy Hours” are only for restaurants that serve alcohol. They offer special discounts during the day.
The curved lines resembling a signal shows if diners can use Wi-Fi at the restaurant.
Diners rely on the restaurant page for information, and visuals are the first thing they notice—whether it’s shots of the ambiance, exterior, or food.
Keep these tips in mind when uploading photos:
Photo order matters: [Façade/exterior shots] → [Ambience/interior shots] → [Food shots].
Façade shots show the exterior, including the restaurant sign and entrance.
Ambience shots highlight the interior and seating arrangements.
Food shots display the dishes made by the restaurant.
You cannot upload photos with people in them, and using images from Google or other sites violates copyright. Zomato discourages stock photos because they don’t reflect the restaurant’s true offerings, which can mislead diners.
Only JPEG and PNG formats are supported for uploads.
Diners rely extensively on the Zomato menus when deciding where to eat or what to order and to determine the cost. While uploading your menu to Zomato, pay attention to the following:
The maximum dimensions recommended for menu pages are 650×700 pixels.
Only keep the relevant text portion of the menu on the page.
Do not put-up menus without prices, as it affects a user's decision. The menu must include the prices of every dish. This gives the diners an idea of how much they will spend at the restaurant.
For every dollar spent on marketing, Zomato returns over 8x the investment. This is not hard to believe bearing in mind that traffic to Zomato tops 90 million monthly visits.
Therefore, currently, only 12 000 restaurants in 23 countries can advertise on the platform. Below are a few ways to advertise your business on Zomato.
Offer special deals and discounts. This keeps your current customers and attracts new customers.
Putting up a special 'meal of the day' spurs curiosity among foodies and lures them to your dining place. This is another effective advertising strategy for Zomato.
Why not offer a special discount or two for customers during certain hours of the day? These specific time slots are known as ‘happy hours.” An example of happy hour you can explore is the “buy one drink and get one free between 5 PM and 6 PM.”
Offer cuisines people have yet to hear of. You could come up with special dishes or traditional delicacies.
Ad banners improve your visibility on Zomato's web and mobile platforms. Although this comes at an additional cost, like paid advertising, it is an effective way to bump your restaurant's banner to the homepage.
Overall, to get the best out of your advertising strategies on Zomato, you must optimize your online and offline processes. Adverts will get customers through your door, but your services are what keeps them.
The importance of listing your restaurant on Zomato cannot be overstated. It is simply a way to take your business and visibility and reach the next level. From menu upload, order placement, dining-in, and food delivery, Zomato for business is a breath of fresh air for restaurant owners.
Getting listed on Zomato opens many opportunities for restaurant owners. But using the platform alone won't be enough. You must try to understand how the platform works and devise visibility strategies. Are you struggling to list your business on Zomato? GrowthJockey is your trusted partner in achieving e-commerce success.
Zomato does not charge for registering or listing your business. However, it charges a 7% commission on the total orders from the restaurants listed in its food-ordering business. This is in addition to delivery and payment gateway charges.
For restaurants that complete less than 50 orders per week, Zomato charges 2.99%.
Zomato Gold[2] is an exclusive "club" or loyalty program set up by Zomato for users. When customers visit your restaurant, they'll earn Gold if they show their unique Gold ID to a member of your staff. Restaurants in the Gold program usually offer their customers a perk. This might be a complimentary drink or meal.
Yes, you generally need a physical restaurant to list on Zomato. It helps users find information about restaurants which includes menus, reviews, and ratings.
However, Zomato also supports cloud kitchens or virtual restaurants that don't have a traditional dine-in space.
If you run a cloud kitchen, you can still list on Zomato. This will help you reach potential customers and offer delivery or takeaway.