Key takeaways
- Photos, dish names, reviews and offers decide who gets the order. Fix them in that sequence.
- Name every dish for what it is, and put your five best-sellers at the top.
- Reply to every review within 48 hours, and run offers only on your slowest days.
- If your rating is below 4.0, fix packaging and order accuracy before you spend on promotion.
On Swiggy and Zomato, a customer chooses in a few seconds, with a thumb, on a small screen. They are comparing your café with a dozen others that deliver to the same address. Most of that decision comes down to four things you control: how the food looks, how the menu reads, what people say about you and what you offer.
The four fixes that matter most
Work through these in order. Each one is cheap compared with paid promotion, and each one makes every later rupee of promotion work harder.
| Fix | What to do | Why it helps |
|---|---|---|
| Photos | Photograph every dish in the same light and at the same angle. | A consistent menu looks trustworthy, and real photos help customers decide what to order. |
| Dish names | Put your five best-sellers at the top. Name each one for what it is, for example “Butter garlic prawns, 8 pcs”, not an in-house name nobody understands. | People scan quickly. A clear name answers “what is this?” before they scroll away. |
| Reviews | Reply to every review within 48 hours, especially the bad ones. | Future customers read your reply more closely than the complaint. |
| Offers | Run offers on your slowest days only. | Discounts on a Saturday night cost you margin on orders you would have received anyway. |
Photos: same light, same angle
You do not need a studio to start. Pick one window or one lit surface, use one background and shoot every dish from the same angle. When the whole menu shares one look, it reads as a single, well-run kitchen. Reshoot your top five dishes first, so the dishes you most want to sell look their best.
Names and order: write for someone in a hurry
Customers who do not know your menu rely on the name and the first line of the description. Say what the dish is, what it comes with and the portion. Move your five best-sellers to the top of the category so they are the first thing a new customer sees.
Reviews: answer within 48 hours
A reply is written for the next customer, not only for the one who complained. Keep it short, specific and calm.
- For a delay: “Sorry your order was late. Friday evenings are our busiest slot and we are adding a second packer. Please message us on WhatsApp and we will make it right.”
- For a missing item: “Thank you for telling us. We have changed our packing checklist so every bag is checked against the order before it leaves.”
Offers: slow days only
Look at your last month of orders and find the two or three weakest days. Put your offers there. Keep your full price on the days when people are already ordering.
Check your rating every week
If your rating is below 4.0, do not promote yet. Fix packaging, temperature and order accuracy first, because promotion sends more people to a page that is not yet ready for them.
Frequently asked questions
How often should I update my delivery-app menu?
Check your photos, prices and item availability every month, and your rating and recent reviews every week.
Should I offer discounts on Swiggy and Zomato?
Yes, but only on your slowest days. Discounts on busy days reduce your margin on orders you would have got anyway.
How do I get a higher rating on Swiggy and Zomato?
Start with packaging and order accuracy, because low ratings often come from the delivery experience rather than the food itself. Then reply to every review and keep your menu photos and descriptions accurate.
Can a marketing agency help with delivery-app listings?
Yes. At MarkEating, Swiggy and Zomato optimisation is an add-on to our monthly plans. It covers menu photos, dish names, descriptions and offers. Ask about it on your free audit call.
This guide is general advice, not a guarantee. Every restaurant is different, so test what works for your place.