Suniel Shetty unveils ambitious plans for food delivery app Waayu

Actor Suniel Shetty recently became an investor and the brand ambassador of Waayu, a food delivery app that focuses on providing affordable food delivered in a short time in Mumbai. Shetty, who also owns several restaurants and bars, calls the launch of Waayu a boon to the restaurant business with zero commission rates.

Speaking at a launch event for the app, Shetty recalled how his family, which owned an Udupi restaurant chain, used to get only a small part of the profit, while the majority went to paying commission rates as high as 30%. Shetty said that Waayu’s business model was designed to provide ease to the owners with no cashburns and give their businesses the boost that they always looked for.

In conversation with Adgully, Shetty shared his initial reaction to being approached to become the brand ambassador for Waayu, and what made him say yes. He said, “It took me back to my restaurant days. I come from the Udupi restaurant industry, where everything is about hygiene, the quality of food, good customer care and giving back to the society. That is what Waayu is all about. Somewhere down the line there is a connection between how I grew up and what I am a part of now, we hope to deliver as much as we want to deliver.”

Adding further, he said, “For us, customer is above anything else. The place of business is a place of worship, which is above anything else.”

When asked about Waayu’s USP and how it aims to stand out in the crowded food delivery space, Shetty said, “The USP is being out of the box and tough. When I saw their model of zero cashburns, a small team with customers and establishments together for customer acquisition, and zero marketing cost, I thought it was brilliant. And with many associations backing us up, which means the kitchens who serve the food are saying we are the ones who’ll come forward and deliver great food, with stringent quality control and on time, then how can you go wrong?”

He added, “While a key problem with start-ups is cashburns, Waayu is cash positive already, so it’s a great business as well and somewhere down the line it also feels like CSR as I’m giving back to the community. During the pandemic period, a lot of establishments closed down and on top of that, a 30% commission has led to bleeding, so if we could stop that bleeding, it will be wonderful.”

These are edited excerpts. For the complete interaction with Suniel Shetty, please watch below.