Seven Zomato listing fixes that bring more orders this week

When a new kitchen joins us, we do not start with ads. We start with the listing, because every rupee you spend on visibility is wasted if people land on your page and leave. These are the seven fixes we make first.

1. Replace the cover image

Your cover is the first thing people see in the list. A photo of your shopfront or logo does not make anyone hungry. Use your best selling dish, shot close, in daylight, on a plain background.

2. Put your hero dishes first

Customers rarely scroll past the first two categories. Create a short "Bestsellers" or "Chef's picks" category at the top with four to six dishes that you cook brilliantly and that travel well.

3. Cut the menu

A ninety item menu feels like choice to you and like homework to a customer. Fewer items mean faster decisions, faster prep and less waste. Most kitchens can remove a third of their menu without losing a single regular.

4. Write descriptions that sell

"Chicken curry" tells people nothing. "Slow cooked chicken in a tomato and cashew gravy, mildly spiced, serves one" tells them exactly what they are getting and why it is worth it.

5. Fix your timings

If you close at 11pm but the app says 10:30pm, you are invisible during the late night rush. Check your timings on every platform every week, especially after festivals and holidays.

6. Price for the app, not the dining room

Commissions and packaging change the maths. Build combos that raise your average order value and protect your margin instead of simply copying dine in prices.

7. Reply to reviews

A short, human reply to every negative review shows future customers that someone cares. Then fix the problem the review points to. That is how ratings really move.

Do these seven things before you spend on ads. You will get more from every rupee afterwards.