Cloud kitchen consulting: growing a delivery-first restaurant
A cloud kitchen depends entirely on its delivery app numbers: which dishes sell, what each order earns once commission and discounts are taken out, and how easily customers find the listing. AETR works on that side of the business, from menu engineering before launch to listing positioning, outlet-level audits, payout reconciliation and day-to-day account management.
Where we help a delivery-first brand
Menu audit
Dishes, portion sizes and prices chosen around what your area actually orders and where competitors sit, so from launch day the listing pushes the dishes that make you money.
5–7 business days See the serviceMarketplace audit
For every outlet on Zomato and Swiggy, a separate look at how easily customers find you, how many of them order, and where your ad and discount budgets go.
5–7 business days See the servicePayout audit
What the platforms paid you set against what they owed you: commissions, deductions and payout timing, checked one line at a time.
5–7 business days from receiving payout data See the serviceFood photoshoot
Food and ambiance photos taken by a professional for your delivery listings and menu, in a single 8-hour session.
₹15,000 + GST See the serviceAccount management
Once you are live, our account managers can run your Zomato and Swiggy merchant accounts day to day, so your attention stays on the kitchen.
Learn moreRestaurant ROI calculator
Enter your own figures to estimate revenue, the break-even point, how long payback takes and the ROI on a new kitchen or outlet.
Free Learn moreFSSAI licence registration
We prepare and file your FSSAI application and follow it up until it is approved.
From ₹1,000 + GST (1-year licence) See the serviceTrademark application
A clearance search, then a single-class trademark application for your brand name, filed and tracked for you.
From ₹5,999 + GST, government fees extra See the serviceWe work on the menu, how you perform on the marketplaces, payouts, marketing and compliance. Choosing kitchen equipment or technology suppliers is not part of these services.
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly is a cloud kitchen?
A cloud kitchen is a restaurant that only delivers, with no seating or dine-in area. Its orders arrive via apps like Zomato and Swiggy, sometimes alongside the brand's own ordering channels. Because it relies on those apps for its sales, things like commission, how visible the listing is and the rating shape the business more directly than they would for a dine-in outlet.
Can AETR help me set up a cloud kitchen?
We help with the commercial side of it: engineering the menu, positioning the listing, auditing marketplace performance and payouts, photography and marketing, plus filing your FSSAI licence and trademark applications. After launch, our account managers can also run your Zomato and Swiggy accounts day to day. Picking kitchen equipment or technology suppliers is outside what we do, so you would need to arrange that separately.
What should I have in place before I spend on ads for a new delivery listing?
Two things: a menu shaped around what people in your delivery area actually order, priced so each dish still earns after commission, and a listing whose positioning is built on that menu. Ads bring people to the listing, but if the menu and photos don't persuade them to order, that spend does little. Getting these basics right first means any advertising has something worth pointing at.
How fast can a new delivery brand grow its orders?
It varies from brand to brand and market to market, so we don't commit to a timeline or an order count before we start. What moves a new listing is usually the same set of basics: a menu built around local demand, pricing that works after commission, good photos, reliable availability and a healthy rating. An audit shows which of these is holding your brand back.
Can I work out whether a cloud kitchen will pay off before I open?
Yes. AETR's free restaurant ROI calculator takes your own expected sales, costs and investment and estimates revenue, the break-even point, the payback period and ROI from them. It is a sensible first check before you commit money to a kitchen, and the numbers you put in can later be compared with what the delivery apps actually report once you are trading.
How much do an FSSAI licence and a trademark cost through AETR?
FSSAI registration is ₹1,000 + GST for one year, ₹1,500 + GST for two years or ₹2,000 + GST for three, and usually takes 7–15 business days depending on FSSAI's processing. A single-class trademark application starts at ₹5,999 + GST, with government filing fees billed separately at cost. We normally file within 5–7 business days of getting your details; the Registry sets its own timeline after that.
Related guides, services and insights
Zomato and Swiggy account management for restaurants and cloud kitchens
AETR is a Gurugram restaurant consultancy that runs Zomato and Swiggy accounts for restaurants, cafés and cloud kitchens in India.
Read the guide Menu & food photographyRestaurant menu engineering and food photography
Menu engineering means deciding which dishes to promote, reprice, simplify or remove, based on how often each sells and what it earns after ingredient cost.
Read the guide Beyond the AggregatorsCan a Cloud Kitchen Run Without Zomato and Swiggy? Counting the Cost
Restaurant India's 2026 analysis puts numbers on what the aggregators cost a cloud kitchen, and on what it takes to build the same things yourself.
4 min read Running the BusinessMenu Engineering for a New Zomato or Swiggy Delivery Menu
A 2026 RetailPOS guide argues that a delivery menu should be sorted and priced before the listing goes live, not tidied up months later.
3 min read Beyond the AggregatorsDirect Ordering for Restaurants: Relying Less on Zomato and Swiggy
More restaurants in India are setting up ordering channels of their own, not to walk away from Zomato and Swiggy but to depend on them less.
2 min readLaunching or growing a delivery-only brand?
Tell us what you cook and where you deliver. We'll tell you which audit or service suits the stage you are at.
Let's Transform Your Restaurant's Success Together
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