Sagar Daryani on Reclaiming Restaurant Customer Intelligence

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In today’s digital-first food ecosystem, customer data has emerged as the most valuable asset for restaurant owners. This reality was highlighted by Sagar Daryani, President of the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) and founder of Wow! Momo at the recent NRAI Food Delivery Summit 2025.

“We don’t have the data for our respective brands,” Daryani pointed out. “Food aggregators have the entire tech stack; nothing stops them from migrating our consumers to their platform. So, we feel it is not a level playing field.”

Know Your Customer, Grow Your Business

Behind every order lies valuable information that can transform how restaurants operate. When aggregators control this data, restaurant owners are essentially flying blind, unable to understand their customers’ preferences and behaviors.

Sagar Daryani put it simply:

The right customer insights allow restaurants to create targeted marketing campaigns, personalize offerings, and build meaningful relationships with diners, all without slashing prices.

The Data Gap: A Growing Industry Concern

The problem extends beyond just missing out on marketing opportunities. As Daryani elaborated, “For marketing costs to go down, we need to get a database, which we feel is our democratic right.”

This data gap is particularly challenging for smaller restaurants. “There is a sense of fear, and smaller brands are feeling the heat,” Daryani noted, highlighting how the current situation favors larger players with more resources.

Taking Back Control: The Direct Ordering Solution

Restaurants don’t need to remain dependent on aggregators. By implementing their own direct ordering systems, whether through QR codes, websites, or apps, restaurants can begin collecting valuable first-party data with every transaction.

These systems allow customers to browse menus and place orders directly, all while providing the restaurant with critical information about preferences and behaviors.

“If my cost comes down, I will not keep my online pricing higher than offline pricing and will pass on that benefit to the customer,” Daryani emphasized, highlighting how data ownership benefits both restaurants and diners.

From Data to Dollars: The Reelo Approach

This is where platforms like Reelo are changing the game. Known throughout the industry for helping restaurants “grow revenue without discounting,” Reelo offers comprehensive customer data management solutions specifically designed for restaurants.

Parin, Co-founder and CEO of Reelo, explains:

“When restaurants own their customer data, they unlock incredible growth potential without resorting to margin-killing discounts. It’s about creating value through personalization, not price cuts.”

Reelo’s CRM and marketing automation platform, currently used by over 28,000 restaurant brands, integrates seamlessly with existing POS systems to ensure restaurants never lose control of their valuable customer data.

Real Results: Success Stories From The Field

Berco’s 204x ROI Campaign

Berco’s, a restaurant chain with over 50 locations serving Chinese and Thai cuisine, faced challenges in coordinating customer communication across its expansive network. For their Viet Thai Festival, they leveraged Reelo’s Smart Groups to target:

Loyalty point holders across 10 Delhi locations
Higher spenders from the previous quarter
Customers who previously enjoyed Thai menu items

The results were impressive:

₹13+ lakhs in revenue over just 7 days
854 restaurant visits in one week
₹1,522 average order value
A remarkable 204x return on marketing investment

Pizza Bakery’s ₹1+ Crore Loyalty Empire

Pizza Bakery, known for its artisanal approach (including 48-hour cold-fermented sourdough and custom-built wood-fired ovens), partnered with Reelo to build a loyalty program that matched their premium product.

Their approach focused on:

Simple phone-based enrollment requiring just a phone number
WhatsApp-powered engagement with instant loyalty updates
Smart customer segmentation identifying preferences and patterns
Targeted campaigns including “We Miss You” offers and “Pizza Explorer” rewards

The 12-month results:

Generated over ₹1 Crore in loyalty revenue
Achieved a 16.43% redemption rate
Averaged ₹1,011 per redemption
Built a thriving community of pizza enthusiasts

Building Relationships That Last

Once you’ve collected customer data, the next step is transforming these insights into personalized experiences that keep diners coming back.

By leveraging platforms like WhatsApp for direct marketing, restaurants can create personalized communications based on actual customer behaviors, sending a dessert lover information about new sweet treats, or notifying a family about meal deals perfect for their group.

The Path Forward: A New Restaurant Business Model

The message from industry leaders is clear: restaurants must reclaim ownership of their customer data to thrive. By implementing direct ordering systems, building loyalty programs, and leveraging platforms like Reelo to manage customer relationships, restaurants can break free from dependency on aggregators.

In an industry with tight margins, owning customer data isn’t just nice to have; it’s essential. The Reelo approach shows that restaurants don’t need endless discounts to attract customers. What they need is data to understand customers, tools to engage them, and strategies to keep them coming back.

As Daryani concluded, “For marketing costs to go down, we need to get a database, which we feel is our democratic right.”

The restaurants that embrace this data-driven, discount-free approach will be the ones writing success stories in the years ahead.

About The Author

Priyalshri is a B2B SaaS content marketer who turns ideas into stories that stick. With a knack for simplifying the complex and making the simple unforgettable, she believes storytelling is the key to making marketing both entertaining and impactful.