Zepto unveils 10-minute food delivery service `Cafe` in Mumbai: All you need to know

New Delhi: Zepto, the popular 10-minute grocery delivery service, has launched meal delivery in Mumbai via its own app, dubbed 'Cafe,' escalating the struggle for rapid commerce.

Zepto, which shocked the online grocery industry last year by promising to deliver goods in 10 minutes or less, now wants to do the same with 'break time essentials.' This is at a time when bigger competitors like Zomato, Swiggy, and Ola are all experimenting with 10-minute meal delivery.

Zepto is presently offering free shipping on orders over Rs 99. The Mumbai-based startup has partnered with restaurants such as Blue Tokai Coffee, Chaayos, Gurukripa snacks, and Sassy Teaspoon, according to a brief look at the app. Tea, croissants, samosas, and coffee are among the products that can be delivered in 10 minutes.

"We launched this test a few weeks ago, and we've already seen an extraordinary response from clients," Aadit Palicha said in a news report. We'll keep modifying the concept for a while longer to get the customer experience and unit economics just right before growing."

"First and foremost, let me state unequivocally that we do not provide food delivery. With ready-to-drink coffee, tea, and packed snacks, this is a Café concept (like biscuits and sandwiches). We don't want to be diverted from our primary business by establishing a complex food delivery supply chain that is tough to govern."

He also stated that the foundation of Zepto's operation will remain grocery delivery and that the company will not diversify.

Zomato formerly stated that biryani, momos, bread omelette, poha, coffee, tea, and even instant noodles will be delivered in ten minutes. Ola Dash, the company's rapid commerce service, is also providing pizza and rolls in Bengaluru in 10 minutes.

Quick commerce firms are increasingly seeing quick food delivery as a natural extension, because they can use their delivery infrastructure to connect with cloud kitchens and convenience stores that sell bakery items, coffee, and snacks, among other things.

Zepto was formed by 19-year-olds Aadit Palicha and Kaivalya Vohra, who dropped out of Stanford University's computer science engineering degree in late 2020 and began offering services in April 2021. They dabbled in projects early on, having grown up in Dubai and coming from families with a commercial experience. Their first company, GoPool, a ride-sharing programme, was acquired by a Dubai-based corporation while they were still in school.

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