Zomato order costs more than dine-in or take away? Firm responds to post highlighting high cost of ordering food online

New Delhi: Online food delivery platform Zomato has now responded to a post that highlighted that the cost of ordering food online is higher than dining at the same restaurant. In the post shared on social networking platform LinkedIn by a user named Rahul Kabra, he pointed out that an online order from Zomato from a restaurant cost him Rs 690. The outlet charged Rs 512 for the same order when bought offline, he noted in his post dated July 4. 

"Assuming Zomato brings visibility and more orders to the food service provider, should it charge such high price?" he asked in his LinkedIn post adding, "I think there is a need to cap this cost escalation which should be implemented by the government so as to make this a win-win for all stakeholders."

He further noted that eventually, customers will come to know of the high cost they are paying for Zomato delivery and eventually skip ordering from the online food delivery platform or move to some other substitute. 

Zomato Responds 

Responding to Kabra’s post, Zomato pointed out that the company has no control over the prices set by its partner restaurants. "That said, we have conveyed your feedback to the restaurant partner and have requested them to look into this," the online food delivery platform said.

Moreover, responding to Kabra’s post, a few users highlighted that there are additional costs to consider while ordering food online. For instance, users pointed out that customers need to add a value to the time spent on visiting the outlet and getting the food at home. 

"Add a value for the convenience of getting the food at home. And if you have a tip do add that too," a LinkedIn user named Gautam Mahtani said. Users even brought up that platforms like Zomato make sure that customers get food delivered to their doorstep even in extreme weather conditions.