Recently, an ex user (@Kannan__TS) took to the platform to share a comparison between a restaurant bill and the prices of the same order on Zomato. The post has garnered 1 million views so far and has taken the internet by storm. In the photo, a phone shows Zomato prices next to the restaurant’s regular paper bill. The picture is captioned, “My uncle ordered food from Murugan Idli shop. See the price difference between @zomato and actual. According to the photo, six pieces of idli were priced at Rs 132 at the restaurant, while Zomato charged Rs 198 for it. Two pieces of ghee podi idli were priced at Rs 88 at the establishment, but Rs 132 on the food delivery app.
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Similar cost variations were seen for other items as well. The Chettinad Masala Dosa was priced at Rs 260 on Zomato, while it was priced at Rs 171 at the restaurant. The Mysore Masala Dosa was priced at Rs 260 on the app, but was Rs 181 otherwise. The restaurant also charged a “packing charge” and taxes in addition. The total cost breakup for Zomato was not visible. See below:
My uncle ordered food from Murugan Idli shop. See the difference in price @zomato And real. pic.twitter.com/R83rVHKJhZ
— Kannan (@Kannan__TS) July 16, 2024
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Zomato took notice of the viral post and responded to it on Instagram, saying, “Hi Kannan, we understand your concern and would like to look into it. Can you DM us your order ID or registered contact details?”
Hi Kannan, we can understand your concern and would like to get it checked. Can you please DM us your order ID or registered contact details? https://t.co/jcTFuGT2Se
— Zomato Care (@zomatocare) July 16, 2024
Several users reacted to the viral post and pointed out that the high prices are merely a reflection of the “convenience” of the service provided by the food delivery app. Others reacted differently. Check out some of the comments below:
The company must earn
The driver must pay
Motorcycles burn fuel
There is no free food here, sir.
— Col Hunny Bakshi, VSM (@colhunnybakshi) July 17, 2024
The price of comfort and convenience.
— dr_vee (@dr_vee95) July 17, 2024
I don’t think there is much difference for convenience. If the restaurant offers free delivery, you can order from them
— Punita Toraskar (@impuni) July 17, 2024
Yes, it will definitely make a difference.
– Zomato charges a 30% fee on every purchase from restaurants.
– Zomato does not provide any offers, all offers are provided by the restaurants.
– For showcasing the restaurant to customers, Zomato charges an additional fee in the form of advertising fees.
That’s why restaurant prices vary.
— Pughalventhan Venkatesan (@pugalventhan_91) July 17, 2024
Everyone knows this.
But no one wants to step out of their house, go to a restaurant, order food, wait for the food to be cooked and then take it home.
–Aashish Sutar (@aashish_sutar) July 17, 2024
This is nothing… you can see a huge difference in many cases… I have seen a case where 50% more charges were levied on the bills… commission, delivery charges… GST on that… GST Mela GST… ?
– Aravind Bala (@aravindbal) July 16, 2024
This is quite normal for pricing on food delivery platforms.. it should be so that restaurants get something (they should be paying a fee to the platform)… In Australia, Uber Eats takes about 30% from restaurants on every order. So, unless there is a markup, restaurants lose money!
– Sriram (彬彬), MBA MA BTechIT (@svambaekohau) July 17, 2024
Zomato and Swiggy have been in the news recently for hiking their platform fees. Click here for more details.
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