WARNING: Ordering Through Swiggy Or Zomato Might Cost You Extra Money!

Food delivery apps may have made life much more convenient, but is that convenience coming at a hefty price?

There was a time when ordering food involved having to dig through a stack of food menus, finding the one you want, calling the restaurant to place an order, and trusting the delivery guy to find his way to your house. The advent of food delivery apps have definitely taken a lot of the labour out of this process - now, all you have to do is whip out your phone! The menus are already there, there’s no need to talk to anyone, and you can even track the delivery guy throughout his journey to your house! In short, for those of us who don’t have time to cook, and those who just haven’t bothered to learn how to, apps like Zomato and Swiggy are nothing short of a godsend. 

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However, before you go online to order your next meal, you might want to make sure that you have some extra cash handy. Why, you ask? Well, it looks like your favourite dishes actually cost more when you’re ordering via Zomato or Swiggy, as compared to the price listed on the restaurant’s actual menu!

Depending upon the size of the outlet, this price inflation can range from Rs. 5 up to Rs. 50, a sum we happily pay without even realising it. It’s interesting to note that this markup usually comes on top of the taxes, delivery fee, and packaging cost that these companies already charge. 

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These adjustments are usually done when restaurant owners decline to pay a hefty commission to the delivery companies for their services (which can vary between 15 to 35 percent of the cost) The inflated pricing allows food aggregators to maintain a profit, as the difference between the original and inflated price of any dish goes straight into their pockets! While this business model is not technically illegal, it certainly falls under the grey area of unethical, as the consumer is kept totally out of the loop.

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While Zomato has firmly denied engaging in activities of this sort, it’s surely worth a comparison between the restaurant’s menu and the app’s menu the next time you’re ordering food at home!