Zomato and Swiggy hike platform fees to ₹10 per order amid festive season, sparking food lovers’ discontent. Nationwide, customers voice outrage on social media, saying rising food delivery costs have become unsustainable.
Zomato introduced a platform fee in August 2023, starting at ₹2 and gradually raising it to ₹4 by January 2024. In just a year, the fee jumped to ₹10, impacting casual users and Gold members significantly. As this fee adds to delivery charges, many are questioning whether the convenience of food delivery justifies the growing costs.
Social media users are taking to platforms like X (formerly Twitter) to voice their discontent. One user, Ravisutanjani, noted, “Food orders began with free delivery. Now we have to pay GST, delivery, packing, and platform fees. Where does it end”? Another user, Snehil, echoed similar sentiments, expressing frustration with what they labeled a “common practice to loot customers in the name of platform fees.”
Aditya Shah perfectly captured the prevailing sentiment, highlighting the irony as customers pay inflated costs just to use these platforms, while restaurants face pressure from fees, all for the privilege of offering takeout.
The outcry hasn’t gone unnoticed by the netizens. Memes mocking the situation are circulating rapidly, with one user quipping, “Platform fee to be higher than delivery charges soon.” It seems many are reaching their breaking point with food delivery apps, feeling that the joy of ordering in is being overshadowed by a surge in hidden costs.
As the festive season approaches, the question looms: will these price hikes of Zomato and Swiggy drive customers back to cooking at home or spark a boycott of these platforms? Time will reveal the outcome, but one thing is clear—rising fees are testing many people’s love for food, with many considering them excessive.
