If you place an order on Zomato today, your bill will likely include a delivery partner fee, a platform fee, restaurant packaging charges and GST. In some cases, you may even be asked to shell out a long distance delivery fee or a rain surcharge. That was not the case just seven years ago.
A Zomato user recently dug out an old bill for an order he placed in 2019. At that time, he placed an order without any extra fees on top of the product cost. “Just went scrolling down the order history, to see this order today. This was the time when Zomato was actually affordable to order,” the man wrote while sharing a screenshot of the bill on Reddit.
Zomato order from 2019
The screenshot shows that he ordered Paneer Malai Tikka through Zomato in 2019. While the dish itself cost ₹160, he added a coupon code to get an extra discount. All in all, he ended up paying ₹92.
The man revealed that the order was placed from a restaurant located 9.6 km away from his house. Today, the same order would cost him ₹300.
“No delivery charges in sight… those were the days of affordable eating,” he wrote. The customer also acknowledged that the price of food items has doubled in the intervening years.
{{/usCountry}}“No delivery charges in sight… those were the days of affordable eating,” he wrote. The customer also acknowledged that the price of food items has doubled in the intervening years.
{{/usCountry}}The old Zomato bill has grabbed attention on Reddit, having garnered almost 500 upvotes and dozens of comments.
“Well every platform was affordable back then but compare it with the living costs and wages. Cannot get everything for less now,” wrote one user.
“I get what you mean brother but i am someone who's worked in catering industry for some time (Business Papa ka) The cost of raw materials have gone almost double (not everything but I remember we used to buy amul ghee for 5500 for 15kg tin and now it's near 9000) so that's another reason. Then Zomato & Swiggy used to give almost 50 percent discount at that time on almost 90% of the restaurants,” another explained.
“I remember around 2019, my border for ordering was 150rs max..Now it has changed to 300/35,” a user said.
(Also read: Food delivery from Zomato, Swiggy, other platforms to now attract 18% GST)