With the advent of food delivery applications, ordering online food at doorstep has become the norm of the day. Be it in India, the US, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom, France or anywhere else, ordering food straight to the door is increasingly becoming a budget buster.
According to a survey conducted by Financebuzz in the United States, and reported by Quartz, fast food chains have the highest delivery app fees.
The amount one pays for food delivery depends on what they order, and where they order from. Also, food delivery apps sometimes don't charge a penny, as the amount one pay for the food exceeds a minimum order scale.
Financebuzz reported that chains like McDonald’s and Chick-fil-A, are charging more than others for this convenience in the US, compared to their competitors Uber Eats (UBER), Grubhub, DoorDash (DASH), and Postmates.
McDonald’s charge 134 per cent more for food costing around $10 in person, while Chick-fil-A's chicken sandwich costs $9.85 in-store and may jump to $23 on Grubhub.
The situation in India is not that unfamiliar. Here are five delivery apps and how they charge customers for delivering their food.
Zomato: This is the most sought-after food delivery app in India, where people in metros spend almost one-third of their salary. Depending on the size of the order, the delivery charges decrease. Though they claim to give offers, adding the delivery charges is almost the same. On average, Zomato charges about ₹50-80 per delivery.
Swiggy: Swiggy is another food delivery app in India that is a tough competitor to Zomato. They also offer discounts, but the delivery charges are set depending on where the food is being delivered and the total amount of the food. They, too, charge between ₹40-70 per order on average.
Uber Eats: Uber Eats is the third most popular app for food delivery. Their food delivery charge is less compared to the previous two food delivery giants. Uber Eats charges ₹30-50 per order.
Blinkit: Formerly known as Grofers, Blinkit is a an Indian quick-commerce service and claims to deliver food items and other products in 10 minutes. Zomato acquired Blinkit for US$568 million in an all-stock deal in 2022. Blinkit charges around ₹50-70 per order on an average, which may rise or fall depending on what you order.
Zepto: A quick commerce company headquartered in Mumbai, Zepto competes in India's hyper-competitive grocery delivery space, alongside Swiggy Instamart, Blinkit, and others. This app comparatively has the lowest delivery charges among its competitors, charging around ₹30-50 per order. However, the price may vary depending on the distance and final price of the order.
