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Rapido's food delivery platform Ownly has launched in Kolkata, adding to its existing presence in Bengaluru and Hyderabad. It runs on a zero-commission model, so restaurants keep the full value of each order, while customers pay menu prices plus delivery charges. Ownly plans to enter Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai and Ahmedabad by the end of 2026.
Swiggy's Toing and Rapido's Ownly are chasing budget diners, while Flipkart is building its own food delivery service. The apps aim for meals near ₹100 with no added checkout fees. Toing charges a ₹12 platform fee, against ₹14.99 on the main Swiggy app, and Swiggy's CEO says two in three new users had never ordered food delivery before.
Tastes2Plate, an intercity food delivery service, will begin a hot food pilot in Kolkata from November 11. Customers can order signature dishes from restaurants in other cities for a small extra charge at checkout, and receive them hot within 12 to 24 hours. Meals get heated in the receiving city while still sealed, using proprietary technology.
Swiggy said food delivery orders rose 10.7 per cent year on year across the three-day Diwali period, averaging 97,545 an hour. Kaju Katli was the most ordered sweet nationwide. On Dineout, bookings on November 8 jumped 38.5 per cent from last year's Diwali, with Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Mumbai leading metro reservations.
Zomato has launched Limitless Delivery, which lets users order from restaurants as far as 40 km away in their own city. Announced on November 6, it is live in seven cities including Bengaluru, Mumbai and Hyderabad. Swiggy made a similar move in October, adding multi-restaurant ordering for up to five restaurants in one checkout.
Zomato has added a pay-on-delivery fee for food orders paid in cash, shown separately from platform fees, packaging charges and GST. It is around Rs 5 on some orders, with reports of Rs 6, Rs 7 and up to Rs 20, and digital payments are exempt. The move comes as rivals such as Rapido and Flipkart push into food delivery.
Bengaluru startup Veritally lets restaurants check every order line in their Zomato and Swiggy weekly payouts. Owners upload the statement they already receive, and the tool flags commissions above normal, unexplained ads and discounts, and orders held over complaints. It also drafts messages to partner support. The launch follows requests from Bengaluru restaurant owners.
Restaurant associations in Bengaluru, backed by more than 1,000 hotels, have threatened to stop taking Swiggy and Zomato orders from August 15 unless demands on commissions, deductions and discounts are met. Commissions range from 8% to 28%. Demands include no automatic deductions before complaints are verified and itemised monthly settlement statements. As of July 29, neither platform had publicly responded.
Fastrr, the AI-native commerce platform from Shiprocket, has entered food commerce with restaurant partners Vegorama Group, the operator of Punjabi Angithi, and Bikkgane Biryani. The tools aim to help restaurants run their own ordering channels, spot returning customers and flag risky cash-on-delivery orders. Delivery will use Shiprocket Quick's rider network, and D2C food products are being explored.
Swiggy said sweet orders climbed 36.4 percent from a year earlier between October 17 and 20, during Navratri and Durga Puja. Rasgulla was the top sweet, averaging 495 orders an hour, with Gulab Jamun, Kaju Katli and Jalebi also popular. Sabudana dishes topped the fasting list, averaging 1,794 an hour nationwide on October 17 and 18.
Flipkart is reportedly preparing to challenge Zomato and Swiggy with a food delivery service. It is piloting the service internally with riders from logistics arm Ekart, sourcing restaurants via ONDC and direct onboarding. Trial orders have started in Bengaluru under the Eat-in by Minutes brand. Bernstein estimates the market is growing 18 to 20 percent a year.
