From 'outrageous' to 'ridiculous', Zomato's plan to deliver in 10 minutes has evoked extremely caustic reaction from food lovers, eaters and makers. Is there a method in the madness or is Zomato biting off more than it can chew?
Tuesday 6.30 pm. March 22: When Rohit Dubey’s hunger pangs became unbearable, he brandished his iPhone, opened the online food delivery app and ordered a plate of steamed chicken momos from his favourite brand in Greater Noida, just a kilometre away from his gated community in Gaur City.
But there was no sign of the food, and after 15 minutes, the property dealer got restless. “How long will you take?” he howled at the delivery boy over the phone. Around 7, the doorbell rang. “I was there on time, but the food was not ready,” the delivery agent said apologetically. “Thoda traffic bhi tha (there was a bit of traffic),” he stressed. When he opened the packet, he was even more incensed. “It’s ridiculous,” he laughed. Reason: The branded tape used for packaging was of a different online food delivery player.
Wednesday 7.30 am. March 23: Gunjan Agarwal returned late from her morning jog, her cook, too, was running late, and the kids had to be dropped to their school in Gurugram by 8.15 am. Idli was the solution, so the communication professional placed the order from her regular restaurant. It took 40 minutes to deliver the food. “Same old excuses,” says the 38-year-old. Sometimes the delivery guys blame restaurants, sometimes the security guard. “All play blame games. At the end of the day, all they have to say is sorry,” she rues. There are times, Agarwal points out, when the packaging is weak and sambar spills, chutney tastes like a frozen dish. “There is already too much on their plate to solve,” she laments. “But all they care is spicing up their story,” she says.
Thursday. 10 am. March 24: In Gurugram, Vishal Anand thunders: “The 10-minute food delivery plan is absolutely a marketing gimmick.” He’s referring to ‘Zomato Instant’, the food-aggregator’s recently-announced plan to deliver orders within 10 minutes. One can’t even digest the news, he lets on, with a bag of salt. “Who really wants momos, idli, poha in 10 minutes?” asks the founder of Moonshine Food Ventures, which owns restaurant brands like SAGA, Glasshouse and Cafe Staywoke.
Anand explains why the idea of instant food delivery is loaded with heavy odds. First, consumers want fresh food in reasonable time. “Even in restaurants, people wait for 15-20 minutes to get fresh food,” he says. Second, super-fast delivery is nothing less playing with the lives of the riders. “You are putting them in danger,” says Anand, who also happens to be franchisee partner of brands like Farzi Cafe and PaPaYa. “The move is illogical,” he adds.