'Still cheaper than ordering on apps': User reveals hack for avoiding Zomato, Swiggy

A social media user recently shared a hack for ordering food online without having to pay delivery charges or platform fees. The user, identified as Krisha, wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that she has stopped using food delivery apps such as Zomato and Swiggy. 

She said that she just calls her regular spots to place her order and then gets the order picked up using a delivery service such as Rapido or Uber Courier.

"Stopped using Zomato/Swiggy. Now I just call my regular spots, they pack the food & I send Uber/Rapido to pick it up. Even after ₹50-100 delivery cost, it's still cheaper than ordering on apps (thanks to their markups, platform fee, commissions). Net profitable," the user wrote in her post. 

Soon after her post went viral on social media, fellow users shared their own stories. "Our regular spot in Mumbai has 2 portion sizes. 1 for Zomato/Swiggy orders and 1 for direct orders. Direct orders saved us money and larger portion sizes as well," a user commented. 

"Agree. Both Zomato and Swiggy are looting customers. Yesterday, I analysed and found out that pre-GST rate cut food was cheaper than post-GST rate cut as they have increased delivery partner fee, packaging fees, etc. This was not expected from you," a second user wrote. 

"Recently, I went to KFC and ordered food which is 1km away from my house. Since I have ordered some chicken pieces it was already and got my food in 5 mins. Just checked in Zomato, same food was showing 850 whereas my actually bill was 550. Just 5 mins waiting saved 300," a third user mentioned. 

Some others, however, were against the user's method of ordering food. 

"Zomato and Swiggy's fees are annoying, but at least they handle the mess... your method shifts it all to you," a user said. 

A user commented: "At the end zomato is just solving this problem only. it's a huge call center that's processing orders at breakneck speed. But the calling model isn't scalable, otherwise zomato itself would have adapted it. they built software for a reason."

"It's a smart approach to cut down on hidden costs. The key is balancing savings with convenience, and if your local spots provide reliable service, this method makes perfect sense," another user commented.