--- title: "Lessons from Zomato: how it won" description: "How Zomato won, how to copy its best moves in your city, and where it is weak. A free, sourced playbook for local delivery founders." canonical: https://www.ordering.co/resources/lessons-from-the-giants/zomato/ --- # What Zomato can teach your delivery business. India's largest food delivery app, which started as a restaurant menu and review site and now sits inside Eternal alongside Blinkit quick commerce. [See how they won](#winning-moves)[Book a demo](https://www.ordering.co/contact/?meeting=demo#book) - Region Asia - Headquarters Gurugram, India - Founded 2008 - Owner Eternal Limited, the listed Indian parent company (renamed from Zomato Limited in March 2025), which also owns Blinkit, District and Hyperpure At a glance ## How Zomato works Zomato charges restaurants commissions and advertising fees and charges customers delivery and platform fees, plus a Zomato Gold membership. Its parent Eternal also earns from Blinkit quick commerce for groceries and everyday goods, District for dining out and events, and Hyperpure, which supplies ingredients to restaurants. Status as of October 2026 The parent company is now called Eternal Limited (effective March 20, 2025) while the Zomato app keeps its name. Founder Deepinder Goyal stepped down as group CEO on February 1, 2026, and Blinkit CEO Albinder Dhindsa became Eternal group CEO. Zomato has exited most international delivery markets and focuses on India. - Zomato began in 2008 as Foodiebay, a site for finding restaurant menus, took the Zomato name in 2010 and added food delivery in 2015. [YourStory](https://yourstory.com/2021/07/zomato-ipo-foodiebay-deepinder-goyal-foodtech-unicorn) - In January 2020 Zomato bought Uber Eats' India business in an all-stock deal that gave Uber 9.99% of Zomato. [Uber Investor Relations](https://investor.uber.com/news-events/news/press-release-details/2020/Zomato-Acquires-Ubers-Food-Delivery-Business-in-India/default.aspx) - In June 2022 Zomato agreed to buy quick commerce startup Blinkit for INR 44.47 billion (about USD 568 million) in stock. [PYMNTS](https://www.pymnts.com/acquisitions/2022/zomato-buying-grocery-delivery-startup-blinkit-for-568m/) - In the quarter to June 2026 Zomato food delivery net order value passed INR 10,769 crore, up more than 20% year on year, while Blinkit's grew 86% to INR 17,132 crore across 2,443 stores. [IANS](https://ianslive.in/zomatos-parent-firm-eternal-clocks-471-pc-net-profit-decline-at-rs-92-crore-in-q1--20260722153452) - Eternal reported consolidated revenue of INR 20,211 crore and net profit of INR 92 crore for the quarter ended June 2026, with Blinkit now its largest revenue line. [YourStory](https://yourstory.com/2026/07/eternal-rs-92-crore-net-profit-first-quarter-of-fy27) How they won ## Zomato's four winning moves What they did, why it worked, and how you can run the same move in one city on a small budget. 1. 01 ### Win the search before the sale What they did Zomato spent years as a restaurant discovery site, putting menus, photos and reviews online across Indian cities before it ever delivered food. When it launched delivery in 2015, millions of diners and thousands of restaurants already used it. Why it worked Owning the place where people decide what to eat gave Zomato a ready audience and restaurant relationships to convert into delivery orders. Copy it locally Publish a free local guide to your city's restaurants with current menus and photos on your website and social channels, and make every listing link to ordering in your app. Restaurants get exposure before they pay anything, which makes signing them easier. [Source: YourStory](https://yourstory.com/2021/07/zomato-ipo-foodiebay-deepinder-goyal-foodtech-unicorn) 2. 02 ### Buy scale when a rival steps back What they did In January 2020 Zomato took over Uber Eats India, paying in shares rather than cash. Uber Eats shut its Indian app and sent its users, restaurants and riders to Zomato. Why it worked One deal removed a well-funded competitor and moved its customers and supply onto Zomato's platform without a price war. Copy it locally Watch for small delivery services, courier fleets or restaurant groups in your city that want to stop running their own ordering. Offer to absorb their customers, riders or brands onto your platform through a revenue share instead of a cash purchase. [Source: Uber Investor Relations](https://investor.uber.com/news-events/news/press-release-details/2020/Zomato-Acquires-Ubers-Food-Delivery-Business-in-India/default.aspx) 3. 03 ### Add a faster, more frequent category What they did Zomato bought Blinkit in 2022 and kept expanding its store network for 10-minute style delivery of groceries and everyday goods. By mid-2026 Blinkit's order value was larger than food delivery and it was the parent's biggest revenue source. Why it worked Groceries are bought more often than restaurant meals, so the second business grew faster and gave the group a new growth engine. Copy it locally Add a grocery, convenience or pharmacy partner to your app and let your riders combine those runs with meal deliveries. Start with a short catalog of everyday items that sell well rather than a full supermarket. [Source: IANS](https://ianslive.in/zomatos-parent-firm-eternal-clocks-471-pc-net-profit-decline-at-rs-92-crore-in-q1--20260722153452) 4. 04 ### Loyalty tied to delivery and dining What they did Zomato relaunched Gold in January 2023 at a low introductory price, bundling free delivery above a basket size, a late-delivery guarantee and discounts for both delivery and dine-in. It reported adding over 900,000 members within about a month. Why it worked A cheap entry price with tangible savings made sign-up easy, and members had a reason to keep ordering on Zomato. Copy it locally Launch a low-priced first period for a membership that waives delivery fees and gives a small credit if an order arrives late. Partner restaurants can add dine-in perks at no cost to you, which makes the pass feel bigger than its price. [Source: Business Today](https://www.businesstoday.in/amp/latest/corporate/story/zomato-gold-adds-9-lakh-members-in-a-month-10-minute-delivery-service-to-be-replaced-with-home-style-meal-service-369712-2023-02-09) Where they are weak ## Three gaps you can use against Zomato Every giant has blind spots. These are the ones a focused local operator can turn into an advantage. - ### High commissions for smaller restaurants Reports in September 2025 put Zomato restaurant commissions between 10% and 28% before payment and tax costs, with larger chains usually paying less than small outlets. Eternal was reported to be exploring changes after restaurants raised concerns about margins. [Source: Yahoo Finance (Verdict Food Service)](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/eternal-explores-changes-zomato-commission-114442407.html) - ### Restaurant partners question exclusivity deals Reuters reported in November 2024 that India's Competition Commission investigation found Zomato had offered lower commissions in exchange for exclusivity and that price parity terms limited restaurants' pricing elsewhere. The findings followed a complaint by the NRAI and could be contested. [Source: MarketScreener (Reuters)](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/ETERNAL-LIMITED-125138034/news/Exclusive-India-s-probe-finds-Zomato-Swiggy-breached-antitrust-laws-documents-show-48304758/) - ### Retreated from markets outside India Zomato stopped its UAE food delivery service in November 2022, having already exited markets including the UK, US, Singapore and Lebanon. Outside India, operators do not face Zomato's delivery business directly, and its playbook is tuned to Indian conditions. [Source: Business Today](https://www.businesstoday.in/amp/entrepreneurship/story/zomato-pulls-the-plug-on-its-uae-food-delivery-operations-352891-2022-11-15) Build it with Ordering.co ## The tools to run Zomato's playbook in your city Each of these features is included in every Ordering.co plan. [See all features](https://www.ordering.co/features/all-features/) - ### Store websites Copy the Win the search before the sale move by giving each restaurant its own page with its current menu and photos, where every listing links straight to ordering. - ### Store SEO and social links Support the Win the search before the sale move with SEO settings and social profiles for each restaurant page so diners find your guide when they decide what to eat. - ### Store categories and ribbons Apply the Add a faster, more frequent category move by listing a grocery, convenience or pharmacy partner under its own category next to your restaurants. - ### Order batching Support the Add a faster, more frequent category move by letting riders combine grocery runs with meal deliveries in one trip. - ### Loyalty levels Run a loyalty version of the Loyalty tied to delivery and dining move, using tiers that reward the customers who keep ordering with you. - ### Table reservations Add the dine-in side of the Loyalty tied to delivery and dining move by letting customers book a table at partner restaurants from the same app. More lessons ## Learn from other giants [All giants](https://www.ordering.co/resources/lessons-from-the-giants/) - [AsiaGrabSoutheast Asia's super app, combining ride hailing, GrabFood delivery, groceries and financial services across eight countries.](https://www.ordering.co/resources/lessons-from-the-giants/grab/) - [AsiaMeituanChina's largest local services platform, best known for food delivery run on a massive, algorithm dispatched rider network built for density.](https://www.ordering.co/resources/lessons-from-the-giants/meituan/) - [AsiaSwiggyOne of India's two largest food delivery platforms, which grew into a multi-app consumer company spanning restaurant delivery, 10-minute grocery, dining out and events.](https://www.ordering.co/resources/lessons-from-the-giants/swiggy/) ## Sources 1. [YourStory](https://yourstory.com/2021/07/zomato-ipo-foodiebay-deepinder-goyal-foodtech-unicorn) 2. [Uber Investor Relations](https://investor.uber.com/news-events/news/press-release-details/2020/Zomato-Acquires-Ubers-Food-Delivery-Business-in-India/default.aspx) 3. [PYMNTS](https://www.pymnts.com/acquisitions/2022/zomato-buying-grocery-delivery-startup-blinkit-for-568m/) 4. [IANS](https://ianslive.in/zomatos-parent-firm-eternal-clocks-471-pc-net-profit-decline-at-rs-92-crore-in-q1--20260722153452) 5. [YourStory](https://yourstory.com/2026/07/eternal-rs-92-crore-net-profit-first-quarter-of-fy27) 6. [Business Today](https://www.businesstoday.in/amp/latest/corporate/story/zomato-gold-adds-9-lakh-members-in-a-month-10-minute-delivery-service-to-be-replaced-with-home-style-meal-service-369712-2023-02-09) 7. [Yahoo Finance (Verdict Food Service)](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/eternal-explores-changes-zomato-commission-114442407.html) 8. [MarketScreener (Reuters)](https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/ETERNAL-LIMITED-125138034/news/Exclusive-India-s-probe-finds-Zomato-Swiggy-breached-antitrust-laws-documents-show-48304758/) 9. [Business Today](https://www.businesstoday.in/amp/entrepreneurship/story/zomato-pulls-the-plug-on-its-uae-food-delivery-operations-352891-2022-11-15) Ordering.co is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Zomato. Names and trademarks belong to their owners and are used here for commentary and education. Facts come from the public sources listed on this page, checked in October 2026. ## Build your own Zomato, for your city. Tell us your market and what you want to launch. We will show you how Ordering.co runs the stores, orders, payments and delivery behind it. [Book a demo](https://www.ordering.co/contact/?meeting=demo#book)[See all features](https://www.ordering.co/features/all-features/)