Zomato Responds After Woman Highlights Huge Price Difference – ‘₹655 For An Order Worth ₹320’

A woman took to X to call out Zomato after highlighting a stark price difference between the amount she paid on the food delivery app and the restaurant’s takeaway bill for the same order. Her post quickly grabbed attention, sparking widespread outrage and debate online. To say it went viral would be a sheer understatement, as users flooded the comments with similar experiences. The buzz grew so intense that Zomato was compelled to step in and issue a response.

Woman exposes Zomato’s massive price difference on X, ‘customers are being blatantly overcharged’

On January 10, 2025, a woman named Nalini took to X to call out food delivery giant Zomato over what she described as an “absolutely insane” price difference between an app order and a restaurant takeaway bill. Nalini, who goes by the handle @NalinisKitchen, shared her experience after ordering food from Trishiv Chinese Corner, bringing the issue of online food pricing back into sharp public focus.

In her post, Nalini explained that the actual price of her order at the restaurant was Rs 320, but the same items were listed on Zomato at a much higher rate.

“Dear @zomato, the actual price of my order is Rs 320, but on Zomato it’s Rs 655. Even after applying discounts, I still have to pay Rs 550. This price difference is absolutely insane. Customers are being blatantly overcharged,” she wrote, directly tagging the platform.

To support her claim, Nalini attached clear photographic evidence. One image showed her Zomato app screen with items like Veg Manchurian and Veg Chinese Bhel added to the cart, reflecting a total of over Rs 650 before discounts.

Alongside it, she shared the actual takeaway bill from Trishiv Chinese Corner, dated and itemised, which showed the same dishes priced at Rs 160 each, bringing the final total to Rs 320.

To say that it prompted the post to go viral and catch attention of everyone would not be so wrong.

Have a look at the whole post

The post quickly went viral, striking a chord with users across the platform. Within a short span, it amassed 789K views, garnered 7.4K likes, and drew over 1.5K comments.

Check it out,

Dear @zomato, the actual price of my order is ₹320, but on Zomato it’s ₹655. Even after applying discounts, I still have to pay ₹550. This price difference is absolutely insane. Customers are being blatantly overcharged. pic.twitter.com/KE0JTUnuFW

— Nalini Unagar (@NalinisKitchen) January 10, 2026

Zomato responds but faces a sharp counter question for which it had no answer

Responding to Nalini’s viral post, Zomato issued a clarification, stating,

“Hi Nalini, the prices on our platform are determined solely by our restaurant partners, as Zomato acts only as an intermediary between customers and restaurants. That said, we’ll certainly relay your feedback to the restaurant partner and request them to look into it. Feel free to reach out to us for any further queries. We’re here to help.”

Have a look at it,

Hi Nalini, the prices on our platform are determined solely by our restaurant partners, as Zomato acts only as an intermediary between customers and restaurants. That said, we’ll certainly relay your feedback to the restaurant partner and request them to look into it. Feel free… https://t.co/jcTFuGT2Se

— Zomato Care (@zomatocare) January 10, 2026

However, Nalini was quick to counter the platform’s explanation. She directly asked,

“What percentage do you charge restaurants per order?”

Here’s it,

What percentage do you charge restaurants per order?

— Nalini Unagar (@NalinisKitchen) January 10, 2026

Following this pointed question, Zomato offered no further response, leaving the conversation hanging and fuelling further debate among users about platform commissions, transparency, and who ultimately bears the cost of online food delivery.

Here’s how netizens reacted

Many netizens chimed in and gave their two cents. Have a look at some worth-checking-out-comments made by them,

Not only price. There is huge difference in quality and quantity of the food item u order on Zometo/swiggy as to what u get on dining at the restaurant.

— Manu (@BhattiManm6450) January 10, 2026

Yea Swiggy and Zomato are overpriced

— Shrushti Raut (@codewithsushi) January 10, 2026

Zomato charge around 30% from the restaurant partners
So, restaurant increase the price on Zomato

— Anuj Prajapati (@anujprajapati11) January 10, 2026

Damnnn that’s a lot!

— Nisha Anandani (@AnandaniNisha) January 10, 2026

That’s how businesses make money. Either create goods or services(or)take a commission on other’s productivity. If you are ordering regularly from a restaurant, you should take their home delivery menu card and order from them directly. Usually upto 20% discount will be given.

— Dr. Naveen Sodem, PhD (@navsodem) January 10, 2026

I stopped ordering food or grocieries from zomato, swiggy , blinkit recently…trust me that saves a ton of money…if not absolutely necessary I suggest go out explore the world and have quality time are dinner with frnds and family

— Shiva Kumar (@b_shiva37) January 10, 2026

Not a new thing. Stop ordering online if you have so much issue with this

— curious_kid (@globe__wanderer) January 10, 2026

That’s a huge gap. If platform fees, commissions, or surge pricing are driving this, customers deserve a clear breakdown.

— Nevil (@Nevil_XD) January 10, 2026

This isn’t the first time Zomato has been called out for inflated prices, yet the issue keeps surfacing with little visible change. While making profits is necessary, are such stark differences between restaurant bills and app prices really justified? Where should the balance lie between convenience and overcharging? Share your thoughts in the comments below.