Man Compares A Mumbai Eatery's Offline Bill With The Online One

The emergence of meal delivery businesses has completely changed how we eat by putting convenience and choice at our fingertips. With their promises of providing fast and simple access to our favorite meals, businesses like DoorDash, Zomato, and Uber Eats have become household brands.

However, there is a cost associated with this convenience. The increase in food prices has been a notable effect of the growing popularity of these services. This led to a change in the price of the food we ordered and its actual price. That’s why, customers comparing the positive and negative sides of this business.

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Now, in response to the increasing tendency of customers to compare the costs of food products listed on Zomato with those at actual eateries, a guy decided to take some necessary action. He recently used “X” to explain his experience eating at a well-known restaurant in Mumbai. This man’s message soon gained popularity among netizens who agreed with his findings.

A man contrasts the online and offline bills from a Mumbai restaurant

An X user named @kothariabhishek included two images in his tweet to show the disparity in price. One picture included an invoice from the eatery “Udupi 2 Mumbai,” with the price of Upma at Rs. 40. The other image was a snapshot taken from the Zomato app, showing that the same restaurant’s Upma was priced at Rs. 120. There was further disparity after that. Thatte Idli was another dish that cost Rs. 60 at the restaurant but seemed to cost Rs. 161 on Zomato. In his tweet, he wrote,

@zomato There is a restaurant called Udupi2Mumbai in vile parle. Below is my bill and screenshot of zomato menu card. Difference: Upma in bill Rs40; in zomato Rs120, Thatte idli in bill Rs60; in zomato Rs161.

He also added the price of a whole lunch, which consists of Thatte Idli, Medu Vada, Onion Uthappam, Upma, and Tea, to give a more thorough comparison. His calculations showed that, although eating at the restaurant only cost him Rs. 320, purchasing the same dishes from Zomato would cost him Rs. 740 (not including the tea). He wrote,

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Had I ordered from . @zomato, I would have to pay Rs740 (without the tea cost)

Here’s how zomato replied to the incident

After the post gained a lot of attention on the Internet, Zomato wasted no time giving its own rationale behind this discrepancy. In replying to the above-mentioned tweet, Zomato wrote,

Hi Abhishek, prices on our platform are solely governed by our restaurant partners. Nonetheless, we will share your concerns and feedback with them.

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The post went viral and elicited different kinds of reactions from netizens

The public’s responses to the message were varied and swiftly went viral. Many consumers bemoaned the apparent manipulation of restaurant prices on delivery services by the establishments.

However, several users provided an explanation for the pricing variations.

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While what Zomato said is totally correct, it doesn’t mean that they don’t have any responsibility regarding this. Zomato and other food delivery services need to make stringent laws regarding this price aggravation. So, that they can effectively combat these kinds of problems which arise from the restaurant’s side.

What do you think about this price discrepancy? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section.

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Varanya Mishra
Varanya is a dedicated and versatile content writer with a passion for delivering engaging and informative content. With a keen eye for detail and a knack for storytelling, she has honed her skills in researching, reporting, and crafting compelling narratives across various beats. Her commitment to accuracy and her ability to stay up-to-date on current events allow her to provide readers with timely and well-researched news stories. Her versatile writing style, combined with her extensive experience in the field, makes her a valuable asset in the ever-evolving landscape of journalism.