‘Net profitable’: Woman bypasses food delivery fees on Swiggy and Zomato through clever hack

A woman has revealed a hack she devised for ordering food from the comfort of her home while avoiding the steep delivery charges imposed by India’s two largest food delivery platforms, Swiggy and Zomato.

Krisha, a recent graduate from Delhi Technological University, has opted for a more traditional approach to ordering takeaways. Rather than using the Swiggy or Zomato apps, she now calls her favourite restaurants directly and asks them to pack her order. She then arranges for the food to be collected via a third-party delivery service such as Rapido or Uber Courier, effectively sidestepping the numerous fees charged by the food delivery giants.

In a post shared on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Krisha announced that she had stopped using the popular apps altogether. “Stopped using Zomato/Swiggy. Now I just call my regular spots, they pack the food & I send Uber/Rapido to pick it up,” she wrote.

She also revealed that arranging delivery via Uber or Rapido typically costs her between ₹50 and ₹100 — still significantly less than what she would be charged if placing the same order through Swiggy or Zomato.

“Even after ₹50–100 delivery cost, it’s still cheaper than ordering on apps (thanks to their markups, platform fee, commissions). Net profitable,” she added.

Customers across India are voicing frustration over the growing number of fees imposed by quick commerce and delivery platforms. These include, but are not limited to, delivery charges, platform fees, GST, small order surcharges, long-distance delivery fees, and even rain surcharges.

Krisha’s post has been gaining traction on social media, going viral with more than 2.3 lakh views within a day. Several users in the comments section shared similar experiences.

User reactions pour in

Many users expressed agreement, with one commenting, “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 claimed that Zomato and Swiggy are “looting” customers, stating, “pre GST rate cut food was cheaper than post GST rate cut as they have increased Delivery Partner fee, Packaging fees etc.” The user called this move “unexpected” and “pathetic”.

Yet another user pointed out how restaurants reserve different portion sizes for orders received on these apps, saying, “Our regular spot in Mumbai had 2 portion sizes. 1 for Zomato/Swiggy orders and 1 for direct orders. Direct orders saved us money and larger portion sizes as well,” wrote X user Soham Deshpande.

However, not everyone was convinced. One user was quick to point out the convenience aspect, saying, “Smart move, but isn't convenience part of what you're paying for with apps?”

Other users pointed out the downsides of taking up the responsibility of coordinating the logistics. “Zomato and Swiggy’s fees are annoying, but at least they handle the mess... your method shifts it all to you,” one X user remarked. Another user remarked on the time-consuming process of making the calls to order food and for Rapido pickup. 

This tactic is also impractical if one wants to order from faraway eateries, as one user stated, “Not every resto can do that... For nearby ones I directly call them and they deliver it to my house or i go and pick it up.. rest far away need to zomato or Swiggy.”