Zomato

Zomato (now Eternal Ltd) is India's largest food delivery and restaurant discovery platform, founded by Deepinder Goyal and Pankaj Chaddah in Gurugram in 2008. Originally a restaurant menu-scanning project called Foodiebay, it rebranded to Zomato in 2010 and went public on the NSE/BSE in 2021. In FY25, Eternal reported operating revenue of Rs 20,243 crore (67% YoY growth) and a profit of Rs 527 crore — marking a decisive turn to profitability. Zomato's ecosystem now spans four verticals: food delivery (the core), Blinkit (quick commerce — groceries in 10 minutes from 1,500+ dark stores), Hyperpure (B2B restaurant supplies), and District (events and going-out). Blinkit has become the breakout segment — its net order value overtook food delivery in Q1 FY26 at Rs 9,203 crore, with 16.9 million monthly transacting customers. The app supports user reviews, restaurant photos, menus, and Zomato Gold membership for free delivery and dining discounts. UPI, cards, wallets, and COD are all supported. Zomato is free for consumers — revenue comes from restaurant commissions (15–25%), delivery fees, platform charges, and Zomato Gold subscriptions (Rs 149/month for unlimited free deliveries). Blinkit operates on retail margins from dark stores. The company had Rs 12,000+ crore cash on hand as of Q1 FY26 and is investing aggressively in dark store expansion (target: 2,000+ by end 2026). Zomato is the go-to for food delivery in 500+ Indian cities and quick commerce via Blinkit. Restaurant reviews and the Gold membership add genuine value. However, prices on-platform run 20–40% higher than ordering direct, hidden charges (packaging, platform, delivery fees) add up, and cloud kitchen food quality can be inconsistent. FIIs still hold ~42% of shares, so it's Indian-listed and Indian-operated but not majority Indian-owned.