Flipkart Tests Eat-in by Minutes to Challenge Zomato and Swiggy
Flipkart tests Eat-in by Minutes with 8,000 staff, targets 10% commissions and plans an October launch before expanding to six Indian cities by year-end.
Summary
On October 20, 2026, Walmart-owned Flipkart is internally testing food delivery for more than 8,000 employees, up from a few hundred. Its main app carries a separate service beside Minutes quick commerce and travel, sourcing restaurants through government-backed ONDC and direct sign-ups. Dedicated Ekart riders, separate from Flipkart's quick-commerce fleet, are fulfilling Bengaluru orders in Eat-in by Minutes jerseys. Restaurants were told to expect a public launch by October's end and expansion to five or six cities by year-end. Flipkart did not comment.
Bernstein estimates India’s market grows 18% to 20% annually, although online delivery is just over 15% of food services. Eternal-owned Zomato and Swiggy serve an estimated 85 million to 95 million paying customers yearly, while India has more than one billion internet subscriptions. Sagar Daryani, National Restaurant Association of India president and Wow! Momo Foods co-founder and CEO, says Flipkart proposed about 10% base commission versus 20% to 25% at incumbents. Advertising, discounts and promotions can lift restaurants’ total cost there to 40% to 50% of order value, while he expects Flipkart at 15% to 16%. Bernstein says efficiency may save diners only ₹20 to ₹30 per order, leaving incumbents room to counter with discounts.
Rapido’s zero-commission Ownly and Swiggy’s cheaper-meal Toing are also challenging pricing. Daryani’s association, representing over 500,000 restaurants, wants alternatives to the duopoly. Amazon launched Bengaluru food ordering in 2020 and closed it two years later, Google Areo failed to gain traction, and Uber sold India’s Uber Eats to Zomato in 2020. Flipkart is reversing Zomato and Swiggy’s path, using established e-commerce and quick commerce to enter meals. The push may increase app frequency while CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy gives no IPO timetable, as rapid-delivery sellers of groceries, iPhones and other discretionary goods intensify competition with Flipkart and Amazon.
Positives
- Flipkart expanded internal food-delivery testing from a few hundred employees to more than 8,000.
- Restaurants were offered about 10% base commission, against the 20% to 25% typically charged by Zomato and Swiggy.
- Total restaurant costs could stay near 15% to 16%, compared with 40% to 50% after incumbent advertising, discounts and promotions.
- India’s food-delivery market is growing an estimated 18% to 20% annually, while online orders represent just over 15% of food services.
- Flipkart expects to expand from Bengaluru to five or six cities by the end of 2026.
Risks & concerns
- Zomato and Swiggy already serve an estimated 85 million to 95 million paying customers annually.
- Efficiency may save customers only ₹20 to ₹30 per order, potentially insufficient to change established ordering habits.
- Zomato and Swiggy could deploy deeper discounts to defend their market positions.
- Amazon closed its Bengaluru service after two years, Google Areo stalled, and Uber exited India’s market in 2020.
- CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy has provided no timetable for Flipkart’s long-awaited IPO.