It would be a safe bet to say that most of you are aware of Zomato. Some of you might even be its regular users, even. Zomato is a platform where customers can connect with restaurants to order food and get the delivery. Since 2008, it has delighted customers by fulfilling their food needs. On the restaurants’ end, it helps them garner customers and survive in the food industry. Thus, it acts as a mediator, benefitting everyone involved. In fact, it’s one of the favorite platforms for restaurant owners, helping them boost their businesses. Considering it is an online platform, it is undoubtedly here to stay. Now, let’s explore the advantages and disadvantages of Zomato.
An Overview of Zomato
Zomato is a food delivery network. It serves as an integral link between customers and restaurants worldwide. Should you find yourself yearning for a dish from your preferred restaurant, Zomato stands ready to fulfill that desire.
Zomato offers various services by delivering meals right to your doorstep. Its impact extends beyond consumers. It offers essential support to numerous restaurants navigating the highly competitive food industry. Not only customers can order food online, but business owners find Zomato as a way to connect to consumers. As of 2022, Zomato had a monthly customer base of around 14.7 million.
As we proceed, we’ll dissect Zomato’s various aspects, shedding light on both its strengths and weaknesses. Stay tuned as we delve into a comprehensive analysis of the pros and cons of this global gastronomic platform.
Comparison Table of the Advantages and Disadvantages of Zomato
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| Easy accessibility | Expenses |
| Offers variety | Cutthroat competition |
| Helps food businesses | Health concerns |
| Promotional offers | Lacks restaurant experience |
| Convenient online ordering | Delivery delays |
| User reviews and ratings | Order accuracy issues |
| Search filters for dietary preferences | No availability in some areas |
| Order tracking | Delivery fees |
| Easy payment options | Service fees |
| Discount codes and cashback offers | Inconsistent food quality |
| Recommendation algorithms | Data privacy concerns |
| Support for multiple languages | Order customization limitations |
| Integration with multiple payment methods | Technical glitches and Zomato app crashes |
| Easy menu browsing | Limited offline customer support |
| Ratings for hygiene and safety | Menu restrictions during peak hours |
| Discover new restaurants | Surge pricing during peak times |
| Real-time customer support chat | Limited coverage in rural areas |
| Option to schedule food delivery | Inaccurate delivery ETAs |
| Food delivery in remote locations | Random delivery personnel behavior |
Advantages of Zomato
Zomato allows you to find restaurants based on your preference. Not only that, but it allows you to book a table in advance, allowing for a hassle-free dining experience. Here are some other benefits of Zomato.
1. Easy accessibility
Have you seen extremely dedicated people who lose track of the external environment while working on the task at hand? Zomato acts like a guardian angel for these people. It’s normal for them to ignore their hunger needs to end what they have started. This online platform allows them to quickly and easily place an order and get delivery in no time.
Consequently, it saves their time and effort that are otherwise wasted in choosing what to eat and going to pick it up. This gives them ample time to invest in completing their responsibilities. Even if you are a workaholic, you can rely on Zomato for delivering those quick bites.
2. Offers variety
You don’t have to be a foodie to know that good food boosts your mood. Now imagine all the dishes from different cuisines around the world at your fingertips. In no time, you will be drooling over those menus. If you thought you could escape the food temptation, think twice. Zomato offers a bunch of features such as dining, table booking, and takeaways.
It’s even starting to become a form of social media, where you can follow other foodies and discover more places. Along with restaurant details and menu, you can also explore the photos. This way, you know what to expect when you order on Zomato.
3. Helps food businesses
If you are planning to start a food business or already own one, know that Zomato can be your best pal. In the introduction, we briefly discussed that food businesses use the platform. It allows establishments to create their restaurant profile. They can provide information such as restaurant address and directions, food menu, contacts, and images of the meals and the premises.
The platform allows businesses to build a good customer base and attract more foodies over the Internet and for in-person visits. The seamless customer experience Zomato provides is making it a household name.
4. Promotional offers
Whether you are a first-time user or a regular customer, Zomato has a promo code for each one of you. This way, it gives customers an incentive to buy and brings business to the restaurant owners. Additionally, it has a tie-up with other payment service providers, providing additional discounts for placing an online order using them.
Best of all? The feature is simple to use. All you have to do is add your items to the cart and select the offers section. At that point, you can explore different offers and choose the one that gives you higher discounts. Overall, the promotional offers of Zomato can give the best deals to customers.
Disadvantages of Zomato
Ordering from Zomato is not always sunshine and rainbows — there are drawbacks linked to it. One of the most important disadvantages of Zomato is its expense. Here are some of the other shortcomings of Zomato.
1. Expenses
There are expenses associated with placing online food orders on Zomato over dining at a restaurant. Several costs such as their commission, taxes, packaging fee, and delivery charges are included. Consequently, customers might end up paying more while placing an order on Zomato. Restaurants can also inflate the price for online customers — they’d never know, having never seen the regular menu.
Numerous other factors such as the weather conditions and delivery at peak hours are further making Zomato an expensive platform. The extra charges for occasional orders are bearable but can make a dent in your wallet for frequent purchases.
2. Cutthroat competition
We have mentioned earlier that Zomato helps food businesses prosper. On the other end of the spectrum, it has created fierce competition among restaurants. Opening an online food business using Zomato has become feasible. This resulted in a dramatic increase in the listing of restaurants on the online platform. People are leaving their corporate jobs to fulfill their dreams of starting an online food-related business.
Besides pricing appropriately, restaurants have to ensure they know their customers well. This way, they can keep them hooked on quality food and services.
3. Health concerns
Even the healthiest things can turn into a curse in disguise if you lose control and side to an extreme. These heavy words are not meant to scare you. Zomato is an online platform connecting customers to restaurants, but it has no control over what they order. The responsibility lies with customers. It is normal to get distracted by the huge variety of available dishes and slip into unhealthy eating habits.
Additionally, there are a plethora of restaurants available on Zomato, and expecting all of them to follow health and safety precautions is difficult. This may lead to compromise with health, creating concerns.
4. Lacks restaurant experience
No matter how willing we are to accept online technology, there are times when we prefer an in-person experience. The same is true with Zomato. Since it is an online platform, it is normal to miss those restaurant connections once in a while. Hence, the lack of restaurant experience is a disadvantage of Zomato.
You can live in a remote area and still be able to order from any business, but you will miss out on the restaurant vibe. Most of the restaurants have themes to entice their customers and improve their dining experience. These are sadly missing with online orders via Zomato.
What is the Benefit of Zomato Over Other Food Delivery Services
The benefits of Zomato over other food delivery services include a wider variety of restaurant and cuisine choices, advanced features like table booking, real-time tracking, and in-depth restaurant reviews. Additionally, Zomato’s Pro membership offers exclusive deals and discounts. This makes Zomato a distinct choice for many customers.