Zomato Hikes Platform Fee to ₹14.9 Per Order Amid Cost Pressures

Food delivery giant Zomato has increased its platform feed by nearly 20% to ₹14.9 per order. The platform fee hike has been implemented nationwide across all markets where Zomato operates. 

The company had last hiked its platform fee in September last year. Rival Swiggy has been charging a platform ₹14.99 inclusive of GST from its users. 

Meanwhile, magicpin, the third-largest food delivery player, which currently charges a platform fee of ₹14.20 per order, ruled out a hike at least for the time being.

“At a time when the food delivery ecosystem is navigating a tough phase with rising costs, we have consciously decided not to increase our platform fee to support our restaurant partners and keep food delivery accessible for customers,” said Anshoo Sharma, CEO and founder of magicpic as quoted by PTI. 

The platform fee was first introduced in 2023 at a modest ₹2. Since then, it has been gradually raised over the past three years. This additional charge has increasingly contributed to foodtech firms’ revenues, helping improve unit economics over successive quarters.

The latest hike comes at a time when delivery platforms are grappling with disruptions linked to an LPG shortage across India, triggered by instability in the Gulf. Several partner restaurants have scaled back or paused operations, straining supply chains.

At the same time, rising crude oil prices are expected to add to inflationary pressures, potentially weighing on demand while pushing up fuel costs for last-mile delivery.

Eternal Q3 FY26 Results

Eternal, the parent company of food-delivery major Zomato has reported a 73% year-on-year increase in consolidated net profit to ₹102 crore for the Q3 FY26. The profit is driven by a structural shift toward owned quick-commerce inventory and stronger food-delivery margins, which drove a sharp revenue jump and sustained profitability momentum.

Consolidated Adjusted Revenue surged to ₹16,692 crore, up 190% YoY and 19% sequentially, while Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA rose to ₹364 crore, marking growth of 28% YoY and 63% QoQ.

Management clarified that underlying like-for-like revenue growth stood at around 64% YoY, with the much larger headline increase primarily reflecting a change in accounting following the transition to an owned-inventory model in quick commerce.

The core food-delivery business delivered its strongest margin performance to date. Food-delivery NOV grew 16.6% YoY and 4.5% QoQ, while gross order value increased about 21.3% YoY.

The segment recorded an all-time high Adjusted EBITDA margin of 5.4%, translating into ₹531 crore of Adjusted EBITDA, up 26% YoY. Management expects NOV growth to gradually trend toward around 20% YoY over time rather than accelerate sharply in the near term.