‘No delivery charge, no platform fee’: Zomato brings back nostalgia as bill from 2019 goes viral
A 2019 Zomato bill has gone viral for showing a time when food delivery came with no platform fees or delivery charges. The user paid just ₹92 for an order that would cost ₹300 today, sparking nostalgia online.
A seven-year-old Zomato bill has taken the internet on a nostalgia trip, reminding users of a time when food delivery didn’t come with extra charges for everything — from delivery partners to packaging and platform fees.
A user recently shared a screenshot of an old Zomato order from 2019, showing how affordable online food delivery once was. Posting the image on Reddit, the user wrote, “Just went scrolling down my order history, to see this order today. This was the time when Zomato was actually affordable to order.”
The Viral Throwback
The viral screenshot shows that the user had ordered Paneer Malai Tikka from a restaurant located nearly 9.6 km away. The dish originally cost ₹160, but after applying a coupon code, the user ended up paying just ₹92 in total.
What stood out most to people online was the absence of any delivery charge, platform fee, or packaging cost — now a common part of every online food bill.
“No delivery charges in sight… those were the days of affordable eating,” the user captioned the post, adding that the same order would cost around ₹300 today.
From no fees to many
Today, most food delivery bills on Zomato or Swiggy include several add-ons — such as platform fees, restaurant packaging charges, GST, and occasionally, long-distance delivery fees or a rain surcharge. What was once a quick and affordable experience has now become noticeably more expensive, users pointed out.
The post quickly went viral on Reddit, racking up over 700 upvotes and sparking a lively discussion among nostalgic users who shared their own experiences from the early days of food delivery apps.
Netizens React
Many users joined the conversation, reminiscing about when food delivery felt like a luxury made affordable.
“Damn, 2019 still feels like it was 2 years ago” wrote one user.
“I remember around 2019, my order for ordering was 150rs max..Now it has changed to 300/350,” another user wrote.
Several others pointed out how platform business models have evolved, noting that the shift in pricing reflects both inflation and the growing operational costs of delivery apps.
“Well every platform was affordable back then but compare it with the living costs and wages. Cannot get everything for less now. Always remember there are costs everywhere. If you are getting paneer chili at 150 then who is even making a profit. Zomato takes 30%. 100 left with restaurant. You'll obviously get fake paneer then. Not even enough to cover rent or salaries,” another commented.
While food delivery remains an everyday convenience for millions of Indians, this old Zomato bill has reminded internet users of simpler (and cheaper) times — when a ₹92 order could travel 9 km without any “extra fees.”