The 10-minute instant food delivery segment, led by Zepto Cafe, Swiggy’s Snacc, Blinkit’s Bistro and emerging startups like Swish and Zing is the latest trend in the startup ecosystem. However, industry experts caution that its sustainability remains uncertain. They believe the model is leveraging the success of quick commerce but may not be viable in the long run. Instead, it could serve as an additional revenue stream for q-commerce players rather than becoming a dominant force in the food delivery industry. Startups focused exclusively on this model may face scalability challenges.
Unlike q-commerce, which is projected to grow at an annual rate of 8.05% from 2025 to 2029, 10-minute food delivery faces significant hurdles. Over 80% of food items take longer than 30 minutes to prepare and deliver. This limits the model to pre-packaged and reheated snacks like sandwiches and croissants.
“Delivering diverse meals within such short timelines requires heavy infrastructure investment, including hyper-local kitchens,” said Somdutta Singh, founder and CEO of Assiduus and investor at Karma Holdings. Zomato’s reported a 57% drop in October-December quarter profits, partly due to high investments in fulfillment centres for Blinkit.
Moreover, food ordering is concentrated around meal times, making rapid delivery logistically challenging. “The trade-off for speed often comes at the expense of freshness and ingredient quality,” noted Dhruv Dhanraj Bahl, founder and managing partner at Eternal Capital. Established models, such as Zomato and Swiggy’s 30-minute aggregator system, along with direct deliveries from brands like Domino’s and cloud kitchens like Rebel Foods, remain the preferred choice for most consumers.
Despite these challenges, q-commerce companies see 10-minute food delivery as a way to improve brand awareness, fleet utilisation, and margins. “With increasing competition, major players are looking to differentiate themselves. Expanding into food delivery helps them position as one-stop platforms catering to all consumer needs,” Bahl said. Q-commerce is a high-burn industry that demands innovation and diversification to attract investors.
India is not the first to explore 10-minute food delivery. In the US, startups like Fridge No More and Buyk attempted rapid snack deliveries but shut down due to high costs and low demand. In Europe, Gorillas and Getir also faced financial setbacks, with Getir reducing its workforce by over 10% in 2023.
Despite these failures, domestic players remain optimistic due to the country’s low food delivery penetration — just 11% compared to 58% in the US and 40% in China. However, analysts argue that, like in mature markets, high costs and consumer preferences for taste and variety over speed may limit the model’s success in the country.
While 10-minute food delivery could remain a niche offering, experts believe its sustainability is questionable. Companies must balance speed, quality, and cost-effectiveness without compromising the consumer experience.