There are days with no plans, no purpose and no urgency bringing a feeling of emptiness. But in that space came an idea which seemed like a curious yet another boring experience. To my surprise, it went far beyond anyone\'s supposition. The story of a simple yet revealing experiment unfolded unknowingly on this day. I ordered biryani. Not just one but the same biryani from five different restaurants using three food delivery platforms using different models of servicing in Chandigarh. What unfolded was anything but simple.
At first, the prices seemed pretty similar. Each of the platform listed biryani within a close range. But as I proceeded towards the checkout, it told a different story. Costs began stacking up one after another including delivery fees, packaging charges, surge pricing, platform fees and many more. A priced meal suddenly seemed significantly expensive.
Across the three different delivery platforms, the final amount paid by me differed noticeably and somewhat unreasonably. In some cases, I even ended up paying nearly 20% - 25% more than the listed price. What piqued my interest more was the difference in the prices of the same biryani of the same restaurant just on different platforms. It raised an obvious question as to why the cost of a meal changes based on the platform service being used. This led me to dig deeper into these platform services and I came across my answer.
The Core Finding
The answer lay in the commission-based models being used by the different platforms. Often times, restaurants pay a sum for each order to the platform which makes them inflate their listing prices so as to maintain their profit-margin. This seemed reasonably fair and also answered the question as to why the in-person price and online listed price varied for the same menu of the same restaurant.
The commission model that gained my interest more was the zero-commission based platform model that fundamentally changed this rigid, overcharging dynamic. A zero-commission platform model do not charge restaurants a high commission. Instead of adding multiple layers of hidden charges, the pricing is kept simple. No platform fee, no inflated menu prices, what you see is what you pay plus the delivery cost.
This meant that the restaurants would no longer have to increase the listed price of their food ultimately leading to the customers paying fair and reasonable prices for their food. An honest pricing option where the restaurants would be able to focus on the quality of food rather than compensating for platform cuts.
Transparency was the key in such models which would create a fairer eco-system for both the consumers and the restaurant owners. In the end, what began as a dull, uneventful day quietly unfolded into one filled with new insights and unexpected discoveries. This was not about biryani but rather understanding how convenience sometimes comes with hidden charges. And more importantly how a different platform-model would make this experience better for everyone involved.