Zomato
Zomato is an Indian multinational company best known for operating an online restaurant discovery and food delivery platform. Headquartered in Gurugram, Haryana, it is one of the largest food-tech businesses in India and operates across multiple cities in the country, alongside selected international markets. The company is the flagship business of Eternal Limited (formerly Zomato Limited), which is listed on Indian stock exchanges.
Key facts
| Type |
Public company |
| Industry |
Online food ordering and delivery, restaurant discovery |
| Founded |
2008 (as Foodiebay) |
| Founders |
Deepinder Goyal, Pankaj Chaddah |
| Headquarters |
Gurugram, Haryana, India |
| Parent |
Eternal Limited |
| Area served |
India and select international markets |
| Stock listings |
BSE, NSE |
Background
Zomato began as Foodiebay, a website that hosted scanned restaurant menus, founded by Deepinder Goyal and Pankaj Chaddah while they were working at Bain & Company in New Delhi. The platform was created to address the difficulty of accessing restaurant information online and quickly gained traction across the National Capital Region. The service was renamed Zomato in 2010 to support a broader, internationally scalable brand.
Initially focused on aggregating menus, user reviews and ratings, Zomato later expanded into food delivery, point-of-sale software for restaurants, table reservations, and a subscription programme for diners.
History and timeline
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2008: Foodiebay is launched in Delhi NCR by Deepinder Goyal and Pankaj Chaddah.
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2010: The service is rebranded as Zomato.
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2011–2012: Expansion to additional Indian cities and the launch of mobile applications for Android, iOS and Windows Phone.
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2012 onward: International expansion to markets including the United Arab Emirates, Sri Lanka, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and several Southeast Asian and West Asian countries.
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2014–2015: Acquisitions of restaurant-search platforms abroad, including Urbanspoon in the United States, MenuMania in New Zealand, Lunchtime and Obedovat in Central Europe, and Cibando in Italy, broadening Zomato's global footprint.
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2017: Pankaj Chaddah steps away from the company; food delivery becomes a major focus area.
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2018: Launch of Zomato Gold (later restructured as Zomato Pro), a paid membership offering dining and delivery benefits.
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2020: Acquisition of Uber Eats' India operations, consolidating Zomato's position in the domestic food delivery market alongside Swiggy.
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2021: Initial public offering on the BSE and NSE, making Zomato one of the first major Indian internet companies to list on domestic exchanges.
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2022: Acquisition of Blinkit (formerly Grofers), marking entry into quick commerce.
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2023: Launch of Hyperpure-led B2B supplies expansion and growth of the District/going-out vertical.
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2025: Parent company renamed Eternal Limited, with Zomato continuing as the consumer-facing food delivery brand alongside sister units Blinkit, Hyperpure and the going-out business.
Business segments
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Food delivery: The core consumer service, connecting users with restaurants for home delivery through the Zomato app and website.
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Dining out: Restaurant discovery, reviews, ratings and table booking, including the going-out vertical.
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Hyperpure: A business-to-business arm that supplies fresh ingredients, packaged goods and equipment to restaurants.
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Blinkit: Quick-commerce delivery of groceries and daily essentials, operated as a separate brand under the same parent.
Significance
Zomato played a defining role in shaping India's food-tech and online services ecosystem. It helped popularise digital restaurant discovery, user-generated restaurant reviews, and on-demand food delivery in Indian cities. Its 2021 stock market listing was a watershed moment for Indian internet companies, opening domestic public markets to loss-making, growth-stage technology firms and influencing the listing strategies of subsequent start-ups. Through Hyperpure and Blinkit, the company has also extended its influence into restaurant supply chains and quick commerce.
Leadership
Co-founder Deepinder Goyal serves as the chief executive of the parent company. The leadership team has historically included senior executives drawn from technology, consumer internet and operations backgrounds across India.
References
- Wikidata entry: Q8073715
- Filings and disclosures of Eternal Limited (formerly Zomato Limited) on the BSE and NSE.