For about ten years, ordering dinner on your phone in India meant opening one of two apps. That habit is now being tested by a company most of us still associate with phones, shoes and Big Billion Days sales.
Flipkart is getting ready to deliver hot meals. The service is called Eat-in by Minutes, it is already running among thousands of Flipkart employees in Bengaluru, and a public launch is being talked about for the end of this month. I have been going through the reports, the restaurant-side numbers and the hiring signals, and here is what is actually known, what is only rumour, and what I think it means.
Quick answer: Flipkart's food delivery service, Eat-in by Minutes, is a tab inside the Flipkart app. It is being tested with more than 8,000 employees in Bengaluru, is reportedly targeting a public launch by end-October 2026, and plans to reach five or six cities by year-end. Restaurants are reportedly being offered a base commission of about 10 percent, far below what Zomato and Swiggy are estimated to charge. Flipkart has not officially confirmed the launch date or final terms.
Flipkart Eat-in at a Glance
| Detail | What is reported |
|---|---|
| Service name | Eat-in by Minutes (also called Eat-in) |
| Where it lives | Separate tab in the Flipkart app, beside Flipkart Minutes and travel |
| Current stage | Internal trial with 8,000+ employees in Bengaluru |
| Target public launch | End of October 2026 (not officially confirmed) |
| First city | Bengaluru |
| Expansion plan | Five to six cities by end of 2026 |
| Restaurant supply | ONDC-listed restaurants plus direct tie-ups |
| Delivery | Dedicated Ekart rider fleet, separate from Minutes riders |
| Proposed commission | About 10 percent base rate |
| Parent | Walmart-owned Flipkart; Group CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy |
How Flipkart Got Here: From "Coming Weeks" to an 8,000-Person Trial
The story really starts in July 2026, when Group CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy told Moneycontrol and the Times of India that Flipkart would launch food delivery within weeks. He described it as a limited, city-by-city start, with customer feedback deciding how fast to expand. The market reacted before a single meal was delivered: Swiggy shares fell as much as about 5.5 percent and Eternal, Zomato's parent, slipped nearly 3 percent that day.
Then things went quiet, the way they do before a product ships. In late September, a delivery-partner app called Eat-In by Minutes, listing Flipkart Internet Private Limited as the developer, showed up on app stores. Over the following weeks, riders in Eat-in branded jerseys were spotted in Bengaluru, and the internal trial was reported to have grown from a few hundred employees to more than 8,000. By 20 October, multiple outlets were reporting an October-end public launch target.
One point I want to be straight about: none of the dates above are official from Flipkart. They come from reports and people familiar with the matter, and Flipkart has not responded publicly to the latest round. Treat "end of October" as a target, not a promise.
The Eat-in App: Inside Flipkart, Standalone Later
Here is where the strategy gets interesting. Zomato and Swiggy built their name on food first and added quick commerce later. Flipkart is doing it the other way round. It already has a huge shopper base, and it is simply adding food as another reason to open the app.
For now, Eat-in appears as its own tab in the main Flipkart app. Krishnamurthy has also said a standalone food delivery app is part of the plan, and reports suggest it may arrive as the service scales. If you only use Flipkart for electronics and the odd sale, that tab is going to be hard to miss.
How Eat-in Works: ONDC, Direct Restaurants and the Ekart Fleet
Three pieces make the model work.
- ONDC listings. Flipkart is pulling in restaurants already available on the government-backed Open Network for Digital Commerce, which gives it a menu of options on day one without signing every outlet individually.
- Direct partnerships. On top of ONDC, Flipkart is onboarding restaurants itself. This is where hiring matters, and I come back to it below.
- A separate rider fleet. Through its logistics arm Ekart, Flipkart has set up delivery partners dedicated to food, apart from the riders handling Minutes grocery and gadget orders. That is a sensible call. A cold biryani is a bigger problem than a late phone charger.
Flipkart's quick commerce network helps too. Minutes was reported at nearly 1,200 micro-fulfilment centres across more than 150 cities as of mid-September. The company has not said those stores will play any role in restaurant delivery, so I would not assume a link, but the delivery know-how clearly carries over. Krishnamurthy has argued that the efficiency gained in quick commerce will make food delivery leaner.
The 10 Percent Commission Pitch
If there is one number that explains Flipkart's approach, it is this one. Restaurants have complained for years about the cut that big platforms take. Reports say Flipkart is proposing a base commission of around 10 percent, and one report mentions charges of up to 11 percent. Zomato and Swiggy are estimated at roughly 20 to 30 percent depending on the deal and the restaurant.
| Platform | Commission (reported or estimated) | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Flipkart Eat-in | About 10% base (up to 11% mentioned) | Proposed, not final |
| Zomato / Swiggy | Roughly 20% to 30%, varies by deal | Estimates from analysts and media |
A lower cut can mean slightly lower menu prices for you, or better margins for the restaurant, or a bit of both. It can also mean Flipkart is buying growth, which is not unusual for a new entrant. A rate that works for a launch city may look different once the company scales and has to make the unit economics work.
Who Is Behind Flipkart's Food Delivery Push?
People searching this story often ask about "the MD." Flipkart does not publicly name a managing director for food delivery. The face of the effort is Kalyan Krishnamurthy, Flipkart Group CEO, who confirmed the plan in July and also led the push into Minutes. Interestingly, he was once a sceptic of the 10 to 15 minute model, and then turned Minutes into a priority project. That kind of reversal is worth remembering when people say Flipkart is "late" to food.
On ownership, Walmart is the controlling shareholder. It bought roughly 77 percent for about $16 billion in 2018, and its stake is reported to be higher now. Earlier investors have included SoftBank, Tiger Global and Accel. Flipkart's last widely cited valuation is in the region of $35 billion. An IPO is widely expected at some point, though one report this year said Flipkart has no immediate plans to list. For a food delivery launch, the practical point is that Walmart money gives Flipkart staying power that most past entrants did not have.
Flipkart Eat-in Jobs and Hiring
The hiring signals are real. Restaurant India reported earlier this year that Flipkart had started hiring for the food project, and a Flipkart leader, Anuj Bothra, has publicly posted on LinkedIn about hiring for Eat-in in Bengaluru. His description of the mission is simple: bring the city's favourite restaurants onto Eat-in and help them grow. He framed it as a "0 to 1" build and mentioned fresher roles.
Based on the model, these are the kinds of roles you should expect to see:
- Restaurant partnerships and onboarding teams
- City and operations managers as the service expands beyond Bengaluru
- Product, engineering and data roles for the app and ordering flow
- Delivery partner (rider) recruitment through Ekart
- Customer support and merchant support
The Competition: Zomato, Swiggy, Ownly, Toing and Everyone Else
Flipkart is not walking into an empty room. Zomato and Swiggy still dominate, and Bernstein estimates they serve roughly 85 to 95 million paying customers a year between them. The category is growing at an estimated 18 to 20 percent a year, and Jefferies puts India's online food delivery market at around $9 billion in FY25, heading toward about $25 billion by FY30. Even so, online ordering is only a bit over 15 percent of the country's overall food-services industry, so there is a lot of room left.
And the field is getting crowded from below. Rapido has launched Ownly in Bengaluru, Swiggy has Toing for value-seekers, and there are fast-food and cafe-style formats like Bistro and Zepto Cafe. Flipkart's real edge is not any one feature. It is the combination of an existing customer base, its own logistics arm, and a pricing pitch aimed at restaurants.
The Graveyard Problem: Why Big Names Have Failed Here Before
If you cover startups long enough, you learn to ask about the graveyard first. Amazon launched Amazon Food in Bengaluru in 2020 and shut it down by December 2022, having never marketed it aggressively. Google's Areo app, which bundled food ordering with other services, never gained traction. Even Flipkart itself closed an earlier hyperlocal grocery experiment, Nearby, within about five months back in 2016, citing weak demand and thin margins.
The lesson I take from all of this: food delivery does not reward deep pockets alone. It rewards restaurant density, rider reliability and repeat orders, week after week.
My Take, Riya Jha
I will be honest: my first reaction was scepticism. India does not need a third food app just for the sake of it. But the more I read, the more the angle looks less like "another food app" and more like "food as one more reason to stay inside Flipkart." That is a different bet, and a smarter one.
What I will be watching is not launch day. Launch day is easy. It is week six, when the novelty offers fade, a restaurant owner decides whether the lower commission is worth the extra tablet on the counter, and a customer decides whether to open Flipkart or the app they have used for years. Habit is the most expensive thing to change in consumer tech.
The 10 percent number also deserves a pause. It is a very good headline, and I suspect restaurants will be curious. But a rate announced for a launch city is not the same as a rate that survives scale. I would want to see it hold in six months before calling it a revolution.
What It Means for Customers and Restaurants
If you order food
More choice, and probably more offers in the short term. Competition is the one thing that reliably brings down delivery fees and brings in discounts. Do not read too much into early deals, though.
If you run a restaurant
A lower commission is attractive, especially for small and mid-sized outlets that have felt squeezed. Ask the right questions before signing: how long do payouts take, who handles customer complaints, and are there any extra charges for ads or visibility?
If you are a delivery partner
Flipkart has set up a dedicated fleet through Ekart. Check payout structure, incentives and working conditions carefully, and download only the official partner app.
Frequently Asked Questions About Flipkart Food Delivery
What is Flipkart's food delivery service called?
Reports call it Eat-in by Minutes, often shortened to Eat-in. It appears as a separate tab inside the main Flipkart app, next to Flipkart Minutes and travel bookings.
When will Flipkart food delivery launch?
Flipkart is reportedly targeting a public launch by the end of October 2026, starting in Bengaluru. The company has not officially announced a date.
Is there a separate Flipkart food delivery app?
Eat-in currently lives inside the Flipkart app. CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy has said a standalone app is also planned, and a delivery-partner app named Eat-In by Minutes has appeared on app stores.
How much commission will Flipkart charge restaurants?
Reports say Flipkart has proposed a base commission of around 10 percent, with one report mentioning up to 11 percent. Zomato and Swiggy are estimated to charge roughly 20 to 30 percent depending on the arrangement. Final terms are not confirmed.
Who owns Flipkart and who runs it?
Walmart is Flipkart's controlling shareholder. Kalyan Krishnamurthy is the Group CEO. Flipkart does not publicly name a managing director for the food delivery business.
Is Flipkart hiring for its food delivery business?
Yes. Flipkart leaders have publicly posted about hiring for Eat-in in Bengaluru, with a focus on onboarding restaurants, and a delivery-partner app has been listed. Apply only through Flipkart's official careers page or verified recruiter accounts.
Which cities will Eat-in launch in?
Bengaluru comes first. Reports say Flipkart wants to reach five or six cities by the end of 2026, though the cities have not been named.
Will Flipkart food delivery succeed against Zomato and Swiggy?
Nobody can say yet. Flipkart has deep pockets, a large user base and its own logistics arm, but Amazon shut down its Indian food delivery arm in 2022, and Zomato and Swiggy have a decade of restaurant and rider relationships.
The Bottom Line
Flipkart's food delivery move is serious, well funded and cleverly built on assets it already owns: a big app, a rider network and a growing quick commerce business. It is also unproven, and the launch date and commercial terms are still unconfirmed. The next few weeks in Bengaluru will tell us far more than any press leak.
If Eat-in launches on schedule, I will update this article with the official details. Until then, treat every number here as "reported" rather than "announced."
Sources and Further Reading
- Inc42: Flipkart Eyes October-End Launch For Food Delivery Service
- BestMediaInfo: Flipkart eyes October-end food delivery launch
- Trak.in: 8000 Flipkart employees testing Eat-in by Minutes
- BigGo Finance: Flipkart takes on Zomato and Swiggy with 10% commission bet
- OfficeChai: Flipkart announces food delivery entry
- HRKatha: Flipkart tests Eat In among Bengaluru employees
- TokenPost: Flipkart tests food delivery with employees in Bengaluru
- Restaurant India: Eternal, Swiggy shares fall as Flipkart plans entry
- TechCrunch: Amazon to shut down food delivery business in India