Eternal (Zomato) Scraps Quick Delivery to Focus on Blinkit’s Bistro Model 

Eternal (Zomato) has shut down its short-lived restaurant-led quick delivery initiative, Quick, and is doubling down on Blinkit’s Bistro model, which uses in-house kitchens to serve food in 10–15 minutes. This strategic shift follows operational challenges and underwhelming demand from its pilot project, pushing Eternal to consolidate its efforts under the more controllable and scalable Bistro setup. 

Zomato Shuts Quick, Bets on Blinkit Bistro 

Zomato’s second attempt at rapid food delivery, “Quick” has been shelved, with the company instead expanding its Blinkit Bistro vertical, as per news reports. Bistro now operates over 100 kitchens across Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru, and Mumbai, offering faster and more reliable food delivery by removing dependency on restaurant partners. 

Why the Quick Pilot Failed? 

Despite solving delivery logistics, Zomato struggled with kitchen readiness. Eternal CFO Akshant Goyal cited infrastructure limitations and a lack of consumer demand as key reasons behind Quick’s failure. Restaurant kitchens weren’t equipped for 10-minute delivery, leading to inconsistent experiences. 

• Poor kitchen infrastructure for 10-minute orders 

• No significant demand during the pilot 

• Challenges replicating QSR-like speed in restaurant settings 

Swiggy’s Bolt Gains Ground Amid Zomato’s Exit 

In contrast, Swiggy’s Bolt, relying on select restaurants with limited menus, has expanded to 500 cities and now contributes over 10% to Swiggy’s food delivery volume. While Bolt’s format is gaining traction, cloud kitchens admit it requires trade-offs like minimal menus to maintain speed. 

Also Read: Swiggy in Focus as Zomato (Eternal) Exits 10-Minute Delivery; Bolt Expands to 500 Cities. 

Zomato Prioritises Profit Over Speed 

Eternal’s move signals a shift toward margin preservation and away from risky bets like rapid delivery. With Blinkit still in loss-making territory and food delivery demand flattening, Eternal is streamlining efforts to protect profitability. 

• Zomato stock rose 16% after news of the pivot 

• Gross Order Value up 16% YoY, but down 1% QoQ 

• Analysts warn against overextending with quick-delivery models 

Blinkit’s In-House Model Offers Control 

Blinkit CEO Albinder Dhindsa emphasized that a true 10-minute model doesn’t exist yet. Unlike QSRs with sub-2-minute prep, food delivery hasn’t achieved similar standardization. Blinkit’s approach: build proprietary kitchens to control the entire process. 

Zomato (Eternal) Share Price 

On May 8, 2025, Eternal share price (NSE: ETERNAL) opened at ₹235.25, lower than its previous close of ₹236.90. At 11.54 AM, the share price of Eternal was trading at ₹229.87, down by 2.97% on the NSE. 

Conclusion 

Zomato’s retreat from restaurant-led quick delivery underlines the operational challenges in scaling 10-minute food service. By focusing on Blinkit’s in-house Bistro model, the company aims to balance speed with consistency and profitability. 

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