Picture two young engineers sitting in their office, frustrated by the simple act of trying to find a restaurant menu during their lunch break. Out of that everyday inconvenience grew one of the most exciting startup stories in India — a journey that would transform the way millions of people discover, order, and enjoy food. Zomato did not begin with a grand vision of becoming a billion-dollar empire; it began with a small, practical idea that quietly grew into a household name.
What makes Zomato truly fascinating is how it blends technology, food, and culture into one seamless experience. From scanning paper menus in a cubicle to delivering meals across hundreds of cities, the company has constantly reinvented itself with humor, creativity, and a genuine love for food. Here are ten genuinely interesting facts about Zomato that showcase the cleverness, courage, and cheeky charm behind India’s beloved food-tech giant.
1. Zomato Was Originally Called “FoodieBay”
Before becoming the iconic red-themed app we know today, Zomato was actually called “FoodieBay” when it launched on July 10, 2008. The name was a playful nod to eBay, but as the company began to expand globally and explore new categories beyond just food, the founders worried about a potential naming conflict with eBay. So in November 2010, they rebranded to “Zomato” — a short, fun, and easy-to-pronounce name that could work in any language across the world. The new identity quickly became one of India’s most recognizable brands.
2. It Was Born Out of a Lunchtime Frustration
Zomato’s origin story is wonderfully relatable. In 2008, co-founders Deepinder Goyal and Pankaj Chaddah were working at the consulting firm Bain & Company in Delhi. They noticed their colleagues constantly struggling to find restaurant menus to order lunch. As a small experiment, Goyal began scanning physical menus and uploading them onto an internal company website. The idea took off so quickly inside the office that they realized it could solve the same problem for millions of people. That tiny lunchtime hack became the seed of a billion-dollar company.
3. Both Founders Are IIT Delhi Graduates
The two co-founders behind Zomato, Deepinder Goyal and Pankaj Chaddah, are both alumni of the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi. They met as colleagues at Bain & Company before deciding to take the entrepreneurial leap together. In November 2009, they quit their stable corporate jobs to focus full-time on their growing startup. Their academic background gave them strong analytical skills, while their love for food and technology provided the perfect blend for building one of the most innovative food platforms in India.
4. Zomato Is Famous for Its Witty Push Notifications
One of the most beloved aspects of the Zomato experience has nothing to do with food at all — it is the brand’s incredibly clever and humorous push notifications. Whether it is reminding users to eat dinner, joking about Monday blues, or referencing pop culture trends, Zomato’s marketing team has built a reputation for crafting some of the funniest, most relatable messages on the internet. These witty notifications have gone viral countless times on social media and have helped create a deep emotional connection between the brand and its users.
5. Zomato Acquired Uber Eats India in 2020
In a major industry-shaking move, Zomato acquired Uber Eats’ India business in January 2020 in an all-stock deal. As part of the agreement, Uber received around a 9.99 percent stake in Zomato, while Uber Eats officially shut down its standalone operations in India. The acquisition helped Zomato significantly strengthen its position in the highly competitive Indian food delivery market and brought millions of new users and restaurant partners onto its platform overnight.
6. Its 2021 IPO Was Oversubscribed by 38 Times
Zomato made history in July 2021 when it became one of the first major Indian internet startups to go public on the stock market. The initial public offering (IPO) raised approximately ₹9,375 crore (around $1.3 billion) and was oversubscribed by an incredible 38 times, reflecting massive investor enthusiasm. It was a landmark moment for the Indian startup ecosystem, paving the way for many other tech companies to consider going public and proving that homegrown internet brands could attract serious global capital.
7. Zomato Acquired Blinkit and Entered Quick Commerce
In 2022, Zomato made a bold strategic move by acquiring Blinkit (formerly Grofers), a quick-commerce company that delivers groceries and everyday essentials in just minutes. This acquisition helped Zomato expand far beyond restaurant food and step into the rapidly growing world of ultra-fast deliveries. Today, Blinkit operates thousands of small neighborhood warehouses called “dark stores” across India, allowing customers to receive everything from fresh fruits to phone chargers within minutes of placing an order.
8. The Company Rebranded Its Parent Entity to “Eternal Limited”
In a major corporate transformation, the parent company of Zomato was officially renamed “Eternal Limited” in 2025. Under this new umbrella, the business now operates four distinct brands: Zomato (food delivery), Blinkit (quick commerce), Hyperpure (a B2B supply business that helps restaurants source ingredients), and District (a platform for dining reservations, movie tickets, and live events). This restructuring reflects the company’s evolution from a single-product app into a diversified consumer technology powerhouse with multiple growth engines.
9. Zomato Runs a Powerful Hunger Relief Initiative
Zomato’s mission extends far beyond business. In 2019, the company acquired Feeding India, a non-profit organization founded by Ankit Kawatra dedicated to fighting hunger and food waste. Through its “Feeding India by Zomato” initiative, the platform serves hundreds of thousands of meals every day to people in need across the country. The program has even hosted star-studded benefit concerts featuring global artists like Post Malone in 2022 and Dua Lipa in 2024 to raise awareness about malnutrition in India and support the cause.
10. Zomato Operates in More Than 800 Cities Across India
What started as a simple menu directory in Delhi has grown into a sprawling network that today serves customers in more than 800 cities across India. The platform connects users with over 300,000 restaurant partners and is supported by an active fleet of more than 480,000 delivery partners working across the country. Zomato has truly become a part of everyday Indian life, from helping people discover their next favorite restaurant to delivering hot meals to homes during festive celebrations, rainy nights, and busy workdays.
Final Thoughts
Zomato’s incredible journey from a scanned-menu side project to a multi-brand food and lifestyle ecosystem is a beautiful reminder that the best ideas often come from solving simple, everyday problems. With its blend of technology, creativity, humor, and heart, Zomato continues to inspire entrepreneurs, delight customers, and serve communities across India. Its next chapter promises to be just as exciting as the delicious one that brought it here.
