RESTAURANTS IN INDIA: FACING THE THREAT OF ONLINE DELIVERY PLATFORMS

This case focuses on the recent conflict between the National Restaurants Association of India (NRAI) and online delivery platforms when NRAI stood up against the deep discounts and alleged predatory pricing done by online platforms. Particularly, Zomato's Gold program was at the centre of this conflict. It narrates the action taken by restaurant owners and the response of online platforms. The case traces the origin of online food delivery services in India and highlights the challenges to be faced by restaurateurs because of latest technological developments in food delivery ecosystem. It further discusses the possibility of predatory pricing in online food delivery market keeping in view the two-sided structure of this market. The case also highlights the efforts made by the online delivery platforms to integrate backwards across the supply chain which again couldbe a threat to the restaurateurs. The case leaves the reader to explore the different strategic options available with restaurateurs to sail through the latest turbulence in food delivery ecosystem