AN ANALYTICAL STUDY OF ONLINE FOOD DELIVERY SERVICES IN INDIA: GROWTH AND FUTURE OUTLOOK

Over the past decade, Online Food Delivery Services (OFDS) have grown significantly in India, playing an instrumental role in the expansion of the restaurant industry. The evolution of OFDS has created a digital ecosystem that fundamentally changed restaurant dynamics, customer habits, and created employment opportunities for gig workers. OFDS helps restaurants to reach out to more customers by facilitating online ordering and digital payments supported by strong logistical networks. This paper attempts to study the evolution of OFDS, key industry players, growth factors, and challenges that will shape the outlook with the help of secondary data. The findings of the study indicated that high smartphone penetration, affordable pricing strategies, rising disposable incomes, a growing population of working professionals, and the introduction of diverse business models like cloud kitchen, quick commerce have positively impacted restaurants industry, enabling it to generate more revenue than earlier. In conclusion, the study highlights that the long-term sustainability of India’s OFD sector will rely on balanced regulatory frameworks, responsible platform governance, and collaborative strategies that align growth with economic and social welfare.