Zepto Café, the 10-minute hot food delivery arm of quick commerce startup Zepto, is slowing down. What was once touted as a bold leap into India’s fast-food future is now quietly scaling back operations amid mounting supply chain disruptions and staffing challenges.

At its peak, Zepto Café claimed to deliver over 120,000 meals a day-a milestone CEO Aadit Palicha had proudly announced on LinkedIn earlier this year. But by May and June 2025, daily orders had dropped by nearly half, hovering between 65,000 and 67,000.

In response, Zepto shut down Café services at 44 of its roughly 1,000 dark stores. The move suggests a strategic retreat from a hyper-competitive space where rivals like Blinkit’sBistro and Swiggy’s Snacc are gaining momentum in metro markets.

Behind the scenes, operational complexity appears to be the main hurdle. Zepto has paused several fried items to revamp its kitchen workflows. Vendors working with the platform report steep drops in order volumes and delays in pick-ups. In some cases, supplier revenue has plunged from ₹1.5 crore per month to ₹40–50 lakh, raising concerns about the unit’s sustainability at scale.

While Zepto’s core grocery and essentials delivery remains robust, the food vertical’s current slowdown points to deeper challenges in executing hot food delivery within ultra-short timeframes—especially across a sprawling urban network.

This slowdown also comes at a critical juncture for the quick commerce sector, which is evolving from speed to sustainability. For Zepto, Café may still hold promise-but not without some rethinking.

Whether this marks a temporary recalibration or a longer-term pivot remains to be seen. What’s clear is that serving hot meals in 10 minutes is proving tougher than delivering groceries.

And in the race for India’s fastest food, Zepto Café may need to catch its breath.