India’s two biggest food delivery giants, Zomato and Swiggy, have suddenly landed in the spotlight — and this time, it’s all about customer data. A major storm has erupted after reports suggested that both platforms are exploring the idea of sharing users’ phone numbers with restaurants. What followed was a wave of criticism from political leaders, industry experts, and privacy advocates.
The first alarm was raised by Shiv Sena leader Milind Deora, who claimed that Zomato and Swiggy were planning to hand over customers’ mobile numbers to restaurants. He warned that this could trigger serious privacy concerns and open the floodgates to spam. Deora stressed that any such step must strictly follow the opt-in requirements under the new Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act.
Marketing expert Suhel Seth also slammed the idea. Calling it “totally unacceptable,” he urged the government to step in and stop the proposal. Seth even cautioned that if this continues, the next move might involve sharing users’ food preferences with third parties — a dangerous slope for data misuse.
This entire controversy began after an Economic Times report claimed that Zomato is in the final stages of an agreement with the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) to share customer information. If finalized, this deal could end a long-running 10-year rift between food delivery aggregators and restaurants regarding access to user data.
NRAI President Sagar Daryani confirmed that similar talks are underway with Swiggy as well. According to him, restaurants aren’t looking to spam customers — they simply want insights into buying patterns so they can make smarter marketing decisions and understand what people are ordering.
To test the waters, Zomato has already introduced a new feature asking users to consent before sharing their phone numbers. Customers can choose whether they want restaurants to contact them for promotional or marketing purposes.
This clash is rooted in NRAI’s earlier complaint to the Competition Commission of India (CCI), where it accused Zomato and Swiggy of anti-competitive practices, including withholding customer data. With over five lakh restaurants under its umbrella, NRAI argues that without basic insights — order volume, preferred cuisines, peak demand — the food industry cannot plan or grow effectively.
The timing is also interesting. Recently, Rapido’s food delivery arm signed a complete data-sharing agreement with NRAI, giving restaurants direct access to customer insights. This has added more pressure on Zomato and Swiggy to follow suit.
But critics argue that expanding data access without strict safeguards could lead to privacy breaches, misuse of information, and an increase in unwanted promotional calls.
So the debate now stands at a crossroads:
Should restaurants be given access to customer data?
Or should food delivery platforms act as the final shield of privacy?
Is this truly about transparency, or is it simply a fight for marketing dominance?
Share your thoughts in the comments.
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