Swish: Bengaluru Startup Promises 10-Minute Food Delivery
Swish, a Bengaluru-based startup, has ignited a discussion on social media by promising to deliver food in 10 minutes.
A Bengaluru-based startup named Swish has sparked a debate on social media with its promise to deliver food in just 10 minutes. Currently active in HSR Layout, Swish aims to overcome Bengaluru’s notorious traffic and deliver fresh, hot food to customers in record time.
The Inspiration Behind Swish:
Ujjwal Sukheja, co-founder of Swish, shared that the idea came to him after noticing the long waiting times for food deliveries that many youngsters face today. “In HSR, you can get anything quickly—a dosa from a darshini in minutes.
But when it comes to online food delivery, the wait can be painfully long,” Sukheja wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter) announcing the launch of Swish on August 4. “We realized this problem is common to many young people like us. So, for them (and us), we are building Swish,” he added.
Divided Opinions on Social Media:
While quick commerce platforms delivering groceries and household essentials in 10 minutes have gained popularity, the idea of a rapid food delivery platform has received mixed reactions.
Critics question the necessity of 10-minute food delivery, expressing concerns about the freshness of such rapidly prepared food. They also worry about the potential pressure on delivery agents to drive recklessly to meet the tight deadline.
Convenience or Exploitation?
“It’s very cool to see how quickly this has gone from idea to execution. Unfortunately, I have already had my dinner tonight, so I’m not in HSR. Otherwise, I would have given it a shot,” wrote Rahul Mathur.
“I would never order from such a facility, knowing that nothing healthy can be cooked in 2-3 minutes,” countered X user Aditya Pasumarthi.
Some users argued that no one had requested such rapid delivery, viewing it as an exploitation of labor. “Are there any other countries (with strong labor laws) where people do this 10-minute thing? When was the last time you wished you could have food delivered in 10 minutes?” asked one person.
Another user wrote, “If you need food delivered in 10 minutes, just cook it yourself. This is literally just labor exploitation.”
Others pointed out that this approach might involve pre-made or frozen food and unfair treatment of delivery drivers. “From what I understand, this means a lot of pre-made/stored food/frozen food and exploitation of delivery drivers. No, thank you. If I am SO hungry that I need food in 10 minutes, I’ll either cook or just go to a nearby convenience store/street food stall/takeout,” a third added.
“You are inventing problems for your business ideas at this point! We need ambulances in ten minutes, not this,” another user said.
Positive Reactions and Future Prospects:
Despite the criticism, several people tried the delivery app and were impressed by its speed. Swish’s official X handle has been actively addressing concerns, even apologizing to customers who received their orders in 15 minutes instead of the promised 10.
The food delivery market in India is currently dominated by two Big players, Swiggy and Zomato. Both are also involved in the quick commerce business with Swiggy Instamart and Blinkit, respectively.
Swish’s innovative approach has certainly caught the public’s eye, and it remains to be seen how it will navigate the challenges and opportunities in the competitive food delivery landscape.
