Blinkit Set To Launch ‘Cafe’ For Quick Snack Deliveries

In another move to diversify beyond the grocery segment, Zomato-owned Blinkit is now preparing to roll out a cafe feature to deliver snacks and beverages.

According to Mint, the feature will be launched in pilot mode in select cities later this month, with quick deliveries for fast-moving snacks such as samosas and sandwiches. 

Blinkit will reportedly also add items that require preparation time like pasta and noodles, depending on demand for such deliveries.

The offering will compete directly with Zepto Cafe, as well as Swiggy’s ‘Cafe’, which was launched to deliver snacks and beverages in 15 minutes in select areas of Bengaluru.

For now, Swiggy Cafe has curated a few beverage options such as coffee, milkshakes, and protein bars from brands like Blue Tokai and The Whole Truth.

Zepto took the lead in quick snack deliveries with the launch of Zepto Cafe in Mumbai in 2022. It adopted a hybrid approach to deliver branded pre-made food items with non-branded items. 

Zepto claims that this addition helped boost average order values, as users were likely to order tea, coffee, and snacks along with groceries. It’s not clear how much revenue Zepto earned from the Cafe vertical. 

Over the last six months, quick commerce players have expanded operations and diversified their catalogue to meet growing consumer demand. Pretty much all platforms including Swiggy Instamart and the new Flipkart Minutes have entered into categories such as electronics, beauty, pet care, toys and smaller household appliances.

In the case of Blinkit, the additions resulted in gross order value (GOV) surging 130% to INR 4,923 Cr in Q1 FY25 from INR 2,140 Cr in the corresponding quarter last year. Sequentially, it increased by 22.2% from INR 4,027 Cr in Q4 FY24.

Currently, Blinkit operates 639 dark stores across the country, with the average daily GOV per store rising to INR 10 Lakh, compared to INR 6 Lakh from 383 stores previously. The company aims to scale the number of dark stores to 2,000 by the end of 2026 while maintaining profitability.

As per analysis by brokerage CLSA, the gross order value of major quick commerce players like Blinkit, Zepto and Swiggy Instamart is expected to reach $10 Bn by the financial year 2025-26 (FY26) thanks to the expansion beyond grocery and into Tier 2 and 3 markets.