Zomato bids adieu to ‘Legends’: Here’s why the intercity food delivery service is ending

Zomato’s decision to pull the plug on intercity service 'Legends' doesn’t come as too much of a surprise.

Zomato is reportedly acquiring Paytm’s entertainment and ticketing business. (File photo)

On Thursday, August 22, Deepinder Goyal, founder and CEO of online food delivery platform Zomato, announced that the company is shutting down its inter-city delivery service called “Legends”.

“After two years of trying, not finding product-market fit, we have decided to shut down the service (Zomato Legends) with immediate effect,” Goyal wrote in a post on X. Through Zomato Legends, customers could order the best-known dishes from famous restaurants located in other cities.

First rolled out in August 2022 as “Intercity Legends,” Zomato upgraded the delivery model behind the service a year later by pre-stocking famous dishes from other cities and shortening the delivery timeline.

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In April 2024, Zomato temporarily suspended Legends to streamline and consolidate its operations. The service was relaunched in a few cities such as Bengaluru and Delhi-NCR in July this year.

Zomato’s decision to pull the plug on Legends doesn’t come as much of a surprise as the company has previously shuttered several new services and projects it experimented with. Last month, Zomato suspended its logistics business “Xtreme”.

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A few years ago, Zomato boasted of a global presence in countries like Canada, the US, Phillippines, the UK, Qatar, Lebanon, and Singapore. However, it has since liquidated these subsidiaries and exited almost all major overseas markets with a focus on growing operations in India.

Still, the food aggregator has also rolled out new offerings this year such as its “large order fleet” that handles large food orders for over 50 people. Its home-cooked meal service called “Zomato Everyday” is also being expanded to more cities in India.

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Going forward, the company is looking to roll out a new app called “District” that will reportedly let customers make dinner reservations at restaurants as well as book tickets for movies, music concerts, sports events, etc. Recent reports further state that Zomato is in the process of acquiring fin-tech company Paytm’s entertainment and ticketing business for Rs 2,048 crore.

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