New Delhi, Dec 13 (IANS): The online food industry is now spreading its wings to tier-II and tier-III cities like never before, according to a survey conducted by online food ordering service Tastykhana.in.

This is driven by an increase in disposable income and acceptability to experiment, as also the fact that online food ordering enables people to avoid the chaos of traffic and never-ending waiting lines of restaurants and have their favourite food within the comfort of their homes, said a statement.

The survey indicates that 15 percent of the total online food orders on Tastykhana.in come directly from tier-II and tier-III cities.

Of this, tier-II cities bring in 57 percent and tier-III cities contribute to 43 percent of the total orders from these places. Moreover, around 60 percent of these orders are from high ticket restaurants.

But foodies don't shy away from ordering food from local vendors as indicated by the 40 percent orders for them.

Customers are also opting for online payments. The current ratio of orders between online payments and Cash on Delivery is 2:1 in tier-II and tier-III towns.

Internet has paved a way of convenience for both the service provider and the end user, Shachin Bharadwaj, CEO and founder, TastyKhana.in.

“With tier-II and tier-III cities becoming evidently open towards experimenting, the opportunities seem huge in terms of market penetration," he added.

The survey also highlighted that while an average food order by a family is for minimum Rs.450, the preferred food items include biryani, pizza and rolls.