Blog / Tiffin
What is tiffin delivery, and how does it work?
Tiffin delivery is home-cooked food carried in a stacked, insulated container from a home kitchen to a workplace or another home, usually at the same time every weekday. Unlike a restaurant delivery app, it is the same food, the same route and often the same driver each day, which is why it costs far less. On imcomingg a tiffin run is the cheapest service on the platform, and a monthly plan takes another 20–30% off.
If you grew up with it, tiffin needs no explanation. If you did not, it is one of the most sensible food arrangements ever invented, and it predates every delivery app by about a century.
The container, and the idea
A tiffin is a stack of metal tins clamped together — typically rice in one, curry in another, something dry in a third. Nothing mixes, nothing leaks if it is closed properly, and the metal holds heat far better than plastic or cardboard. The whole thing is designed to be carried.
The idea around it is simpler still: food cooked at home reaches the person who cannot get home to eat it. A parent, a partner, a student, someone working a long shift.
How a run actually works
- The food is cooked at home, or by a small kitchen you already use.
- A driver collects it at a fixed time — say 11:40.
- It is delivered within a set window — say by 12:30.
- The same thing happens tomorrow, and the day after.
That repetition is the entire economic trick. A driver who runs the same route at the same time each day can build the rest of their work around it, which is why the price falls so far below a one-off delivery.
Why it beats a food app for this particular job
| Food delivery app | Tiffin run | |
|---|---|---|
| Food | Restaurant menu | Home cooking, or your chosen kitchen |
| Courier | Different every time | Usually the same person |
| Price | Per order, plus fees | Lowest on the platform, cheaper monthly |
| Changing plans | Cancel and reorder | Message the driver the night before |
| Container | Disposable | Reusable, insulated, no waste |
Setting one up
Choose Tiffin delivery, put the kitchen address as pickup and the destination as drop-off, and write the timing in the note — "collect 11:40, deliver by 12:30" is a real instruction, "around lunchtime" is not. Then ask the driver for a monthly price rather than a per-trip one.
Pick the vehicle to match the distance. Under 8 km a bicycle is cheapest and keeps the container upright; across a bigger city a motorcycle is faster.
Send the tracking code to whoever is receiving it. Watching lunch approach removes the daily phone call that starts with "has it left yet?"
Practical things that prevent every common problem
- Clamp or tape the stack. A lid that pops in transit ruins the meal and the driver's day.
- Tell the driver if a container leaks. Every driver reads the note before accepting.
- Agree a hard deadline, not a vague one.
- Cancel the night before, not at 11:40. Most drivers will not charge for a day they knew about.
- Two tiffins on the same route cost barely more than one. Arrange it with a colleague and split it.
Who it is really for
A parent who eats alone. A partner who skips lunch when work gets busy. A student in their first year away. The food matters, but the fact that somebody arranged it matters more — and that is a thing you can do from your phone in two minutes, twenty-two times a month.
Frequently asked questions
What is a tiffin?
A stacked metal container, usually two to four tiers held together by a clamp, used to carry a full meal without the parts mixing. The word is also used for the meal itself and for the daily delivery service that carries it.
How is tiffin delivery different from a food delivery app?
A food app connects you to restaurants and assigns a different courier each time. A tiffin run is one kitchen, one recipient and usually one regular driver, repeating daily — which makes it cheaper, warmer on arrival and much easier when something changes.
How much does daily tiffin delivery cost?
It is the lowest-priced service on imcomingg because the route repeats and the driver plans their day around it. A monthly plan saves a further 20% for one month, 25% for three and 30% for six.
How do I keep the food hot?
Use a stacked steel tiffin with a locking clamp rather than a plastic box, keep gravy separate from dry items, and choose a bicycle or motorcycle for short distances — they are often faster through traffic and keep the container level.
Can I send tiffin to someone in another part of the city?
Yes. Add their name and phone when booking and they receive the tracking link and handover PIN. They need no account and no app to watch it arrive.
Send your first tiffin
Pick Tiffin delivery, add the daily time window, and ask a driver for a monthly rate.
Set up a tiffin run