FoodNeverComes simulates food orders without payment and draws 2.7m visitors

FoodNeverComes lets users choose dishes, complete a fake checkout and watch a simulated delivery. No food is prepared, and users are not charged.

The platform features 22 fictional kitchens, 327 dishes and 319 real recipes. After an order is placed, it displays a tracking screen and later generates an AI call from a supposed rider who cannot find the address.

The site was launched in June by 26-year-old developers Purvansh Parmar and Anshul Sharma. The founders say it has attracted more than 2.7m visitors.

Simulated-consumption websites

FoodNeverComes is part of a new category of “dopamine sites” that recreate the process of consumption without the purchase itself. Other examples include Dopamine Shop and Fakehaul; the trend began in South Korea and has spread internationally.

Parmar and Sharma say the idea grew from their own habits of filling online carts without completing purchases. Parmar also said that during a two-month work project in Mumbai, he spent 5,000–10,000 rupees a week on food, including treats he did not really need.

Researchers separate wanting from pleasure

Ravi Dhar of the Yale Center for Customer Insights describes the pleasure of anticipating a purchase as “anticipatory utility”. Neuroscientist Kent Berridge distinguishes between “wanting” and “liking”: in his theory, dopamine is linked primarily to motivational drive rather than the pleasure of ownership.

Anna Lembke, a Stanford University psychiatrist, says reward-related rituals can themselves become reinforcing. Berridge, however, expects the novelty of simulated ordering to fade quickly and would be surprised if many users made more than 10 imaginary orders.

Virtual holidays without takeoff

The founders have also created TripNeverLeaves. It lets users plan a holiday by selecting a destination, flight, seat, hotel and activities before sending them on a virtual flight that never leaves the runway. The founders say it has attracted more than 100,000 visitors.

The team says the platforms are not intended to make money and will remain free. The founders plan to share the data with neuroscientists and psychologists.