Purpose This study aims to understand the consumer behavior in the context of online food delivery services that has become crucial for all the players in the market to meet their bottom line, especially given the fact that COVID-19 has altered the mindset of consumers. The current perception was addressed and analyzed to understand the trends. So, this study examined various parameters such as e-services quality, food quality (FQ), safety measures (SM), customer satisfaction (CS) and customer loyalty (CL) in correlation to each other. Design/methodology/approach An online survey was conducted for users of the online food delivery services to understand the intentions during the month of June 2020. The total number of responses gathered were 201. The responses collected were analyzed based on the constructs formed for the following tests: reliability, convergent and discriminant analysis. Also, principal component analysis was performed to ensure that the variables are correlated to each other. This ensured that the structural equation model built is valid and of best fit. The hypotheses were tested for the discussed variables, and the results were presented accordingly. Findings The research has indicated that FQ plays a vital role for CS which indirectly influences CL. Also, the SM adopted by a restaurant and delivery service will help retain their customer base, thus ensuring loyalty. Practical implications The study will help managers of restaurants and online food platforms reorient their business model and framework according to the parameters that affect the mindset of the consumer and also help improve the retention of their customer base. Originality/value This study is original in nature and takes onto account the COVID-19 situation. The study provides insights for online food platforms to touch mainly the pain points and insights by the consumer which will aid in developing new strategies for business development and customer retention in the future.