It arrives hot. It is prepared by your partner / parent / cook just the way you like / need it. It makes for a much more interesting conversation.

It is something Indians are used to from a fairly young age. Going to school, you'd take the lunch that mom made with you. Now that you're working.. providing for the family, you deserve an upgrade! :D

In Mumbai, the person working is likely to leave early (say before 7am). The person cooking (typically mom or spouse) gets to lunch later, around 10:30 and it gets delivered. Most Indian food is not great when eaten cold. This also avoids needing to buy and store vegetables since you can get to the market in the morning and buy what you need for the day.

It makes life easier for all concerned.

This was also strange to me. I'm used to people bringing home made food with them to the office, then heating it up at lunch time and eating it. But I cannot imagine being sent a freshly cooked meal in the afternoon. Mind-blowing.

I think its a great question. There is a high cultural value in eating warm/freshly cooked meals. While you can get sandwiches even those have warm components (vada pav, grilled cheese etc). These meals are made in the late morning usually by a female member of the household and sent off.