Zomato‘s top executives were on Zoom call lasting more than 20 hours after the food aggregator announced of their ‘pure veg’ food delivery service, which led to huge backlash, chief executive officer Deepinder Goyal told NDTV in an interview.
This service by Zomato will exclusively enlist restaurants offering solely vegetarian cuisine. Delivery partners assigned to this service will strictly deal with vegetarian food packages and will not handle any non-vegetarian items. Initially, Zomato had additionally introduced a green uniform for its delivery partners specializing in ‘pure veg’ orders.
The announcement sparked a backlash across social media platforms. While some likened it to a contemporary form of casteism, others highlighted practical concerns. Some users pointed out the potential complications arising from introducing different color schemes for vegetarian and non-vegetarian food orders. They expressed apprehension that tenants might face inquiries from landlords regarding their dietary preferences, and residential complexes with a predominantly vegetarian population might restrict access to Zomato partners wearing red uniforms on specific days.
Responding promptly, Goyal and his team removed the proposed separate green uniform initiative. He clarified that Zomato would maintain a “pure veg” fleet, which would be indicated on the app for orders opting for this service. However, all delivery partners would continue to don the familiar red uniform.
“You made us understand the unintended consequences of this rollout. All the love, and all the brickbats were all so useful – and helped us get to this optimal point. We are always listening, without unnecessary ego, or pride.,” Goyal said in a post on X, while thanking for the feedback.
“The way we grew up, we don’t know the meanings of these words, what is the historical context and none of our team (members) know this. We are indifferent to this. I think that’s the purest form of letting go of any casteism, any religion, any biases. We went on and did the change. But when we got the feedback, we actually understood. And we were on a Zoom call for the next 20 hours, just trying to fix anything that we needed to fix,” Goyal added.
In his previous social media updates, Goyal emphasized that the “pure veg” service strictly caters to dietary preferences, regardless of an individual’s religion or caste. “Please note that this Pure Veg Mode, or the Pure Veg Fleet doesn’t serve or alienate any religious, or political preference,” he said.
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Published: 24 Mar 2024, 12:28 PM IST