Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal expressed regret for imposing a Rs 2 charge for enabling veg mode, admitting that it was “stupid of us.” The enabling veg mode allows customers to browse from only vegetarian menu options, expediting their food browsing experience. In reaction to a LinkedIn post that condemned this unexpected fee and labelled it “Zomato’s latest masterstroke,” Goyal stated that the fee would be eliminated and addressed. He remarked again after a few minutes, stating it was removed after 45 minutes.
The Zomato CEO apologised in his comments, saying that this update would be removed as soon as possible. Goyal said, “This is absolutely stupid on our part. I am super sorry for this. This charge will be removed today itself. Will also fix what’s needed to fix in the team so that such s**t doesn’t happen again. Thank you for pointing this out.” The additional fee was removed promptly afterwards. However, the app still levied a Rs 10 platform fee and applicable GST and restaurant charges.
The original LinkedIn post was uploaded by Rohit Ranjan, assistant vice president of e-commerce at Route To Market, who said in his post, “Being a vegetarian feels like curse! in India these days. Zomato’s latest masterstroke-introducing an “extra charge” for the veg enablement fleet-has officially turned us into a premium subscription plan. So, fellow herbivores, brace yourselves! We’ve gone from ‘green and healthy’ to ‘green and pricey.’ “Thanks, Zomato, for proving once again that being veg is now a luxury tax!! Zomato, Deepinder Goyal #herbivores #luxurytax #vegetraiantax #curse Thanks Swiggy for treating us equally,” he added.
In response to Goyal’s apology, Ranjan said, “Deepinder Goyal Thank you once again to stepping in and saving us! What truly surprised me during this journey was successfully driving this idea from the ideation phase to execution while also securing senior stakeholder approval.”