‘Listening, without unnecessary ego…,’ Zomato's Deepinder Goyal on how ‘Pure Veg’ fleet row was resolved

livemint.com:

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.