Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal Responds To Bengaluru Man’s Feedback, Extends Job Opportunity

The company revealed that it would only retain the applicable taxes from these transactions, while restaurant partners would receive both the original payment and an additional amount from the resale

Zomato has recently launched an innovative "Food Rescue" feature, allowing users to purchase cancelled food orders at discounted prices. The initiative aims to reduce food waste by offering perfectly good, unclaimed meals to nearby users at lower costs. To ensure safety and quality, all meals are securely packed and remain untampered with.

The company revealed that it would only retain the applicable taxes from these transactions, while restaurant partners would receive both the original payment and an additional amount from the resale of the orders.

In an announcement on X (formerly Twitter), Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal highlighted that the platform generates over 400,000 cancelled orders despite its no-refund policy. These cancelled meals will now be included in the Food Rescue program, where nearby customers can purchase them at a discount, ensuring the meals are delivered quickly and remain in their original, untampered packaging.

He wrote, “We don't encourage order cancellation at Zomato, because it leads to a tremendous amount of food wastage. Inspite of stringent policies, and and a no-refund policy for cancellations, more than 4 lakh perfectly good orders get canceled on Zomato, for various reasons by customers. The top concern for us, the restaurant industry, and even the customers who cancel these orders, is to somehow save the food from going to waste.”

“Today, we are introducing a new feature (being scaled as we speak) – Food Rescue! Canceled orders will now pop up for nearby customers, who can grab them at an unbeatable price, in their original untampered packaging, and receive them in just minutes,” he added.

The announcement sparked a variety of reactions on social media. While some expressed concerns about the safety and practicality of purchasing cancelled orders, many others welcomed the opportunity to access discounted meals. However, Bhanu, a Bengaluru-based product manager, suggested improving the feature and preventing potential misuse.

Bhanu proposed that the Food Rescue program exclude cash-on-delivery orders and introduced the idea of a restriction where customers would be unable to cancel their orders once the delivery partner was within a 500-meter radius of their location. He also raised concerns about the possibility of customers conspiring to exploit the discounted prices, such as by placing and cancelling orders simultaneously to take advantage of the deals.

Additionally, Bhanu suggested that Zomato impose a limit on the number of cancellations allowed per customer, capping it at two per day, to prevent abuse of the system.

Impressed by Bhanu's insights, Goyal responded directly to his post, confirming that these suggestions, along with others, had already been implemented in the feature. Praising Bhanu for his "good thinking," Goyal expressed interest in learning more about him, asking, "Who are you and what do you do? Would love to know you more, and see if we can work together.”

In his response, Bhanu shared that he is a product manager based in Bengaluru, working for a startup, and noted that he regularly provides feedback on social media to help improve services, often tagging Zomato’s sister company, Blinkit. This sparked a positive exchange, with Goyal expressing his openness to recruiting individuals who offer practical insights and solutions to enhance Zomato’s operations. 

Goyal has previously emphasised the importance of hiring talented people, even personally overseeing entry-level recruitment.