From Veg Mode to Rogue Mode: Zomato CEO’s Apology for the ₹2 Blunder
Deepinder Goyal, the CEO of Zomato, recently issued a public apology for a controversial charge that sparked outrage among the platform’s vegetarian users. The company had introduced a ₹2 fee for enabling “veg-mode,” a feature catering to customers preferring 100% vegetarian options. However, this decision quickly faced backlash for being seen as an unnecessary financial burden on herbivores, leading to Goyal’s swift acknowledgment of the mistake.
The issue came to light after a LinkedIn post by Rohit Ranjan, an Assistant Vice President of e-commerce at Route To Market, criticized the fee. Ranjan’s post described the situation with both wit and frustration, lamenting how being a vegetarian in India—a country with a significant vegetarian population—was now akin to paying a “luxury tax.” He humorously highlighted the irony of turning a lifestyle often associated with simplicity into a premium expense.
Zomato CEO’s Apology
Goyal responded to the criticism with humility and candor, calling the decision “absolutely stupid” and apologizing for the misstep. He assured users that the charge would be removed immediately and promised internal reforms to prevent such lapses in judgment from recurring. By the afternoon of the same day, the veg-mode enablement fee had indeed been eliminated from the platform, leaving only standard platform and tax charges.
What made this incident particularly noteworthy was the behind-the-scenes effort it took for such a fee to make its way into Zomato’s system. Ranjan himself expressed amazement at how the concept had successfully navigated through brainstorming, stakeholder approvals, and execution. The decision to charge vegetarians extra—a bold and unconventional move in a largely vegetarian-friendly market like India—appears to have been a rare miscalculation for the food delivery giant.
ALSO READ – TikTok Plans US Shut-off on Sunday: Report
The backlash and subsequent apology underline the delicate balance companies like Zomato must maintain between innovation and user satisfaction. While the introduction of features like “Pure Veg Mode” and a dedicated “Pure Veg Fleet” in March 2024 showcased Zomato’s commitment to catering to diverse dietary needs, the added fee for this service quickly undermined the goodwill it aimed to foster. Meanwhile, customers were charged a standard platform fee of ₹10 along with applicable Goods and Services Tax (GST) and restaurant-specific charges.
