Zomato’s attempt to cater to vegetarian preferences with a green-clad “Pure Veg Fleet” delivery fleet backfired on social media. Launched on Tuesday, the initiative sparked a wave of criticism on Twitter, with many users highlighting potential issues and social divisions. One user aptly captured the concern, tweeting “Lovely. Waiting for ‘pure veg’ housing societies to attack normal red t-shirt Zomato riders.”
Lovely. Waiting for "pure veg" housing societies to attack normal red tshirt Zomato riders https://t.co/x6gnaXuAKb
— peeleraja (@peeleraja) March 19, 2024
Responding swiftly to the feedback, Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal announced a rollback on the green uniform plan today. While the “Pure Veg” fleet will continue to exist, ensuring vegetarian orders are delivered by riders specifically assigned to veg restaurants, their attire will remain the standard red uniform sported by all Zomato delivery partners.
– said Deepinder Goyal, CEO of Zomato
This move prioritizes the safety of delivery personnel. Goyal addressed concerns about Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) potentially blocking riders based on uniform color, especially during festivals. In a statement, he emphasized, “Our riders’ physical safety is of paramount importance to us.”
What is Zomato’s newly launched “Pure Veg Mode” and “Pure Veg Fleet?
To cater a huge percentage of the vegetarian population in India, Zomato recently launched “Pure Veg Mode” on its app. This consists of a collection of restaurants that serve only pure veg food and excludes all restaurants that serve any non-veg food item. This pure veg app mode was supposed to be accompanied by “Pure Veg Fleet”, a dedicated fleet of delivery partners to serve only veg food from pure veg restaurants. This fleet also had a separate green uniform which is now rolled back after the Twitter backlash.
Our dedicated Pure Veg Fleet will only serve orders from these pure veg restaurants. This means that a non-veg meal, or even a veg meal served by a non-veg restaurant will never go inside the green delivery box meant for our Pure Veg Fleet. pic.twitter.com/x9H7cAbgFX
— Deepinder Goyal (@deepigoyal) March 19, 2024
Balancing Ideals and Practicality
Zomato’s journey from green to red uniforms reflects the delicate balance between catering to dietary preferences and avoiding discrimination. As the food delivery landscape evolves, the company remains committed to ensuring a safe and seamless experience for both customers and delivery partners.