'This charge will be..': Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal admits error over veg-mode fee, removes charge after backlash

Zomato's CEO, Deepinder Goyal, has publicly apologized for an additional fee that was being charged on vegetarian meal deliveries. The issue came to light after a LinkedIn user, Rohit Ranjan, who is the assistant vice president of e-commerce at Route To Market, raised concerns about this charge in a post.

In his post, Ranjan humorously expressed his frustration, saying, “Being a vegetarian in India these days feels like a curse. 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.”

This complaint quickly caught the attention of Deepinder Goyal, who responded promptly with an apology and a promise to resolve the issue. In his reply, Goyal admitted the mistake, saying, “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.”

Rohit Ranjan appreciated the CEO’s swift action and responded, thanking him for stepping in to resolve the matter. He also mentioned his surprise at how the idea of this fee went from conception to execution with stakeholder approval, sparking curiosity about the internal decision-making process.

The exchange on LinkedIn drew attention from many users, who added their reactions to the discussion. One user commented, “Someone at Zomato got an earful,” while another joked, “Looks like Zomato is learning from ‘someone’ to tax everything.”

Zomato’s quick response highlights the power of social media in addressing customer grievances and ensuring accountability, although the incident has also raised questions about internal processes and decision-making at the company.