The street to hell is paved with good intentions. Nothing exemplifies this thought higher than Zomato’s “green fleet” fiasco. 

Barely a day after the homegrown food-delivery firm introduced that it might be launching a separate fleet for its “pure veg” customers, it was compelled to tug it down. 

CEO Deepinder Goyal on March 19 took to X to announce that the corporate has discovered a technique to cater to the wants of India’s giant vegetarian inhabitants.

Zomato’s green fleet service provided a devoted group of supply companions who will put on inexperienced uniforms with inexperienced containers, delivering meals solely from “pure-veg” eating places.  

Goyal wrote: “India has the largest percentage of vegetarians in the world, and one of the most important feedback we’ve gotten from them is that they are very particular about how their food is cooked, and how their food is handled. To solve for their dietary preferences, we are today, launching a ‘Pure Veg Mode’ along with a ‘Pure Veg Fleet’ on Zomato, for customers who have a 100% vegetarian dietary preference. Pure Veg Mode will consist of a curation of restaurants that serve only pure vegetarian food, and will exclude all restaurants which serve any non-veg food item.”  

What started with a variety of gusto ended on an anticlimactic observe for Zomato. Much to the corporate’s horror, the announcement was not met with appreciation or applause however bitter backlash.  

Questions had been requested on the necessity for such a service, and whether or not the red-green segregation was such a urgent want. Some even requested Zomato whether or not the supply companions themselves can be “pure veg”, a legitimate query given the corporate’s personal fastidious outlook on vegetarianism.  

But essentially the most compelling criticism was in regards to the casteist undertones behind such a segregation. 

Bad style or unhealthy transfer? 

On paper, Zomato’s intentions had been innocuous. India has a formidable vegetarian demographic, the biggest on this planet. It makes excellent enterprise sense to look out for the wants the sizable client group.  

Said Samit Sinha, Managing Partner, Alchemist Brand Consulting, “India has a large vegetarian population, but we have different kinds of vegetarians like vegans, people who are vegetarian on certain days, or people who eat eggs and don’t eat any other meat. Similarly, there is a certain size who is a ‘pure-veg’ people. To serve this population is right, and getting the food cooked in a ‘pure-veg’ kitchen is also correct to some extent.”  

N Chandramouli, CEO of TRA Research, additionally believes that the transfer was a real effort in the direction of serving a distinct segment market however has been taken it in unhealthy style.  

He mentioned, “It was a smart business move and I’m surprised there was a backlash for a thoughtful effort. It was an intelligent move and it should have worked out well.” 

Similarly, Nisha Sampath, Brand Consultant, and Founder, of Bright Angles Consulting, mentioned, “There might have been a demand for it from a particular section of consumers, so having the separate service was correct.”  

However, like many issues within the nation, the transfer must be seen in India’s bigger social context. Dietary taboos in India are sometimes rooted in its historical past of caste, particularly those that revolve round veg and non-veg meals.  

Despite its good intentions, it’s maybe not incorrect to say that Zomato was ham-fisted in its method, and the consultants agree.  

Sampath identified, “Making it very explicit wasn’t needed. That’s where they went wrong. For the company, this move could have been a great opportunity by going niche.”  

For Sinha, involving supply companions was the cardinal sin. “What are you attempting to say, if someone delivers veg and likewise non-veg meals, then the veg meals will grow to be contaminated. Or are you saying that the supply companions are vegetarian as properly? This was not a well-thought-out transfer.  

“Could they have done it differently or in a better way – yes. One of the ways could have been that they would have kept separate containers or separate boxes”, he added.

Brownie factors for Zomato  

Credit the place credit score is due. Zomato could have gone incorrect with the trivialities of executing such a service, however props to the corporate for listening and listening properly.  

When the backlash grew, Zomato did the fitting factor by graciously accepting the place it went incorrect and acknowledging how the red-green uniform distinction may compromise the protection of supply companions.  

“Thanks everybody for speaking about this final evening. You made us perceive the unintended penalties of this rollout. All the love, and all of the brickbats had been all so helpful – and helped us get to this optimum level. 

“This will ensure that our red uniform delivery partners are not incorrectly associated with non-veg food, and blocked by any RWAs or societies during any special days… our riders’ physical safety is of paramount importance to us,” mentioned Goyal.  

“Unlike other times, Zomato has taken fast action and I don’t think it will hamper the brand image,” mentioned Chandramouli.  

Sampath lauded Goyal for placing supply accomplice’s security first: “It was a correct move by Goyal with the safety of delivery partners and consumers at heart. Goyal has always stood for their values and things he believes in, with the withdrawal of the uniform, he again proved that Zomato thinks about people and listens to the consumers.”

With inputs from Tanzila Shaikh