Have 75% veg orders, the decision for ‘pure veg’ fleet came after survey, says Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal

Goyal said the move was prompted by market research, with over 1,600 respondents expressing a preference for veg-only options, citing spiritual reasons rather than caste or religion, the Economic Times reported.

“We did a large survey of people who are more than 50 years old. An overwhelming majority said they needed a veg-only option and preferred veg-only restaurants. It was a large customer segment… So, we launched it. We had not expected such an uproar. The survey had 1,600 (people) and about 72 percent of people said that they wanted veg-only delivery,” said Goyal.

Zomato stirred up controversy last week when announced the launch of its green-branded “pure veg” fleet for customers. The decision received heavy backlash on social media, with criticisms ranging from castist accusations to privacy concerns around food preferences.

Within a day, Goyal announced that Zomato was rolling back the “green branding” for its new “pure veg” fleet and renamed the service as “veg only”.

“In India, many non-vegetarians turn vegetarian during festivals or rituals. That’s how the country has always been. But food often gets politicised. People in our friends’ circle who have gone on meditation retreats have come back saying they will be vegetarians from now on. It’s a deeply spiritual thing. They don’t want to hurt anyone. It’s the principle of nonviolence rather than anything to do with religion or caste,” he added.

Backlash Not Anticipated

Despite conducting surveys and anticipating some resistance, Zomato was taken aback by the magnitude of the negative feedback. Goyal noted that while 80 percent of reactions were positive, a significant portion was negative, necessitating a swift response to address concerns.

“We had done our base work and surveys. We were expecting a little bit of noise. About 80 percent of the reactions were positive while 20 percent was negative. And 20 percent is a lot. We have been through such times,” he said.

Addressing speculation about the timing of the launch amidst elections and festivals, Goyal dismissed any direct correlation, asserting that the controversy would have arisen regardless of external factors. “I don’t think any of this was the trigger point. This would have happened, irrespective,” he said.

Customer Preferences and Safety Concerns

According to Goyal, approximately 25 percent of Zomato’s customers are vegetarian, with 65 percent of overall orders being vegetarian — this is because even non-vegetarians order veg dishes regularly.

He added that the roll-back came due to concerns over rider safety after some customers expressed reservations about non-vegetarian food deliveries potentially jeopardising riders’ safety in certain areas.

Meanwhile, regarding the extension of the vegetarian fleet to Blinkit, another platform owned by Zomato, Goyal stated that decisions regarding Blinkit are at the discretion of its leadership (Albinder Dhindsa), hinting at a possibility based on outcomes observed.

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Published: 27 Mar 2024, 12:46 PM IST