Zomato reverses decision on extra fee for vegetarian orders after backlash

Food delivery giant Zomato has retracted its controversial decision to impose an extra fee for vegetarian food deliveries following widespread backlash on social media.

The company came under fire after a LinkedIn post by user Rohit Ranjan criticised the policy, likening it to a "luxury tax" on vegetarians.

Ranjan shared a screenshot of his bill summary, expressing his frustration over the additional charge. In his post, he wrote, “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. Thanks, Zomato, for proving once again that being veg is now a luxury tax!” He concluded by thanking rival platform Swiggy for treating vegetarian and non-vegetarian customers equally.

The post quickly gained traction, prompting a swift response from Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal.

In his comment, Goyal admitted the policy was a mistake and apologised. “This is absolutely stupid on our part. I am super sorry for this. This charge will be removed today itself,” he assured.

Goyal also acknowledged the need for internal improvements to prevent similar lapses. “Will also fix what’s needed to fix in the team so that such s**t doesn’t happen again. Thank you for pointing this out,” he added.