In an interview, Deepinder Goyal, the founder and CEO of Zomato, explained the rationale behind the debut of the heavily criticised “pure veg” fleet by the online meal delivery and aggregator.
As per a survey, “an overwhelming majority said they needed a veg-only option and preferred veg-only restaurants,” according to Deepinder Goyal.
Zomato’s “pure veg” fleet debut was inspired by market research, according to Deepinder Goyal, who also noted that over 1,600 respondents indicated a desire for vegetarian meals. “We conducted a comprehensive survey of individuals over 50 years of age,” he stated. The vast majority stated that they favoured vegetarian restaurants and that they were in need of a vegetarian choice. It was a sizable client… Thus, we gave it a try. We did not anticipate this much agitation. Out of the 1,600 respondents to the poll, over 72% said that they would prefer delivery of vegetables solely.
Last week, Zomato faced controversy over its introduction of a green-branded “pure veg” fleet, sparking intense backlash on social media. Criticisms varied from accusations of casteism to privacy worries regarding food preferences. Within a day, Goyal responded by announcing the removal of the “green branding” and renaming the service to “veg only.”
“During festivals or rites, a large number of non-vegetarians in India become vegetarians. The nation has always operated in this manner.After returning from meditation retreats, some of our friends’ circle of acquaintances declared they would become vegetarians going forward. It’s a really spiritual matter. They wish to cause no harm to anyone. It has nothing to do with caste or religion; rather, it’s the nonviolent philosophy,” he continued.
What sparked the debate about Zomato’s “pure veg” fleets?
Following the announcement of the launch of its green-branded “pure veg” fleet, Zomato caused controversy. The company announced that it will remove the “green branding” from its new “pure veg” fleet and rename the service as “veg only” in response to strong social media criticism.
What did Zomato’s CEO say about the criticism?
According to Deepinder Goyal, Zomato was surprised by the unfavourable comments and had not expected any pushback. As a result, all issues were promptly addressed.
“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 were negative. And 20 percent is a lot. We have been through such times,” he said.
In response to rumours that the release coincided with elections or festivals, Goyal denied any connection and said that controversy would have developed regardless of outside influences. “I don’t think any of this was the trigger point. This would have happened, irrespective,” he said.
