all-riders-to-wear-red-zomato-drops-green-dress-code-for-pure-veg-fleet-after-backlash

Amidst criticism on social media regarding Zomato's new 'pure veg fleet', founder and CEO Deepinder Goyal has provided clarification. 

 

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), he stated, "We have decided to discontinue the on-ground segregation of our vegetarian fleet by removing the colour green. Instead, all our delivery riders, whether from our regular fleet or the vegetarian fleet, will now wear the colour red."

 

Goyal explained that customers who opt for the 'pure veg' option can see on the mobile app that their orders are being delivered by the 'veg only' fleet.

 

"This will ensure that our red uniform delivery partners are not incorrectly associated with non-veg food and are blocked by any RWAs or societies during any special days. Our rider's physical safety is of paramount importance to us," he said on X.

 

 

 

"We now realise that even some of our customers could get into trouble with their landlords, and that would not be nice if that happened because of us," he added.

 

The move comes after Zomato faced severe backlash over its decision to introduce a green fleet for "pure vegetarian deliveries."

 

He also thanked social media users for pointing out the ramifications of introducing a green colour fleet that would only deliver vegetarian food and a red fleet that would deliver non-vegetarian food.

 

"You made us understand the unintended consequences of this rollout. All the love and all the brickbats were all so useful - and helped us get to this optimal point. We are always listening without unnecessary ego or pride. We look forward to continue serving you," he said.

 

The announcement of the "pure veg" service and the introduction of separate colour coding triggered a significant controversy on social media yesterday. Some users likened it to a form of contemporary casteism, while others raised concerns about the potential for discrimination against delivery partners wearing red uniforms in apartment complexes where vegetarians are predominant.