Deepinder Goyal offers job to Bengaluru man after his feedback on Zomato's 'Food Rescue'. See post

Deepinder Goyal has previously highlighted the significance he places on hiring talented individuals.

Zomato has recently introduced an innovative “Food Rescue” feature that offers users the chance to purchase cancelled food orders at a discounted rate. The initiative was launched with the intent of minimising food waste by making “perfectly good” but unclaimed orders available to nearby users at reduced prices, while ensuring that all meals are securely packed and untampered.

The company disclosed that it would only retain the necessary taxes from these transactions, with restaurant partners receiving both the original payment and an additional amount from the resale.

Announcing this feature on X (formerly Twitter), Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal shared that over 400,000 cancelled orders are generated on the platform, despite its no-refund policy. These cancelled meals, now part of the Food Rescue programme, would be offered to nearby customers who could purchase them in their original, untampered packaging and receive quick deliveries.

We don't encourage order cancellation at Zomato, because it leads to a tremendous amount of food wastage.Inspite of stringent policies, and and a no-refund policy for cancellations, more than 4 lakh perfectly good orders get canceled on Zomato, for various reasons by customers. pic.twitter.com/fGFQQNgzGJ
Deepinder Goyal (@deepigoyal) November 10, 2024

The announcement sparked a range of reactions on social media. While some questioned the safety and practicality of purchasing cancelled orders, many users applauded the chance to access discounted meals. However, a user named Bhanu, a Bengaluru-based product manager, suggested potential improvements for the feature to prevent misuse.

Bhanu proposed that the Food Rescue option should exclude cash-on-delivery orders, and suggested a restriction whereby customers would be unable to cancel orders if the delivery partner was within a 500-metre radius of their location. He raised concerns about possible collusion among customers to misuse the discounts, where two users could order and cancel meals concurrently to exploit the discounted prices.

In addition, Bhanu recommended that Zomato limit the number of cancellations permitted to each customer, capping it at two per day to deter abuse of the system.

Impressed with these insights, Goyal responded directly to Bhanu’s post, confirming that these suggestions, among others, had already been incorporated into the feature. Praising Bhanu’s “good thinking,” Goyal inquired about Bhanu’s background and expressed interest in working together, asking, “Who are you and what do you do? Would love to know you more, and see if we can work together.”

All this and more already in place. Good thinking, btw. Who are you and what do you do? Would love to know you more, and see if we can work together? :) DM me please if you wanna chat more.Deepinder Goyal (@deepigoyal) November 10, 2024

In his response, Bhanu shared that he is a product manager based in Bengaluru, working for a startup, and mentioned that he frequently offers feedback to improve services on social media, particularly tagging Zomato’s sister company, Blinkit. This led to a positive exchange, with Goyal indicating his openness to recruiting people who can offer practical insights and solutions to Zomato’s operations. Goyal has previously highlighted the significance he places on hiring talented individuals, including overseeing entry-level recruitment personally.