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

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.

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.