Zomato's Deepinder Goyal on 'pure veg' fleet: 'Had not expected such an uproar'

Zomato had caused a major uproar last week after it announced the introduction of its green-branded 'pure veg' fleet that would deliver orders only from 'pure veg' eateries.

Deepinder Goyal recently revealed that Zomato decided to launch a veg-only fleet only after a market survey found out that a vast majority of people more than 50 years old wanted veg-only options and preferred veg-only restaurants. They respondents cited spiritual reasons rather than caste or religion, he said.

Speaking to The Economic Times, the founder and CEO added that the company did not expect such an uproar after the launch.

"We did a large survey of people who are more than 50 years old. An overwhelming majority said they needed a veg-only option and preferred veg-only restaurants. It was a large customer segment… So, we launched it. We had not expected such an uproar. The survey had 1,600 (people) and about 72 percent of people said that they wanted veg-only delivery," Deepinder Goyal said.

Last week, the food delivery company had caused a major uproar after it announced the introduction of its green-branded "pure veg" fleet that would deliver orders only from "pure veg" eateries. The announcement was met with heavy backlash on social media, with criticisms ranging from casteist accusations to concerns about discrimination around food preferences.

The green branding was rolled back a day later.