The food delivery giant, Zomato has newly launched its "Food Rescue" feature, aiming to reduce food wastage from cancelled orders. Initially attempted as a policy in September, this initiative allows nearby users to purchase cancelled meals at a discounted rate, helping ensure that perfectly good food reaches customers instead of going to waste. Also Read:Zomato’s CEO, Deepinder Goyal, highlighted the issue on social media, revealing that nearly 400,000 orders are cancelled monthly, contributing a lot of food waste. Despite policies to deter cancellations, including a strict no-refund policy, Zomato has seen an overwhelming number of orders cancelled for various reasons. “We don't encourage order cancellations at Zomato because it leads to a tremendous amount of food wastage,” Goyal said. To address this, "Food Rescue" offers nearby customers an opportunity to claim the food instead.
How The ‘Food Rescue’ Feature Works When an order is cancelled, users within a 3-kilometer radius of the delivery partner can view the order on the Zomato app and purchase it at a discounted price. However, the option to claim the food is available for a limited time, ensuring the meal's freshness upon delivery. Additionally, Zomato has implemented quality-control measures: the original customer and others in their immediate vicinity won’t see the option to claim the cancelled order, and vegetarian customers will not be shown non-vegetarian items. The initiative carefully considers food quality, excluding items sensitive to temperature or distance, such as ice creams and smoothies. Customers can be confident that all orders are delivered in their original, untampered packaging.
How Will It Benefit Restaurants And Delivery Partners Zomato’s ‘Food Rescue’ benefits multiple stakeholders without generating profit for the company. When a new customer purchases a cancelled order, part of their payment goes to the original customer (if paid online) and the restaurant. Zomato retains no earnings aside from mandatory government taxes. Delivery partners are also fully compensated for the trip, from the initial pick-up to the final delivery. The response from restaurant partners has been overwhelmingly positive, with a 99.9% opt-in rate. They receive full compensation for the cancelled order and a share of the payment if a new customer claims it. For restaurants, this initiative helps minimise waste while providing an additional revenue source. Restaurant partners can monitor these transactions through their app and choose to opt out at any time if they prefer not to participate.
User Suggestions and Zomato’s Adaptability The announcement of ‘Food Rescue’ sparked engaging discussions on social media. Bhanu, a user from Bengaluru, proposed additional refinements, such as capping cancellations at two per month and avoiding cash-on-delivery cancellations. Bhanu’s suggestions were well-received, with Goyal expressing interest in discussing potential job opportunities with him. A Re-launch with Flexible Opt-In Options In contrast to the September launch, which mandated participation, the revised version is now voluntary. This change was a direct response to the initial pushback from restaurant partners. Rakesh Ranjan, CEO of Zomato’s food-ordering business, reflected on this lesson, emphasising the importance of presenting it as an initiative rather than a policy. Now, restaurant partners can opt in or out through their app dashboard, making participation fully flexible.
