Zomato withdraws green dress code for 'Pure Veg' fleet

The fleet for vegetarian orders will no longer be identifiable on the ground, but the app will reflect that veg orders are served by a separate fleet.

Zomato, the food delivery platform, has retracted its 'green fleet' service designed for delivering vegetarian food within just one day of its launch, following a significant backlash from the audience on social media platforms. Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal expressed gratitude towards social media users for bringing attention to the shortcomings of the 'veg fleet' initiative.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Goyal said, "While we are going to continue to have a fleet for vegetarians, we have decided to remove the on-ground segregation of this fleet on the ground using the colour green. All our riders — both our regular fleet, and our fleet for vegetarians, will wear the colour red."

This implies that the fleet meant for vegetarian orders will not be identifiable on the ground but it will reflect on the app that the veg orders are served by the veg only fleet.

Update on our pure veg fleet —

While we are going to continue to have a fleet for vegetarians, we have decided to remove the on-ground segregation of this fleet on the ground using the colour green. All our riders — both our regular fleet, and our fleet for vegetarians, will…

— Deepinder Goyal (@deepigoyal) March 20, 2024

Zomato announced the 'Pure Veg mode' delivery service on March 19, highlighting the company's commitment to accommodating the dietary preferences of its vegetarian customers. The food app launched a 'Pure Veg Mode' along with a 'Pure Veg Fleet' on Zomato, for customers who have a 100% vegetarian dietary preference.

Asserting on why Zomato thought of a 'Pure Veg Mode' Goyal mentioned in a post, "I know there are a lot of customers who would never order food from a restaurant which serves meat, irrespective of their religion/caste. But why did we need to separate the fleets? Because despite everyone's best efforts, sometimes the food spills into the delivery boxes. In those cases, the smell of the previous order travels to the next order, and may lead to the next order smelling of the previous order."

I have received an overwhelmingly positive response on this launch from so many people. A lot of comments from young people who eat non-veg food saying “now my parents can also use zomato”.

I would like to repeat that this feature strictly serves a dietary preference. And I know…

— Deepinder Goyal (@deepigoyal) March 19, 2024