Zomato’s Heatwave Advisory Sparks Debate – Restaurant India – Indian Retailer
In light of the severe heatwave affecting much of India, food delivery platform Zomato recently urged customers to avoid ordering food during peak afternoon hours. The advisory comes as several states experience record-breaking temperatures, with the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) predicting continued extreme heat in the coming days. However, Delhi saw some respite on Saturday with a light drizzle cooling the temperatures slightly.
“Please avoid ordering during peak afternoon unless necessary,” Zomato posted on social media platform X, prompting a strong response from users online.
The request aimed to protect Zomato’s delivery executives from the intense midday heat. Despite the good intentions, the message was criticized by the internet community.
Many users disagreed with Zomato’s suggestion, arguing that a food delivery company should not ask customers to avoid ordering during lunch hours. Several commenters pointed out that if Zomato truly cared about its delivery staff, it should consider halting services during the hottest part of the day.
One user remarked, “Bro, you are in food services and people order food when it is essential. If you care about your employees, you would be posting ‘Our services are unavailable during peak afternoon hours.’”
Another user added, “Is it even real? Though I appreciate the concern, lunchtime orders cannot be postponed to dinner. If so, Zomato needs to identify ‘necessary’ orders and not-so-necessary orders.”
A third suggested, “Please close the business for 4 hours, 12-4 PM. That would be the right approach.”
Other comments included concerns about those who live alone and rely on food delivery during the day. One user wrote, “Wow, a food delivery app asking its customers not to order in the afternoon. What about those who stay alone? If you’re really concerned about the delivery guys’ well-being, increase their incentives. You guys already charge a platform fee on every order to pay Goyal’s bills.”
The heated response underscores the challenge of balancing employee welfare with customer expectations in extreme weather conditions. Zomato’s advisory, while well-intentioned, highlights the need for more robust measures to protect delivery staff during adverse weather conditions.
