Recently, Zomato has unveiled a new feature, “Food Rescue,” allowing users to buy cancelled food orders at reduced prices. Announced by Zomato’s co-founder and CEO, Deepinder Goyal, the initiative aims to turn cancelled meals in to affordable options for nearby customers while preventing food wastage.
According to Goyal, “Cancelled orders will now pop up for nearby customers, who can grab them at an unbeatable price, in their original untampered packaging, and receive them in just minutes.”
Now, these orders could become an opportunity for other users located within a 3 km radius of the delivery partner to purchase the food at a discounted rate, with alerts lasting just a few minutes to ensure freshness.
However, the rollout of Food Rescue has prompted mixed reactions across social media, with some users divided over the feature’s potential benefits and risks.
Negative reactions
“Awesome initiative but chances of Food Rescue working are slim – just make the consumer accept a 100% loss and feed a poor,” one user commented, suggesting that instead of discounting the food, it could be donated to those in need.
Another user highlighted concerns about the system’s potential for abuse, asking “What if users cancel orders to try and get them again at a 50% discount? How will Zomato tackle such cases?” The concern was echoed by others who worried that customers might misuse the feature to get cheaper meals by manipulating the cancellation process.
Positive remarks
“This seems like a promising idea, though it’s likely some customers might find ways to misuse it, treating it as a big discount offer,” commented a supporter.
Read more: Zomato launches ‘Food Rescue’ to reduce food wastage