Zomato has rolled out an innovative new feature called “Food Rescue,” designed to allow users to purchase canceled food orders at discounted prices. The goal of the initiative is to minimize food waste by offering perfectly good, unclaimed meals to nearby customers at lower rates. To ensure the quality and safety of the meals, they are carefully packed and remain untampered with.
In terms of payments, Zomato revealed that it will retain only the applicable taxes from these transactions, while the restaurant partners will receive both the original payment and an additional amount from the reselling of these orders.
Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal shared the news on X (formerly Twitter), revealing that Zomato handles over 400,000 canceled orders, despite its no-refund policy. These meals will now be included in the Food Rescue program, giving local customers the chance to purchase them at discounted prices, with guaranteed prompt delivery in their original, secure packaging.
Goyal explained, “We don’t encourage cancellations at Zomato as it leads to a large amount of food waste. Even though we have strict policies, over 400,000 orders are still canceled for various reasons by customers. Our top priority, along with the restaurant industry and the customers who cancel, is to figure out how we can save this food from being wasted.”
He continued, “Today, we’re launching Food Rescue! Canceled orders will now pop up for nearby customers who can grab them at unbeatable prices, in their original packaging, and have them delivered within minutes.”
The announcement generated a variety of reactions on social media. Some users raised concerns about the safety and practicality of buying canceled orders, while others welcomed the opportunity to access discounted meals. Bhanu, a product manager based in Bengaluru, suggested some improvements to the feature and highlighted potential issues with misuse.
Bhanu proposed excluding cash-on-delivery orders from the program and suggested introducing a restriction that would prevent customers from canceling their orders once the delivery partner is within 500 meters of their location. He also warned about the possibility of customers taking advantage of the system by ordering and canceling meals to exploit the discounts.
Additionally, Bhanu recommended limiting the number of cancellations to two per customer per day to prevent abuse.
Impressed by Bhanu’s suggestions, Goyal responded to his post, confirming that many of the ideas had already been integrated into the feature. He praised Bhanu for his “good thinking” and expressed interest in learning more about him, asking, “Who are you and what do you do? I’d love to know more and see if we can collaborate.”
Bhanu shared that he is a product manager at a Bengaluru-based startup and often provides feedback on social media to improve services, regularly tagging Zomato’s sister company, Blinkit. This sparked a positive exchange, with Goyal expressing his openness to hiring people who contribute thoughtful insights to improve Zomato’s offerings. Goyal has previously emphasized the importance of recruiting talented individuals, even personally overseeing entry-level hiring.
