Fri Jan 17 18:30:00 UTC 2025: ## Zomato Scraps Vegetarian Surcharge After CEO Apology
**NEW DELHI** – Zomato, a leading Indian food delivery platform, has removed an extra charge levied on vegetarian orders following a public outcry. The controversy began with a LinkedIn post by Rohit Ranjan, assistant vice president of e-commerce at Route To Market, highlighting the unexpected fee. Ranjan’s post, criticizing the charge as a “luxury tax” on vegetarians, quickly went viral.
Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal responded directly to the post, issuing a public apology and vowing to immediately eliminate the surcharge. Goyal described the charge as “absolutely stupid” and promised internal changes to prevent similar incidents.
The swift action by Zomato’s CEO appeased many users, though the incident sparked wider debate on social media about the company’s pricing strategies. Several commenters expressed frustration, with some suggesting the incident reflected a broader trend of unnecessary charges within the company.
First Piper 