Zomato CEO Turned Delivery Agent Denied Mall Entry, Urges For More Humane Treatment

Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal recently took on the role of a food delivery agent for a day, alongside his wife Grecia Munoz, to gain firsthand experience of the challenges faced by delivery workers. In a video shared on Instagram, Goyal revealed that he was denied entry into Gurgaon’s Ambience Mall and asked to use the stairs while attempting to pick up an order.

"We reached Ambience Mall in Gurgaon to pick up the order from Haldiram's. I was told to take the other entrance and realised that they are asking me to take the stairs," Goyal narrated in the video, which showed him arriving at the mall’s entrance wearing a Zomato delivery uniform.

In the video, Goyal is seen having a brief exchange with security guards, who directed him to a side staircase instead of allowing him to use the main entrance. He then inquired if there were special elevators available for delivery executives but was ultimately required to climb the stairs to the third floor.

However, once he reached the third floor, things got worse. "Took the stairs to the third floor to realise that we can't enter the mall and have to wait at the stairs to receive the orders," Goyal shared.

The video also featured an image of Goyal sitting on the floor alongside other delivery personnel, waiting to collect food orders. "Chilled with my fellow delivery partners while also getting valuable feedback from them," he said.

Later in the day, Goyal mentioned that he managed to "sneak in" and collect the order while a security guard was on a break. "And then was finally out to delivery," he concluded the video.

Reflecting on the experience, Goyal emphasised the need for better conditions for delivery workers in malls. "During my second order, I realised that we need to work with malls more closely to improve working conditions for all delivery partners. And malls also need to be more humane to delivery partners," he wrote.