Zomato’s new “order delete” feature is promoting ‘food cheating’ between couples. It’s teaching young people to pull off a nearly perfect lie in front of their parents and handing spouses the perfect weapon for food infidelity.
Responding to a customer’s request from last year, Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal announced that people will now be able to delete their order history on the food delivery application with just one tap.
Just imagine: You and your partner have vowed to eat healthy, but the lure of greasy, cheesy goodness is just too strong. As soon as your partner steps out, you’re on Zomato, ordering that extra-large burger and fries combo.
It can easily lead to a fight between the two of you. But now, with a cheeky grin, you can hit “order delete” and erase all evidence before they return.
It’s like having a get-out-of-jail-free card for your taste buds.
Beginning of distrust
Zomato has essentially handed us a secret weapon for food infidelity.
But, there’s a flip side, it may also instil distrust in your relationship, leaving your partner suspicious… always. And, you won’t even have proof of your innocence.
Good luck with that.
I cannot wait for such snooping stories to surface on social media and people requesting Goyal to tweak the application further. And, I am sure he will.
For Zomato, the customer’s wish is their command.
I wonder what’s next, incognito browsing?
Some may think ordering behind each other’s back isn’t really a problem for couples, but trust me, it is.
As Sandor Szavost said in Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut (1999), “Don’t you think one of the charms of marriage is that it makes deception a necessity for both parties?”
Like Karan, who originally requested this feature after his wife caught his late-night order, there are many couples I know (read: my brother and sister-in-law) who pull off these hilarious stunts.
Call it first-world problems or whatever, but couples can fight over any damn thing.
Also read: Ghee snacks no longer uncool for Delhi. Chole Bhature wins over burgers and pizza
When parents are asleep…
For teenagers living at home, the stakes are even higher.
Imagine sneaking in a late-night pizza after your parents have banned junk food. You can dispose of the boxes, hide the evidence, and pray they don’t smell the garlic sauce in the air—but your record on food delivery platforms will give you away.
Not anymore, now that Zomato has your back.
It has got your alibi ready if you want to satisfy those food cravings without facing the Spanish Inquisition from your parents.
One small hiccup: This feature is pointless for people living in apartment societies. While you may clear your tracks from the app, My Gate—active in most high-rise apartment societies—will throw you under the bus.
Even if you want to call it a PR stunt, it’s a brilliant one.
It has got the customers’ attention and become the talking point on social media. News headlines, of course, would never miss a Zomato update.
In the end, Zomato’s “order delete” option is a clever and humorous move. But, it has become the brand ambassador of food cheating, the latest addition to the Gen Z vocabulary.
Goyal’s latest announcement shows Zomato just wants one thing from you—an order.
Views are personal.
(Edited by Prasanna Bachchhav)