Comedians roast Zomato for platform fees, surge pricing. How CEO Deepinder Goyal reacted?

Zomato, the popular food delivery platform, celebrated its 16th anniversary with an innovative and humorous event—a comedy roast. This unique celebration, attended by Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal, Blinkit CEO Albinder Dhindsa, and enthusiastic employees, featured prominent comedians poking fun at the company’s recent policies and practices.

A Roast to Remember

The comedy roast was headlined by comedians like Swati Sachdeva, Gaurav Kapoor, and Samay Raina. Sachdeva took the stage with sharp observations about Zomato’s operational decisions, including the recent hike in platform fees and the contentious surge pricing during rainy weather.

In her opening, she humorously thanked Goyal for the opportunity to perform, quipping, “Now I just hope you don’t charge a platform fee for this as well.”


Sachdeva also criticized Zomato’s practice of applying rain surge pricing even when there is no rain, joking that product managers rush to the terrace to check for clouds before implementing the surcharge. The audience responded with laughter, while Goyal himself enjoyed the good-natured ribbing.


Turning her attention to Blinkit CEO Albinder Dhindsa, Sachdeva questioned the logic behind adding handling charges to grocery orders, reasoning that delivery personnel naturally handle groceries as part of their job. This drew sheepish laughter from the audience and left Goyal in splits.

Marketing Genius

The roast was part of a larger celebration of Zomato’s 16th birthday. The platform also celebrated in its own unique way with a creative full-page advertisement in a leading newspaper.


The ad, styled like a political pamphlet, featured a large, smiling photo of Zomato’s founder and CEO Deepinder Goyal, along with smaller pictures of the company's top executives. The heartfelt message in Hindi read, “On our 16th birthday, big thanks to all of you for showering us with love,” and garnered praise for its novelty and creativity.

Zomato Gold Membership Offer and Fee Hikes

Adding to the celebrations, Zomato offered a special promotion for its customers: a 6-month Gold membership for just Rs 30. This membership provides benefits like free delivery from any restaurant within 7 km for orders over Rs 199 and up to 30% off on top of current deals at more than 20,000 partner restaurants across India.

Despite the fun and festivities, Zomato has faced criticism over its pricing policies. Recently, the platform increased its platform fee from Rs 5 to Rs 6, and reduced the free delivery distance from 10 km to 7 km, sparking dissatisfaction among customers. This move mirrors similar actions by its rival, Swiggy, which also raised its platform fee to Rs 6 in key markets like Bengaluru and Delhi, with some areas seeing a fee of Rs 7 discounted to Rs 6 at checkout.

Both companies initially introduced platform fees last year at Rs 2 per order. These fees are crucial for increasing earnings per order and boosting overall revenue and profits in the competitive food delivery market.