The Internet is divided over Zomato’s decision to temporarily suspend non-vegetarian food delivery on January 22 (Monday), in 5 states. Zomato halted the delivery of non-vegetarian items in Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan on the day, which marked the inauguration of the Ayodhya Ram Mandir and the consecration or "pran prathishtha" of its Ram Lalla idol.
According to the company, the decision was made as per government directives. The suspension came to light when a Bhopal-based customer took to X to talk about the unavailability of chicken items. “Zomato is not delivering chicken in bhopal today lmao; tbh it could be because of supply of meat not being available today v/s anything decision by zomato,” X user @Biryani_ wrote on the platform.
Zomato responded to the post saying, “Hi, we have disabled delivery of non-veg items in Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan as per govt. notice. Hope this clarification helps!”
Internet was quick to point out that this may not be a smart move on Zomato’s part as the company’s rivals continued non-vegetarian deliveries. “The clarification doesn't help because your competitor is still delivering non-veg dishes here in Chhattisgarh," a person wrote.
“Nanny states, dictating people's food choices," wrote a person. Another comment read, "Seriously? So now the government will dictate what people can eat?" Other foodies also shared snippets after having uninstalled Zomato on their phones.
Some customers supported this decision and showed their appreciation on social media. “Today respect towards zomato has raised You know why Because they are not serving non veg today ,means on 22 jan (ram ji pran pratishtha ke uplaksh me ),” wrote one user.
Ahead of the consecration ceremony in Ayodhya, restaurat owners in Uttar Pradesh had announced that they would not serve non-vegetarian food and alcohol on Monday to mark the day. Rajasthan, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh and Assam also followed suit. “This is a moment which came to us after 500 years, and we do not know if such a moment will come to our lives again. It is our duty to make this memorable,” said Himanta Biswa Sarma, the CM of Assam