Zomato Terminates Employee Who Told a Customer 'Hindi Is Our National Language' The food delivery giant has issued an apology both in Hindi and Tamil. Requested customers not to #Reject_Zomato

By Shrabona Ghosh

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

Freepik

The "never-have-a-bad-meal' food delivery company Zomato gave a bad experience to a customer. The company invited trouble after its employee slammed a customer, in a grievance redressal conversation, for not knowing Hindi.

The customer shared his experience on twitter and the social media giant was stormed with #Reject_Zomato tweets.

Taking cognizance of the matter, Zomato issued an official statement and apologised for the employee's behaviour. Releasing a statement in both Hindi and Tamil, it tweeted, "We hope you give us a chance to serve you better next time. Pls don't #Reject Zomato."

"We have terminated the agent for negligence towards our diverse culture. This customer care agent's statements do not represent our company's stance towards language and diversity. We are building a Tamil version of our app," read the statement.

The customer, identified as Vikash, on Monday ordered food and one of the items was missing. He informed the customer care about the issue. During the conversation, Vikash said, "If Zomato is in Tamil Nadu they should hire someone who knows the language and help me get a refund." To which Vikash was told, "For your kind information, Hindi is our national language. So, everybody should know Hindi at least a little bit." The employee also told Vikash that he tried calling the restaurant five times but was not able to communicate because of "language barrier".

Infuriated by the incident, Vikash took screenshots of the conversation and posted them on Twitter, tweeting, "Ordered food from Zomato and an item was missing. Customer care says the amount cannot be refunded as I don't know Hindi. Tagged me a liar as he did not know Tamil. @Zomato not the way you talk to a customer."

Soon after netizens joined the war and slammed the food delivery giant for its behaviour. They were up in arms with Vikash and asked Zomato to issue an apology immediately.

The matter also caught the attention of Dharmapuri MP Dr Senthilkumar who tweeted, "From when did Hindi become a national language? Why should the customer in Tamil Nadu know Hindi? Kindly address your customer's problem and apologize."

The incident went viral with over 3,500 retweets and 7,000 likes. Soon #Reject_Zomato started trending. The concerned Zomato staff swung into action and termed the incident "unacceptable".

Shrabona Ghosh

Senior Correspondent

I write on corporates and lead a project called 'Corporate Innovations', wherein I cover large enterprises across technology, auto, FMCG and avaition. I engage in CEO dialogues and run my podcast series: The Big Bosses. You can reach out to me at gshrabona@entrepreneurindia.com
Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Branding

Creating a Brand: How To Build a Brand From Scratch

Every business needs good branding to succeed. Discover the basics and key tips to building a successful brand in this detailed guide.

Innovation

It's Time to Rethink Research and Development. Here's What Must Change.

R&D can't live in a lab anymore. Today's leaders fuse science, strategy, sustainability and people to turn discovery into real-world value.

Marketing

How to Better Manage Your Sales Process

Get your priorities in order, and watch sales roll in.

Business News

AI Agents Can Help Businesses Be '10 Times More Productive,' According to a Nvidia VP. Here's What They Are and How Much They Cost.

In a new interview with Entrepreneur, Nvidia's Vice President of AI Software, Kari Briski, explains how AI agents will "transform" the way we work — and sooner than you think.

Starting a Business

Passion-Driven vs. Purpose-Driven Businesses — What's the Difference, and Why Does It Matter?

Passion and purpose are both powerful forces in entrepreneurship, but they are not the same.