The owner of Ambience Mall, Gurugram, has swiftly taken corrective action following a public complaint from Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal. Mr. Goyal recently shared his personal experience of acting as a delivery partner and being prevented from using the mall’s lift, which he was told was “not meant for delivery agents.”
Mr. Goyal, along with his wife Grecia Munoz, took on the role of a Zomato delivery partner to gain insight into the challenges faced by food delivery workers. He revealed that while picking up an order from the mall, he was directed to take the stairs instead of the lift and eventually discovered that delivery agents were not allowed to enter the mall at all. They were required to wait by the stairs to receive food orders.
In response to his post, Arjun, the owner of Ambience Mall, took immediate action to address the situation. Mr. Goyal updated that the mall has now set up a designated online food delivery pick-up point to accommodate delivery partners. “Thanks Arjun for noticing my post and taking quick action,” Goyal said in a statement.
Additionally, Mr. Goyal mentioned that the mall has agreed to deploy “walkers” who will shuttle food orders from the restaurants to the designated pickup points, ensuring that delivery workers no longer have to wait by the stairs.
Goyal also urged other mall owners to adopt similar practices, suggesting that they find innovative ways to support delivery partners, customers, and restaurants alike. “I urge all other mall owners to please do the same or come up with other solutions that can help our collective customers, delivery partners, restaurants, and malls,” he added.
This incident has sparked a wider conversation about the treatment of delivery workers, with Goyal calling on businesses to be more considerate of those involved in essential services like food delivery.