Amidst the ongoing 21-day lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic in India, popular food delivery giant Zomato has announced a new initiative to help the restaurant staff impacted by it. Called the ‘Zomato Gold Support Fund,’ the company plans to use all revenue from Zomato Gold subscriptions sold in the month of April to help servers, housekeepers, and cooks in need.
The lockdown sees only essentials including groceries, veggies, and medical supplies being allowed for delivery. Zomato and Swiggy recently restarted deliveries in some regions but not all restaurants are operating at full capacity. The restaurant industry sure is one of the worst affected by the lockdown and the food delivery giant plans to support restaurant workers with some help from you.
“Zomato is built around — and is an integral part of — this very hospitality ecosystem, connecting millions of consumers with passionate restaurateurs every day. In times like these, companies like ours need to step up and do our best to power the ecosystem through this unprecedented environment,” says the company in an official blog post.
How to Contribute to Zomato Gold Support Fund?
If you want to contribute to help servers or cooks who may be out of their jobs right now, you simply need to purchase a Zomato Gold subscription. Yeah, it’s super easy. And what’s even better for you (someone who’s a regular Zomato user) is that you’re getting not one but a two-year subscription for the price of one.
Just open the Zomato app and head to the ‘Gold’ section from the bottom navigation bar. You will see a banner reading ‘#SupportYourServer’ at the top. Tap the banner to either purchase a new subscription or extend the subscription if you already enjoy the perks of this service. You will get 2 years of Zomato Gold subscription in both cases.
“We will give you an additional year’s extension for free as a token of our gratitude, and all the proceeds of the membership fee that you pay today will go towards the support of restaurant workers,” says the official blog post.
All proceeds collected from selling Zomato Gold subscriptions in April will go towards this fund. It will then be distributed to restaurant workers – servers, cooks, and others who need support during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. And I find it essential to point out that the company isn’t handing out loans. All the recipients of the grant “will not be required” to pay Zomato back once things settle down.
This is an amazing initiative from Zomato to help restaurant staff during the COVID-19 lockdown period. I frequently get food delivered using Zomato and have already made my contribution to the Zomato Gold Support Fund. It does get you a two-year Zomato Gold subscription but more importantly, it will help put food in a restaurant workers’ plate who may have served you in the past.
