Thousands of Indians are reportedly boycotting five major food delivery platforms in an attempt to level the playing field for restaurant owners.

An agenda shared by the National Restaurant Association of India claims Dineout, Eazydiner, Magicpin, NearBuy, Zomato ‘are resorting to unjust practices and hurting our businesses’ and it goes on to urge restaurants in India to #LogOut and to curb the use of coupons, gold, passport, prime or pin as offer deals.

Food Sheikh, a Dubai-based food commentator shared the news to a Dubai audience who went on to offer their thoughts on whether a similar system would work here, in a city oversaturated with offers and discount meal deals.

And with so much talk surrounding the campaign, the Founder of Zomato has weighed in on the debate

Recommended

These Are The Top Vegetarian-Friendly Eateries In DubaiEnjoy Your Breakfast With A View At This Stunning Hotel In DubaiSecret’s Out: This Is Why Colonel Sanders Was Spotted In A Dubai Supermarket

https://www.instagram.com/p/B1LtaI_poqx/

The discussion over whether such action is needed in Dubai kicked off

With one user suggesting it will be difficult to introduce in a heavily populated market.

While another declaring that fair pricing across the board would be the ultimate dream

Amidst the backlash directed at third-party providers, the founder of Zomato weigh-in with his thoughts

Founded in India, Zomato is a search and discovery platform, it has expanded to 24 countries with a huge foothold here in Dubai.

Stating that Zomato has been a huge success but he conceded mistakes have been made along the way and restaurant businesses have been hurt by Zomato Gold, an extension to the Zomato service.

2 – I am sad that young entrepreneurs (much like me) in the restaurant industry are feeling the pressure to such an extent that they had to launch such a campaign. We set out to create a company which can create a massive impact on consumers, as well as business owners.

— Deepinder Goyal (@deepigoyal) August 17, 2019

In the eight-tweet thread, Goyal added that this is a wake-up call and there would be changes

4 – We are committed to work with the industry and make modifications to Zomato Gold which will result in a win win situation for restaurants and consumers. Just like last year, when we changed some rules around Gold after hearing about the concerns of the restaurant community⁰.

— Deepinder Goyal (@deepigoyal) August 17, 2019

He pleaded with restaurateurs to stop logging out, and urged operators to reduce operating costs

6 – I would also want to urge the restaurant industry to proactively look for ways to reduce operating costs, so that eating out becomes more affordable for consumers – our only objective here is to drive the growth of the restaurant industry.

— Deepinder Goyal (@deepigoyal) August 17, 2019

He added how it’s crucial the restaurant industry lowers costs, across the board

8 – What's good for restaurants is good for Zomato. What's good for consumers is good for Zomato. Finding the right balance and product market fit is the restaurant industry's problem (and that includes us).

— Deepinder Goyal (@deepigoyal) August 17, 2019

Netizens in response claim the Gold product forces restaurant owners to raise standard prices

#zomatogold forces restaurants to raise the general price to avoid major losses as they don't pay for it. Making it expensive for the uninformed consumer. #logout

— Priyaj Kamat (@PooprikSatang) August 17, 2019

While others continue to support the brand and expressed gratitude for low prices

Amidst the #logout campaign, I would like to thank @Zomato @ZomatoGold for providing the amazing options to dine-in on not so pocket killing prices. ZG for sure has provided accessibility to many places which one couldn't have afforded otherwise. ThankYou!

— Atul Srivastava (@atulsrtv) August 18, 2019

The debate continues