The food delivery partner on three wheels
The lights have gone out in the shops except for food outlets given to entertaining customers and orders well into the evening. About fifteen minutes to eleven, a staff from Jonah's Bistro steps out with packed food and hands it to a food delivery partner who would not budge from his two-wheeler. He could not budge from it. Attached to Zomato, Lakshmanan Angamuthu is differently abled, a locomotor disorder making him dependent on a specially designed three-wheeler for movement. Unlike other delivery partners, he cannot sweep into the restaurant and pick up the order to be delivered. Unlike other delivery partners, he cannot step off his bike, ring the bell and deliver that order at the customers' doorsteps.
Lakshmanan notes that the delivery details would contain a reference to his condition so that customers are ready for it and step out to collect the order. But if they had missed that detail that came up on the screen, Lakshmanan would enlighten them about it over a call.
Unlike other delivery partners, he does not muscle his way through traffic, moving at a clip. He cannot. Being low-powered, his vehicle is hugely limited in speed. One could see that for oneself, after the conversation outside Jonah's Bistro on Besant Nagar Second Avenue, when Lakshmanan rolled into Tiger Varadhachari Road and then Beach Road, and the vehicle was taking him to his destination at a leisurely pace.
Lakshmanan has been a food delivery partner for two years, and he enjoys being on the road moving from point A to point B. For, when asked if he would prefer a more settled work day, one that enables him to stretch his heels under a desk, and dig his feet into one address and not waltz from one address to another, the 33-year-old's answer is a 'no' that comes right off the bat without a hint of hesitation.
'I am enjoying this job for now; I like to roam around and this job is all about moving around the city.' He works eight hours every day.
Lakshmanan is a resident of Saidapet, and this work would have familiarised him with a multitude of roads around Chennai.
As one treats him as a rara avis, Lakshmanan notes that there are other delivery partners with locomotor disorders dependent on such a vehicle and the understanding of customers. He also points out that Zomato makes these vehciles available to such delivery partners through a partnership with customised mobility solutions provider NeoMotion.
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The Hindu
28-06-2025
- The Hindu
The food delivery partner on three wheels
The evening is visibly worn out. And the opportune night is poised to tear into it with fangs of darkness and gobble it. The crowd has thinned out on Besant Nagar Second Avenue. The lights have gone out in the shops except for food outlets given to entertaining customers and orders well into the evening. About fifteen minutes to eleven, a staff from Jonah's Bistro steps out with packed food and hands it to a food delivery partner who would not budge from his two-wheeler. He could not budge from it. Attached to Zomato, Lakshmanan Angamuthu is differently abled, a locomotor disorder making him dependent on a specially designed three-wheeler for movement. Unlike other delivery partners, he cannot sweep into the restaurant and pick up the order to be delivered. Unlike other delivery partners, he cannot step off his bike, ring the bell and deliver that order at the customers' doorsteps. Lakshmanan notes that the delivery details would contain a reference to his condition so that customers are ready for it and step out to collect the order. But if they had missed that detail that came up on the screen, Lakshmanan would enlighten them about it over a call. Unlike other delivery partners, he does not muscle his way through traffic, moving at a clip. He cannot. Being low-powered, his vehicle is hugely limited in speed. One could see that for oneself, after the conversation outside Jonah's Bistro on Besant Nagar Second Avenue, when Lakshmanan rolled into Tiger Varadhachari Road and then Beach Road, and the vehicle was taking him to his destination at a leisurely pace. Lakshmanan has been a food delivery partner for two years, and he enjoys being on the road moving from point A to point B. For, when asked if he would prefer a more settled work day, one that enables him to stretch his heels under a desk, and dig his feet into one address and not waltz from one address to another, the 33-year-old's answer is a 'no' that comes right off the bat without a hint of hesitation. 'I am enjoying this job for now; I like to roam around and this job is all about moving around the city.' He works eight hours every day. Lakshmanan is a resident of Saidapet, and this work would have familiarised him with a multitude of roads around Chennai. As one treats him as a rara avis, Lakshmanan notes that there are other delivery partners with locomotor disorders dependent on such a vehicle and the understanding of customers. He also points out that Zomato makes these vehciles available to such delivery partners through a partnership with customised mobility solutions provider NeoMotion.
Indian Express
11-06-2025
- Indian Express
‘Guilt came faster…': Zomato delivery rider's call leaves Delhi man humbled, LinkedIn post goes viral
What began as a casual late-night craving became a moment of reckoning for Delhi-based Ishan Bhatt, and it's now touching hearts across the Internet. In a now-viral LinkedIn post, Bhatt recounted how a simple order on Zomato quickly transformed his evening. 'Yesterday I ordered ice cream from Zomato,' he wrote. About 15 minutes later, he got a call from the delivery partner: 'Sir, aap neeche aa sakte ho?' (Sir, can you please come downstairs?) Bundled in a blanket, Bhatt casually replied: 'Kyun bhai? Aap aa jaao na upar.' (Why, brother? Come upstairs?) 'Sir, main handicapped hoon.' (Sir, I am a person with a disability.) 'Sudden silence. Guilt came in faster than the delivery,' Bhatt wrote in the post. Tossing aside his blanket 'like the main character in a movie,' he rushed downstairs, humbled by the moment. 'We keep cribbing about late deliveries, melted food, and 'packaging achhi nahi di' – but in the background, companies like Zomato are giving real opportunities to people who actually need them,' he wrote. 'I just found something that made me feel both human and humbled.' Bhatt ended the post on a light-hearted note, sharing a screenshot of his three-ice-cream order: 'And yes, the ice cream was worth it. Next time your delivery partner calls, maybe don't be wrapped in your blanket like some paneer roll.' The post struck a deep chord online. One user responded with warmth and wit: 'From paneer roll to superhero sprint! Love this heartwarming moment and Zomato's efforts. May they keep surprising us (and delivering smiles)! Also now craving paneer rolls and ice cream. Thanks for that!' Another user suggested a solution to avoid such awkward moments in the future: 'Why don't you add a tag or a notification to let the customer know that a differently abled/your super delivery partner is on his way? Just to avoid this awkward situation!' Bhatt's story also opened the floodgates for others to share similar experiences. One user recalled, 'Something very similar happened to me as well. I asked the guy to come to the second floor. The building didn't have a lift. It was 7 in the morning. He told me it would take him a few minutes. When he rang the bell, I saw that he had polio and one of his legs barely worked. Been four years, and I still can't get over the guilt.' Another shared a similar story: 'Had a similar experience once in Gurgaon. I asked the delivery guy to come up to the second floor – there was no lift. He didn't say a word, just came up after quite a while. When I opened the door, I was taken aback – he was really old, like really old. I offered him a chair and some water, then gently asked why he was doing this kind of work. He said it was actually his son's account. His son had met with an accident while rushing deliveries – this was during the whole '10-minute delivery' craze. In his words, 'Duniya ko aag lagi hai.' So now, the father was delivering orders to keep the family going until his son recovered. This is more than three years ago, and I still can't forget his words and expressions.'
NDTV
05-06-2025
- NDTV
"2.5 Hours, No Food": Woman Slams Zomato Over Delay, Company Responds
New Delhi: A woman slammed food delivery giant Zomato after facing consecutive service failures while trying to order dinner, calling the platform a "headache." She raised concerns about customer experience and service accountability in today's app-driven world, despite the presence of AI tools, real-time tracking, and chat support. Zomato has responded, calling the experience "disappointing to hear." Shrestha Paul, an Assistant Professor of English in Assam, wrote a detailed LinkedIn post, saying, "Zomato has become a headache to order from." She placed an order for two mutton biryanis from Oudh via Zomato at 11:30 pm. What followed was a series of frustrating events for her, she said. First, the delivery agent arrived late and delivered the wrong order. She filed a complaint with customer support, who offered her a coupon as a token of apology, which she described as a mere band-aid rather than a real solution. Ms Paul then placed a new order, and despite sharing the location details and live assistance, the delivery agent failed to reach the correct address, her post read. "It is now 1:53 AM, nearly 2.5 hours later, and not only do we not have our food, but we've had to stay up, coordinate, follow up, and be disappointed twice," she wrote. "Refunds do not fill a stomach, Zomato," she added. Concluding her post, she doubted whether Zomato could be trusted at all. Ms Paul questioned, "Dear Zomato - your platform can handle peak orders, but can it handle trust?" The post quickly caught Zomato's attention, who apologised for its service and requested her to share the contact details to investigate further. Zomato commented, "Hi Shrestha, your experience truly matters to us, and it's disappointing to hear that it didn't meet expectations this time. Please help us with your registered mobile number over private message so that we can check what went wrong here. This was not the first time Zomato's service came under scrutiny. Earlier, a woman ordered vegetarian food from the food giant but ended up receiving non-vegetarian food. Nirupama Singh posted a video of the dish on her plate, which looked like a piece of chicken.
