Food delivery giant Zomato is set to introduce a new feature titled 'Mehmaan Mode' this week, a development confirmed by the company’s founder, Deepinder Goyal. The update is designed to address a common social scenario where a host passes their smartphone to guests, allowing them to select their preferred food items without being able to see individual prices.
The concept for the feature originated from a suggestion made by Ayushmaan Agarwalla, a marketing manager, on the professional networking platform LinkedIn. In his post, Agarwalla argued that group ordering processes often become awkward when prices are visible to all participants. He proposed a toggle button that would allow the host to hide the cost of items, enabling guests to browse the menu freely.
Agarwalla’s pitch highlighted that by removing the price visibility, guests could select their orders without hesitation or concern regarding the final bill. Once the guests have made their choices, the host can retrieve the device to finalize the order and complete the payment. This suggestion garnered significant attention on the platform, receiving over 2,800 reactions and dozens of comments within a short period.
In response to the proposal, Deepinder Goyal publicly acknowledged the suggestion on Wednesday. He confirmed that the platform was actively working on the implementation, noting that Zomato would be "shipping it this week." This interaction highlights the company's responsiveness to feedback provided by its user base regarding user experience improvements.
The introduction of the price-masking mode comes at a time when the parent organization, Eternal, is expanding its technological capabilities. Beyond the refinements to the Zomato app, Eternal has announced its entry into the consumer artificial intelligence sector. The company plans to release an AI assistant later this year named 'Dark,' which is designed to facilitate private conversations.
According to the company, 'Dark' will utilize fine-tuned open-weight models hosted on Eternal's own infrastructure. The assistant is expected to feature end-to-end encryption and will allow for user-controlled encrypted memory, signaling a broader focus on privacy-centric technological tools.
Eternal manages a diverse portfolio of consumer internet platforms beyond Zomato. This includes the quick-commerce service Blinkit, the ticketing and events platform District, and the business-to-business grocery supply chain known as Hyperpure. The parent company operates these services as part of a wider ecosystem aimed at scaling its consumer business offerings.
The upcoming 'Mehmaan Mode' is expected to be available for users shortly, serving as a functional tool for social dining and group gatherings. As Zomato continues to iterate on its interface, the company remains focused on streamlining the ordering process for its millions of users. By incorporating user suggestions like the 'Mehmaan Mode,' the platform aims to minimize friction in the digital ordering experience, potentially encouraging more collaborative usage of the app during social events.
Looking ahead, the integration of these features and the anticipated launch of the 'Dark' AI assistant underscore the company's commitment to evolving its service offerings through both practical UI updates and sophisticated backend technological advancements. For the average user, the focus remains on the imminent arrival of the price-masking toggle, which marks a notable shift in how the platform facilitates shared group ordering.
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