Dear Zomato

When I first saw you, you were Foodiebay. A plain Jane clad in crumpled restaurant menus. I never thought much of you, still saved your URL. But then, I still remember that lonely night when I was drunk and famished. I was tired and had no clue where to go to fill my big empty tummy that was making haunting sounds in that dark night. I went online for help. And there you were, waiting silently, with those restaurant menus and the hunger helpline numbers. You saved me from starving that night…

And we became friends.

With time, I was happy to see that you no longer wished to remain plain and simple. You started branching out. You had a makeover, a new look and a new name. You were now – Zomato.

I went weak in my knees and realized it would be stupid of me to be “just friends” with you. I wanted to take our friendship to the next level. Just when I thought I should tell you what’s in my heart, half the city had fallen for you. You were talked about in restaurants, pubs and on social media.

You became too cool for me. But you were still my crush and I checked you out every now and then. Apart from staying in touch via web, I saved you on my mobile and tab too. You told me about good places to eat and I told you how good/bad your advice was. I also showed you photos to prove my point. You made a food blogger out of me. Now no restaurant experience is complete for me unless I share it with you.

But you are unsatiable. You want to know more…So here are three things I  like about you:

1. You are simple and easy to use – It’s very easy to find a restaurant, its address, reviews and ratings on Zomato . The design is intuitive and user friendly. I never had to Google for “how to upload photos on Zomato.”
2. Your mobile versions are fantastic – From amazing trendy look to big device friendly fonts, using the Zomato app on the mobile is a breeze. Both the Android and iOS versions (on my phone and iPad) are cutting edge.
3. You appreciate me – Be it the points and level system on the website or the occasional food vouchers you send, it feels great that my efforts are recognized.

But, being a friend and a fan, it only makes sense that I comply to your wish to make you aware of your shortcomings. You are GOOD but you could get better!. Below are a couple of areas you could work on.

1. One who follows himself will reach nowhere – I may be a big fan of my restaurant reviews but let’s not take narcissism to crazy levels. I should not be in my list of “foodies to follow”.
2. Keep me posted – Have a setting for notifications on Facebook or via email about the new reviews written by any particular foodie who I follow. In fact, I should be able to select / deselect the option to choose if I want to be notified for a particular person’s activity.
3. Instant social nirvana – Social connectivity needs a lot of improvement. Devise a way through which your users can connect with each other instantly. That’s the reason why Facebook groups like “Eatlo” are so popular. If someone is crossing Peeragarhi and wants to have “choley bhaturey” he just posts in the group asking for the options in that area and within minutes there are recommendations. At present, one can search for the term “choley bhaturey” on Zomato and see available options but the personal touch of someone recommending it then and there, or suggesting options, will add a whole new level of functionality. That is the kind of social media integration that can actually take Zomato several leaps forward.

Come on – be bold – wear formatting tools like bold letters, italics, underlines, numbered or bulleted point lists. You are my crush and I am so hooked on to you..you will do this for me..won’t you?

–Delhifundos

Sundeep Bhatia and Bedabrata Chakraborty