Multi-Restaurant Orders on Zomato: Go/No-Go Call and Launch Plan

Zomato is weighing whether customers should be able to order from more than one restaurant in a single order. Make the call, and then either design the feature and its launch or explain why Zomato should not build it. ### Clarifying Questions - What need would this serve: groups and families who want different cuisines, or individuals adding a dessert or drink from another place? - Would one delivery partner collect from every restaurant, or could each restaurant's food arrive separately under one checkout? - Does leadership already have limits in mind, such as specific cities, a maximum distance between restaurants or a maximum number of restaurants per order? - Is success measured mainly by order value, order frequency or matching what competitors offer? ### Part 1 — Make the call Decide whether Zomato should offer orders that combine restaurants. Weigh the value to customers and to Zomato against the cost to restaurants, delivery partners and delivery time. ```hint Compare against today Ask what a customer who wants food from two places does today, and how the economics of a combined order change depending on that answer. ``` #### What This Part Should Cover - The customer problem, how often it occurs, and the evidence you would gather before building - Business upside weighed against operational cost: extra pickups, waiting time and food quality - A clear yes, no or conditional answer, with the conditions that would flip it ### Part 2 — Build it, or defend the no If your answer is yes, describe the product and operations design and how you would roll it out and measure it. If your answer is no, explain why and propose a cheaper way to meet the same need. ```hint Follow one order end to end Walk a single combined order through every party: the customer's cart and checkout, each restaurant's kitchen, the delivery partner's route, and what happens when one restaurant cancels. ``` #### What This Part Should Cover - The customer experience: building the cart, fees, delivery estimate and payment - Operations: which restaurants can be combined, pickup sequencing, partial failures and refunds - A rollout with an experiment design, success metrics and guardrails ### What a Strong Answer Covers - A decision grounded in how Zomato's marketplace works, not in whether the feature sounds appealing - Explicit treatment of all three sides: customers, restaurants and delivery partners - Measurable success criteria and a rule for scaling up, narrowing or stopping - Risks such as cold food, longer deliveries for everyone at peak, and refund disputes ### Follow-up Questions - The pilot raises order value, but combined orders take much longer to arrive than single ones. What do you do? - How would you price delivery for a two-restaurant order, and who pays for the extra pickup? - One restaurant in a paid combined order runs out of an item. What should happen next?