Food delivery platform Zomato has launched a new feature called 'Host Mode', allowing guests to choose their favourite dishes without seeing menu prices. The feature comes days after Zomato co-founder Deepinder Goyal accepted a customer's suggestion on LinkedIn to make ordering food for guests less awkward.
(Also read: Deepinder Goyal accepts man's suggestion for ‘Zomato Mehmaan mode’ to hide menu prices for guests)
According to a Moneycontrol report, the feature has been rolled out across India.
In a press release, Zomato said the feature was introduced to make ordering food for friends and family more comfortable, particularly during the festive season.
The company explained that guests often hesitate to order expensive dishes when someone else is paying, sometimes choosing cheaper options or leaving the decision to the host.
Host Mode aims to address this by hiding prices while guests select their food, allowing the host to review the final bill before making the payment.
How does Host Mode work?
To activate the feature, users need to tap the 'Host Mode' option on the app's home screen, restaurant menu page or under Profile > Your preferences.
{{/usCountry}}To activate the feature, users need to tap the 'Host Mode' option on the app's home screen, restaurant menu page or under Profile > Your preferences.
{{/usCountry}}After selecting "Switch on Host Mode", prices disappear from the menus and cart. A message appears confirming, “All prices are hidden in Host Mode.”
Guests can then browse restaurants and add dishes to the cart without seeing their prices.
Once everyone has selected their food, the host can tap "Exit host mode to review bill" and authenticate using fingerprint or face recognition.
The complete bill, including any savings, then becomes visible before the order is placed.
According to Zomato, the feature went live within 72 hours of the customer's suggestion.
Customer's suggestion to Deepinder Goyal
The idea originated from marketing manager Ayushmaan Agarwalla, who tagged Goyal in a LinkedIn post and wrote, “Mehmaan Mode on Zomato. I have a small feature recommendation.”
Explaining his idea, he added, “Zomato should have a simple 'mehmaan mode' - one that makes prices disappear; then phone can be passed around by host without awkwardness to guests to order at ease. The host can then take the phone and make payment. I have witnessed the phone being passed around for orders increasingly.”
Agarwalla suggested that hiding prices would help guests order without embarrassment or hesitation, especially during festive gatherings.
(Also read: Deepinder Goyal says his 'Zomato guy' reputation works against his new health-tech venture Temple)
Goyal welcomed the idea and responded, “Thanks for the suggestion. Shipping it this week,” adding, “Wish you the happiest festive season.”
The company has now introduced the feature under the name 'Host Mode'.