Brands
Meet the Heart: Zomato shows its passion for food
MUMBAI: For Indians, food is love. We tend to show how much we love a person by feeding the other till he/she gets indigestion!
Maybe that’s why the experiment called Zomato, which started six years ago, has crossed borders and is serving millions across the globe. “Looking back, we loved our food too much to go with boring, predictable choices. Or worse still, take a chance with a poor one. So we built something that would help everyone discover more than the usual. Before we knew it, our colleagues and friends were using this treasure trove of information, encouraging us to do more,” wrote the founder and co-founder Deepinder Goyal in a blog recalling how he and his team would have killed to get where they are right now.
Currently available in 17 countries and five languages, Zomato, has rebranded itself to keep pace with the transition it is going through. “As a global brand, we felt we needed a logo that could transcend languages, cultures, and geographical boundaries, and be recognised easily by people the world over,” said the company’s CMO Rameet Arora.
Goyal wrote that now people spend way too much time in front of screens on the digital social networks, and have stopped connecting with people in real life. “But we believe that a good meal, along with good company, is where we find answers to all of life’s challenges. A bad meal, even with good company, takes days to digest. This simple belief about ‘people and food’ gives us our wings and purpose.”
And hence, came the “heart” in the restaurant search and discovery platform. The new logo signifies its connection with those who share Zomato’s passion for food. The idea for the logo came from within Zomato, based on its philosophy and constant interaction with its consumers over the years. “We worked closely with Helvetic Brands of Switzerland to develop the design for the logo; the brand identity was defined and created in-house,” informed Arora.
And that’s not all. It recently announced the launch of its operations in Toronto providing detailed information for over 11,000 restaurants. “We currently see more than 30 million visits to our website and mobile apps every month. We are focused on becoming the world’s ‘go to’ restaurant search service and dining – our experts and our product pipeline are geared towards taking us there as we steadily expand our global footprint,” highlighted Arora.
In the coming few months, it is focused on growing internationally with launches in Malaysia, Vietnam, Ireland, Lebanon, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman and Colombia in the pipeline.
Brands
Jubilant FoodWorks faces Rs 47.5 crore GST demand, plans appeal
Tax authorities flag alleged misclassification of restaurant services
MUMBAI: Jubilant FoodWorks Limited has landed in a tax tussle after receiving a GST demand of Rs 47.5 crore from the office of the additional commissioner of CGST and central excise in Thane, Maharashtra.
The order, issued under the provisions of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, relates to an alleged incorrect classification of certain services under the category of restaurant services. According to the tax authorities, this classification resulted in a short payment of goods and services tax for the period between the financial years 2019-20 and 2021-22.
The demand includes Rs 47.5 crore in GST along with an equal amount as penalty, in addition to applicable interest. The order was received by the company on March 13, 2026.
In a regulatory filing to the BSE Limited and the National Stock Exchange of India Limited, the company said it disagrees with the order and believes its arguments were not adequately considered.
The company is preparing to challenge the decision and plans to file an appeal. It added that once the redressal process is complete, the demand is likely to be dropped.
Despite the sizeable figure attached to the notice, the company said it does not expect any material impact on its financials, operations or other activities.
The disclosure was signed by Suman Hegde, EVP and chief financial officer, who confirmed that the company received the order at 19:06 IST on March 13 and has already initiated steps to contest it.
The development places the quick service restaurant major in the middle of a tax debate that could hinge on how certain restaurant-linked services are classified under GST rules. For now, the company appears ready to take the matter from the tax office to the appeals desk.
