Zomato, the food ordering and delivery platform, has introduced a feature on its platform, ‘Tips for the Kitchen Staff,’ enabling customers to express their gratitude to the restaurant’s kitchen staff.

The entire tip amount, minus any applicable tax deductions, will be credited to restaurants for distribution among their staff, contingent upon restaurant management signing a pledge to allocate the full sum to their employees.

Building on the success of a 2018 initiative that allowed customers to tip delivery partners, the ‘Tips for the Kitchen Staff’ feature is a similar endeavor driven by feedback from Zomato’s restaurant partner network. Through this feature, Zomato strives to facilitate customer recognition of the hard work, skill, and creativity of restaurant kitchen staff.

Rakesh Ranjan, chief executive officer, food delivery, Zomato says, “Our customers love to show appreciation for the food our restaurant partners prepare for them, every time they order. The introduction of ‘Tips for the kitchen staff’ feature will enable our customers to seamlessly share their love and gratitude for their food deliveries, an option that was limited to traditional dining-in experience until now. We are hopeful this new feature will enrich the food delivery experience for both our restaurant partners and customers.”

Zomato customers have the opportunity to express their gratitude for the dedicated kitchen staff by providing a tip after rating their order with 4 or 5 stars. Additionally, the option to tip the kitchen team is conveniently accessible on the live order tracking page immediately after they place an order. Zomato offers predefined percentage options for tipping, ranging from 3% to 10% of the total item value. Customers also have the flexibility to enter a custom tip amount, as long as it falls within a specified maximum limit.

For restaurant partners, tracking these tips has been made straightforward. They can monitor tips through their weekly payouts and statement of account on the Zomato merchant app or web dashboard. The ‘Tips for the Kitchen Staff’ feature is now active on the Zomato platform, allowing customers to acknowledge and reward the hardworking kitchen teams behind their delicious meals.