In his LinkedIn post, Pune entrepreneur Shripal Gandhi shared the conversation with a Zomato delivery partner after Subway forgot some items in his order.
What actually happened?
Gandhi ordered a simple lunch from Subway - a paneer tikka sandwich, Bingo chips, and oat raisin cookies. But when he received the order, he found some items missing.
The entrepreneur offered to pay the Zomato delivery agent an extra ₹20 if he could go back and collect the missing items.
“Technically, the rider isn’t supposed to go back unless Zomato tells him to,” Gandhi noted. “Because Zomato pays him, not the restaurant. But this man, this absolute gem, said: “Sir, it’s my responsibility. I want the customer to be happy.””
The delivery agent not only went back to collect the missing items but also refused to take any payment from Gandhi. The agent explained that he took pride in his job and owed his livelihood to Zomato, and therefore did not want the company to get a bad name.
“He delivered more than just my lunch. He delivered a lesson for life,” Gandhi wrote on LinkedIn, sharing a photograph of the Zomato delivery partner.
“Then, he shared his story and it gave me goosebumps,” shared the Pune-based business coach.
He explained that the delivery agent is disabled – the left side of his body was left paralysed after an accident.
He lost more than his mobility in the accident - the delivery driver also lost his well-paying job. He had been working as a construction supervisor, earning ₹1.25 lakh a month while growing into a managerial role at Shapoorji Pallonji Group, when a car accident left him partially paralysed.
“His left side is paralyzed, hand and leg. He lost his job, his mobility, and for a while, his hope,” wrote Gandhi, adding: “But Zomato changed that”.
Even though he lost his supervisor role, he started delivering food for Zomato. The gig has allowed him to raise and educate his daughter, who is now studying dentistry.
“Sir, Zomato kept my family alive. I may be handicapped, but I’ve been given an opportunity. I will never let Zomato’s name be affected,” the delivery driver told Gandhi.
Gandhi was awestruck by the Zomato delivery partner’s optimism. “He didn’t blame life. He didn’t complain. He didn’t give excuses,” he wrote of the Zomato agent.
The Pune businessman ended his post with a word of appreciation for Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal for employing disabled people.
“You might not realize it, but your decision to hire persons with disabilities is changing lives in the most profound way,” he wrote. “Yesterday I received a sandwich. But what stayed with me… was gratitude, resilience, and hope.”
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