(Also read: Deepinder Goyal accepts man’s suggestion for ‘Zomato Mehmaan mode’ to hide menu prices for guests )
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.
The feature has been rolled out across India, according to a Moneycontrol report.
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. 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. 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. 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.
The feature went live within 72 hours of the customer’s suggestion, according to Zomato.
After selecting “Switch on Host Mode”, prices disappear from the menus and cart. Once everyone has selected their food, the host can tap “Exit host mode to review bill” and authenticate using fingerprint or face recognition. 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 )
The complete bill, including any savings, then becomes visible before the order is placed.
The company has now introduced the feature under the name ‘Host Mode’. Goyal welcomed the idea and responded, “Thanks for the suggestion.
Shipping it this week,” adding, “Wish you the happiest festive season.
