Zomato, Blinkit hit all-time high deliveries on Dec 31, says Deepinder Goyal amid gig worker protests

Eternal co-founder and chief executive officer Deepinder Goyal said on January 1 that food delivery platform Zomato and its quick commerce arm Blinkit recorded their highest-ever delivery volumes on New Year’s Eve, with operations running smoothly despite recent calls for strikes by delivery workers.

In a post on X, Goyal said more than 4.5 lakh delivery partners across the two platforms fulfilled over 75 lakh orders on December 31, serving more than 63 lakh customers in a single day. He described the numbers as an all-time record and said the surge was handled without offering any special incentives beyond those typically rolled out on New Year’s Eve.

"Zomato and Blinkit delivered at a record pace yesterday, unaffected by calls for strikes that many of us heard over the past few days. Support from local law enforcement helped keep the small number of miscreants in check, enabling 4.5 lakh+ delivery partners across both platforms to deliver more than 75 lakh orders (all-time high) to over 63 lakh customers during the day. This happened without any additional incentives for delivery partners - NYE does see higher incentives than usual days and yesterday was no different than the past NYE days. I am grateful to local authorities across the country and to our teams on the ground for clear enforcement and swift coordination," Goyal wrote on X. 

Strike calls and union claims

Goyal’s remarks came amid nationwide strike calls by gig and platform delivery workers on December 25 and December 31, led by the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union and the Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers. The protests were aimed at highlighting concerns around pay, working conditions and algorithmic management.

While platform companies said the December 25 action led to only brief and localised disruptions, worker unions claimed broader participation. According to union estimates, about 40,000 delivery workers joined the December 25 protest, while nearly 1.7 lakh workers participated in the December 31 strike, alleging delivery delays across multiple cities.

In the days leading up to New Year’s Eve, food delivery platforms had also announced peak-hour incentives to ensure rider availability during high-demand windows. Goyal, however, said payouts on December 31 were in line with normal New Year’s Eve trends and were not enhanced specifically in response to the strike calls.

Swiggy flags strong demand as well

Rival platform Swiggy also reported a sharp spike in demand on New Year’s Eve. Co-founder Phani Kishan shared data on X highlighting significant category-wise surges on Swiggy’s quick commerce platform.

According to Kishan, grape sales jumped 15 times, with about 2.35 lakh searches logged for grapes starting as early as 5 am. Cake sales rose sevenfold, BBQ-related items increased sixfold, beverages climbed 3.5 times, and party accessories such as glasses saw a 2.5x jump. Pizza bases, calendars and planners also recorded notable increases.

He also flagged the largest single order of the night—two iPhones worth around ₹1.8 lakh—illustrating the expanding scope of quick commerce purchases. Strong demand was seen not just in metros but also in tier-2 and tier-3 towns including Lonavala, Karimnagar, Saharanpur, Davanagere, Patiala and Meerut.

Goyal pushes back on criticism

Responding to criticism from worker unions, Goyal argued that the scale of participation in app-based delivery challenges claims of systemic unfairness. He said a system that consistently attracts and retains such a large workforce cannot be fundamentally exploitative, cautioning against what he called narratives driven by vested interests.

Goyal described the gig economy as one of India’s largest organised job-creation engines, adding that its long-term impact would compound as delivery partners’ families benefit from steady incomes and access to education.

Goyal wrote: "Most importantly, thank you to our delivery partners who showed up despite intimidation, stood their ground, and chose honest work and progress. One thought for everyone: if a system were fundamentally unfair, it would not consistently attract and retain so many people who choose to work within it. Please don’t get swept up by narratives pushed by vested interests. The gig economy is one of India’s largest organised job creation engines, and its real impact will compound over time, when delivery partners’ children, supported by stable incomes and education, enter the workforce and help transform our country at scale."