The restrictions in place to fight the COVID-19 pandemic have taken a heavy toll on the restaurant industry.

As restaurateurs fight to keep businesses running given the dented cash flows, millions of restaurant workers — housekeepers, cooks and servers — face the possibility of losing their livelihoods with very little savings to fall back.

Restaurant workers face a twofold setback, many have modest backgrounds, and coming from small towns, are stranded away from their homes. And a cash-strapped industry is struggling to provide sustenance for them and their families as business comes to an abrupt halt.

Zomato is built around — and is an integral part of — this very hospitality ecosystem, connecting millions of consumers with passionate restaurateurs every day. In times like these, companies like ours need to step up and do our best to power the ecosystem through this unprecedented environment.

Keeping these circumstances in mind, in order to help the restaurant industry get back on its feet, all revenue from the Zomato Gold subscriptions we sell in April will go into the Zomato Gold Support Fund.

All proceeds to the fund will go towards restaurant housekeepers, cooks and servers in these uncertain times. Recipients of these funds will not be required to pay us back.

The ongoing lockdown is affecting certain members of our society more severely than the rest. In this hour, we must chip in for restaurant workers till things get back to normal.

How can individuals contribute?

You can contribute by purchasing or extending the annual Gold membership for ₹1200 on the Zomato app. We will give you an additional year’s extension for free as a token of our gratitude, and all the proceeds of the membership fee that you pay today will go towards the support of restaurant workers.

We want to raise as much as we can, and positively impact the lives of millions who depend either directly or indirectly on restaurant workers across the country. And once the testing times are behind us, these restaurants will be there to welcome us like never before.

Let’s get together in support of those who serve us!