What is Zomato's Mehmaan Mode? How a Delhi man's suggestion won Deepinder Goyal's approval
When someone offers to pay for a meal, choosing what to eat can sometimes become an exercise in restraint. A guest might skip a favourite dish or opt for something cheaper, not because they do not want it, but because they do not want the host to spend more.
A suggestion from Delhi-based LinkedIn user Ayushmaan Agarwalla seeks to address this familiar social discomfort through a simple change to Zomato's ordering experience -- hide the prices while guests choose their food.
The idea, called 'Mehmaan Mode', caught the attention of Zomato founder Deepinder Goyal, who responded to Agarwalla's LinkedIn post by saying the company would introduce the feature that week.
Mehmaan Mode is a proposed option that would allow people hosting a meal to share their phone with guests without displaying the prices of menu items.
According to Agarwalla's suggestion, the host could activate the mode before handing over the phone. Guests could then browse the menu and select their dishes without being influenced by the cost of each item. The host would take the device back afterwards and make the payment.
Agarwalla said he had increasingly noticed people passing their phones around to collect food orders, prompting him to suggest a feature that could make the process more comfortable.
His idea was particularly relevant during the festive season, when families and friends often gather and one person may place an order for the entire group.
The intention is to remove the pressure of having to consider the host's spending while deciding what to eat.
Agarwalla tagged Goyal in his LinkedIn post, explaining how the proposed feature could work. The Zomato founder responded with a commitment to move ahead with the idea.
"Thanks for the suggestion. Shipping it this week. Wish you the happiest festive season," Goyal wrote.
The exchange prompted other users to discuss how the feature might work and whether it could be improved further.
One commenter described it as an idea that reflected a distinctly Indian social situation, where guests may feel uncomfortable ordering freely when somebody else is paying. Another praised the proposal as an example of effective product execution.
The idea addresses a social dynamic that can arise when people share a meal but do not share the bill.
Even when a host explicitly invites guests to order what they want, visible prices can influence their choices. Guests may try to keep their orders inexpensive or avoid asking for additional dishes because they do not want to appear inconsiderate.
Removing prices from the selection screen could reduce that pressure and allow guests to choose according to their preferences.
However, the approach also raises a practical question: how can a platform make guests feel comfortable without leaving the host uncertain about the final bill?
One user responding to the proposal argued that hosts might reconsider using the feature if it led to substantially higher spending. Another questioned how Zomato would ensure that guests could not switch price visibility back on.
Goyal's response indicates that Zomato intends to act on the original suggestion, although the precise implementation and availability of the feature will need to be confirmed.
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