Zomato and Blinkit hit record delivery level on December 31, says Deepinder Goyal amid gig worker protests

Eternal Co-founder and CEO Deepinder Goyal said on January 1 that food delivery platform Zomato and its fast commerce arm Blinkit recorded their highest-ever delivery volumes on New Year’s Eve, with operations running smoothly despite recent calls for a delivery workers’ strike.

In a post on He described the figures as an all-time high and said the rise had been managed without offering special incentives beyond those typically put in place on New Year’s Eve.

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

Strike calls and union demands

Goyal’s remarks came amid calls for a nationwide strike by gig and platform delivery workers on December 25 and 31, led by the Telangana Gig and Platform Workers’ Union and the Indian App-Based Transport Workers’ Federation. The protests aimed to highlight concerns over wages, working conditions and algorithmic management.

While platform companies said the Dec. 25 action resulted in only brief, localized disruptions, worker unions demanded broader participation. According to the union’s estimates, around 40,000 delivery workers joined the December 25 protest, while nearly 1.7 million workers participated in the December 31 strike, alleging delivery delays in several cities.

In the days leading up to New Year’s Eve, food delivery platforms had also announced peak hour incentives to ensure passenger availability during periods of high demand. Goyal, however, said the payments as of December 31 were in line with normal New Year’s Eve trends and had not been increased specifically in response to calls for strike action.

Swiggy also signals strong demand

Rival platform Swiggy also reported a surge in demand on New Year’s Eve. Co-founder Phani Kishan shared data on X highlighting significant increases by category on Swiggy’s fast commerce platform.

According to Kishan, sales of grapes jumped 15 times, with around 2.35 lakh searches recorded for grapes as early as 5 am. Cake sales increased seven times, barbecue related items increased six times, drinks increased 3.5 times, and party accessories such as glasses increased 2.5 times. Pizza backgrounds, calendars and planners also saw notable increases.

He also flagged off the biggest order of the evening – two iPhones worth around 1.8 lakh – illustrating the growing reach of quick business purchases. Strong demand was seen not only in metros but also in tier 2 and 3 cities including Lonavala, Karimnagar, Saharipur, Davanagere, Patiala and Meerut.

Goyal rejects criticism

Responding to criticism from worker unions, Goyal argued that the scale of participation in app-based delivery calls into question claims of systemic injustice. He said a system that systematically attracts and retains such a large workforce cannot be inherently exploitative, warning against what he calls narratives driven by special interests.

Goyal described the gig economy as one of the biggest drivers of organized job creation in India, adding that its long-term impact would deepen as families of delivery partners benefit from stable 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. A thought for everyone: if a system were fundamentally unfair, it would not systematically attract and retain as many people who choose to work there. income and education, enter the job market and help transform our country on a large scale.