Zomato has today announced the launch of a brand new service as it continues to consolidate business and eye profitability, along with an expanded outreach. Zomato Gold, the name given to this new service, has been launched in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. It is primarily a subscription service for those who wish to have a more premium nightlife experience.
Zomato Gold is available in three option — 3-month, a 6-month, or a 12-month plan. It allows users to buy two drinks for the price of one at any day and at any time. Membership plans start at 99 dirhams (around ~ Rs 1800) and covers over 200 restaurants, bars and lounges.
While the service has been launched in Dubai and Abu Dhabi only, the company has said the service will roll out to Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore somewhere around June. It will also be available in Melbourne, Jo’burg, and Istanbul later.
The company has revealed that there will be no restriction on the drinks users can order with the membership. The entire drinks menu is available to choose from. Also, it is very convenient to use as there’s no need to punch in anything on your phone or scan QR codes. Just one tap on the partner restaurant’s page on the Zomato app.
It must be noted that prior to launching Zomato Gold in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the service was launched in Lisbon, Portugal. It was available in Lisbon from last week, but the membership will only apply to food and not for drinks.
This new service will open a new type of revenue generation mean for the company. Till now, the only source of revenue for the company was through online listings and commission it charges on online food ordering. Online food ordering accounts for 20% of Zomato’s revenues in India.
Recently, Zomato launched infrastructure services for restaurants on a pilot basis, which essentially provides partner restaurants with a kitchen or location, so they can sell food outside their home markets. It provides restaurants with kitchens, and has to be manned by the restaurant’s employees. The hotels will share kitchens with four other players, with each restaurant getting around 300 sq ft of area for cooking.
