Zomato Replies After Restaurant Asks Customer To Cancel Online Order And Pay Offline

In recent times, complaints regarding order issues with food aggregator apps like Zomato, Swiggy have increased on social media. Most customers share their frustration on social media thing the customer support of the company.

Most prevalent issues include Order Delays, Missing Items or Incorrect Orders, Unresponsive Customer Support, Delivery Executive Behavior, No Refunds for Prepaid Orders, and Ghost Kitchens & Fake Listings.

businesstoday

An X user took to the platform to raise a serious complaint against a restaurant listed on Zomato

The user with the handle @SupportFli26423 alleged that after waiting over two hours for their food delivery, the restaurant asked them to cancel the Zomato order and instead place it offline and pay directly to the restaurant.

The user ordered Palak paneer kofta and Reshma pulao bowl, and Gajar ka halwa from the restaurant. The customer also shared a screenshot of the order summary that mentions the name of the restaurant. By the address, it seems to be a Bangalore-based restaurant.

Twitter

Advertisment

The user tweeted,

“This restaurant owner saying me to cancel the Zomato order and order offline and pay them directly. I was waiting for my order [for the] last 2 hours, now he is saying like this. Do something @Zomato”

@SupportFli26423 this restaurant owner saying me to cancel the Zomato order and an order offline and pay them directly I was waiting for my order last 2 hours now he is saying like this do something zomato pic.twitter.com/oC47S0pDMY

— Ronnie Vaishnav (@RonnieVais21486) May 12, 2025

This incident raises concerns about the reliability of food delivery services and the practices of some partner restaurants that may attempt to bypass online platforms to avoid commission fees.

Zomato responded to the complaint on X

Zomato took notice of the customer complaint and wrote,

Hi Ronnie, we hear you and would like to look into this. We’ll check this and get back to you with an update.

Hi Ronnie, we hear you and would like to look into this. We’ll check this and get back to you with an update.

— Zomato Care (@zomatocare) May 12, 2025

Similar complaints have emerged in the past, highlighting the need for better enforcement of service standards and customer protection on food delivery apps.

Consumer Rights and Platform Accountability

According to online consumer protection advocates, any restaurant that accepts an online order via a platform like Zomato is contractually obligated to fulfill it. Encouraging users to cancel and pay offline not only bothers the customer but also violates the trust and terms of the platform. Customers experiencing similar issues should follow these.

• Contact Zomato support through the app’s help section.
• Avoid canceling the order themselves, as it may affect refunds.
• Report the restaurant for misconduct through Zomato’s rating and complaint system.

The incident is another reminder of the challenges in the food delivery ecosystem, where customer service, transparency, and timely deliveries remain top priorities for users.

What are your thoughts on the incident? Have you faced a similar situation? Let us know in the comments.