Food delivery giant Zomato is facing criticism again! A customer took to X and posted an allegation that a listed restaurant on its platform was offering cash incentives in exchange for 5-star reviews. The incident is concerning as it emphasizes the need for stricter regulation of online review systems. Consumers are urging Zomato to take immediate action against violators and introduce transparent verification methods for reviews.
The controversy erupted after an X (formerly Twitter) user posted a screenshot requesting a 5-star rating by offering Rs 20 on GPay
A handwritten note was sent by a restaurant named Shakesee to the customer asking for a 5-star rating. The alleged note read,
Rate us 5 Stars on your order and get Rs 20 instantly on GPay! Just send us screenshot as proof.
No. 6353013878
The restaurant shared a phone number in the note, asking the customer to send a screenshot of their 5-star review to get Rs 20 in GPay instantly.
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The Zomato customer took to X, tagged the company, and using hashtags #IntegrityOnSale #ZomatoExperience wrote,
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Wow @zomato
, didn’t know ₹20 and a screenshot is all it takes to get a 5-star review these days.
Courtesy: Shakesee, bribing customers with GPay for fake ratings.
Maybe include “cash for stars” in your review policy?
#IntegrityOnSale #ZomatoExperience
The user, Neel, condemned the act and sarcastically asked Zomato to include “cash for stars” in their review policy.
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Wow @zomato, didn’t know ₹20 and a screenshot is all it takes to get a 5-star review these days.
Courtesy: Shakesee, bribing customers with GPay for fake ratings.
Maybe include “cash for stars” in your review policy?#IntegrityOnSale #ZomatoExperience pic.twitter.com/00SrKA6k5O— Neel Odedra (@NeelOdedra5) June 2, 2025
Zomato replied to the post by asking the customer to share his email address
Zomato Care wrote,
Hey Neel, we’d like to get this checked. Please DM us your registered email address so that we can address this.
Hey Neel, we’d like to get this checked. Please DM us your registered email address so that we can address this. https://t.co/jcTFuGSv2G
— Zomato Care (@zomatocare) June 2, 2025
“Cash for Stars”
The alleged Rs 20 bribe depicts the disturbing trend where small monetary incentives are being used to influence public perception. This might ruin a customer’s trust. The company’s current review policy prohibits incentivized ratings. But there is no such enforcement to keep a check on the matter in India’s competitive food delivery ecosystem.
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Incidents like this, if proven true, could harm consumer trust, not just in one restaurant, but in the wider ecosystem of online food ratings.
What are your thoughts on this matter? Have you ever faced such an issue? Let us know in the comments.
