Zomato Responds After Suspicious One-Dish Restaurants On Zomato App Go Viral

For several days, social media has been abuzz with outrage over suspicious restaurants on Zomato in Chandigarh, selling single dishes with bizarre names at exorbitant prices. Users highlighted these practices, sparking widespread criticism and raising questions about the platform’s regulation policies. Responding to the uproar, Zomato has finally addressed the controversy on the social media platform X.

Zomato took to social media platform X and addressed the ‘single dish’ restaurant controversy

Zomato has addressed growing concerns about suspicious “single dish” restaurants on its platform, flagged by users for listing items with strange names like “Naughty Strawberry” and “Merry Berry.” These listings sparked suspicions of illegitimate practices and loopholes in Zomato’s monitoring.

In response, the food delivery giant delisted all suspicious food outlets and initiated a broader investigation into other limited-menu restaurants to ensure they comply with the platform’s policies. Zomato took to X and wrote,

“We have noticed social media conversations around single-dish restaurants listed on Zomato. We have identified all such restaurants that were potentially fraudulent and have delisted them from our platform. To solve this more comprehensively, we have also investigated all other restaurants which have a very limited menu on Zomato and might have listed prohibited items or worked around a way to list prohibited items.”

The company clarified that all restaurants on Zomato must have a valid FSSAI license and follow strict guidelines prohibiting items like alcohol and tobacco. Despite these measures, some restaurants exploited the system,

“As per our policy, all restaurants listed on Zomato need to have a FSSAI license and we also actively block items such as alcohol, cigarettes/cigars/vapes from being listed on our platform. However, the restaurants highlighted were able to game our checks by using generic food names such as, ‘Naughty strawberry’, ‘Merry Berry’.”

Giving a concluding remark they highlighted how they have now strengthened their fraud checks,

“We have further strengthened our fraud checks to proactively identify such cases to avoid similar incidents in the future.”

Have a look at the whole tweet

We have noticed social media conversations around single-dish restaurants listed on Zomato.

We have identified all such restaurants that were potentially fraudulent and have delisted them from our platform. To solve this more comprehensively, we have also investigated all other…

— zomato (@zomato) November 20, 2024

This ‘single dish’ controversy gained traction with a Reddit post

The controversy began when a Reddit post exposed suspicious restaurants in Chandigarh’s Nayagaon offering single dishes with odd names like “Citrus Punch,” “Naughty Strawberry,” and “Blue Adventure” at unusually high prices.

Suspicious “one-dish” restaurants on Zomato (Chandigarh)
byu/torinotor inindia

Social media users speculated that these listings might be fronts for illicit activities such as drug dealing. Adding to the suspicion, one user on X shared an experience of placing an order from such a restaurant, only to have it rejected, after which the restaurant stopped taking orders altogether.

To sum it up, Zomato’s swift action to delist suspicious ‘single dish’ restaurants most certainly showcases its commitment to addressing user concerns and maintaining trust. While the incident raised serious questions about platform oversight and Zomato’s possible inclusion in the fraudulent activities, Zomato’s response demonstrates a proactive approach to safeguarding the trust it has built over all these years.

What are your thoughts on Zomato’s response on the matter? Do share your thoughts via the comments below.