Over the past ten years, food ordering and delivery services have transformed from a luxury service to a necessity. Apps like Zomato and Swiggy have significantly changed the food ordering and consumption scenario across the world. This rapid growth with smartphones, an increasingly dynamic lifestyle, and easy access to thousands of restaurants at the click of a button has driven food ordering and consumption services. To address the rising demands and maintain efficiency, food ordering services have increasingly adopted artificial intelligence.
AI nowadays plays an integral role in almost all processes involved in food delivery. From recommendation and route optimization to pricing and customer service, it works as an invisible facilitator. Yet, the same AI systems also created friction, especially in customer service. Recently, a viral incident highlighted this growing tension, in which a Zomato customer expressed his frustration over the app’s automated responses, promptly asking the company for human support rather than AI. Zomato eventually responded, acknowledging the situation.
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Frustrated over Zomato’s AI-powered customer support, the customer asks for human support
Recently, a Mumbai-based customer named Hiren Haria approached Zomato on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, after having a not-so-good experience with the company’s AI-powered customer care for its food-delivery app. In a post shared on X, Hiren shared screenshots of his order and tagged the company. Captioning the post, he wrote,
@zomato Can I discuss my matter with any human customer care. Your AI customer care model ruined my day.
@zomato Can I discuss my matter with any human customer care. Your AI customer care model ruined my day. pic.twitter.com/nVsyLPy5On
— Hiren Haria (@hirenharia85) December 11, 2025
Looking at his shared screenshots, it seemed Hiren’s order was getting too late. That’s why he had to seek help from the company’s customer care. But it seems that AI-powered answers didn’t help him at all. That’s why he had to post his complaint on social media publicly.
How did Zomato respond to the above-mentioned post?
Upon noticing the above-mentioned Hiren’s complaint, Zomato’s customer support handle responded to it publicly. The company acknowledged the customer’s concern and assured him that the issue had been noted. The company wrote,
Hey Hiren, we understand you were looking for better support. Rest assured, we have taken a note of your order details, and we’ll reach out to you once we have an update on your concern.
Hey Hiren, we understand you were looking for better support. Rest assured, we have taken a note of your order details, and we’ll reach out to you once we have an update on your concern.
— Zomato Care (@zomatocare) December 11, 2025
However, the customer replied, stating that he was waiting for further communication. Several hours later, Zomato issued another follow-up message, saying that they are working on his complaint and asking for some time. They also stated that they will get back to him shortly. Zomato wrote,
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Hey Hiren, we understand the wait isn’t ideal, and we’re working on getting your concern resolved. Please give us a little time, and we’ll get back to you shortly.
Hey Hiren, we understand the wait isn’t ideal, and we’re working on getting your concern resolved. Please give us a little time, and we’ll get back to you shortly.
— Zomato Care (@zomatocare) December 12, 2025
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How can food delivery services overcome this problem?
As of now, neither Zomato nor the customer has any updates regarding the complaint. However, this exchange conveys a growing problem affecting service-based platforms that are increasingly reliant on AI-powered support. While automated systems resolve large quantities of queries for companies, complex queries often make users reach out to the human connection for clarity or speedy resolution. Taking this into consideration, a middle ground must be achieved.
Hybrid models, in which AI takes care of basic queries and humans intervene in more complex cases, might be a better option. Ensuring transparency, increasing accountability, and investing in empathetic human support can bring the trust back. With consumers increasingly reliant on food delivery platforms, an important lesson for companies to remember is that convenience must never come at the cost of connection.
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