A restaurant in Odisha has claimed that it was penalised over the mistakes of a Zomato delivery partner. In an Instagram post, the Cuttack-based restaurant alleged that, despite preparing the correct order, a delivery partner messed it up, leading to negative reviews.
“Zomato Deepinder Goyal, This isn’t just a complaint. It’s a pattern,” House Of Salat wrote on its official Instagram page, adding, “We did everything right, prepared, packed, and handed over the correct order. But when things went wrong in delivery, the blame came back to us. Ratings dropped. Trust took a hit.”
The Cuttack-based eatery demanded accountability from the delivery platform, claiming, “We had no way to explain. No way to fix it. No way to defend our work. Small businesses like ours don’t just lose stars, we lose visibility, orders, and real revenue. If delivery is controlled by you, accountability should be too.”
{{/usCountry}}The Cuttack-based eatery demanded accountability from the delivery platform, claiming, “We had no way to explain. No way to fix it. No way to defend our work. Small businesses like ours don’t just lose stars, we lose visibility, orders, and real revenue. If delivery is controlled by you, accountability should be too.”
{{/usCountry}}It continued, “We’re not asking for favors. Just fairness, transparency, and a system that doesn’t punish the wrong people. It’s time to fix this, Zomato.”
In a note shared along with the post, the restaurant further explained, “We have no access to the customer to explain or fix the issue. No way to defend ourselves. No system that separates restaurant errors from delivery failures. Just a one-sided process where small businesses absorb all the damage while your logistics go unchecked.”
The establishment’s management alleged, “How is this fair? Why is there no accountability for delivery partners? Why are restaurants penalized after the order leaves our kitchen? You control the delivery, yet we carry the consequences.”
The note further focused on the consequences of ratings for a restaurant. “This is not a minor issue. Ratings directly impact visibility, orders, and survival. Every unfair complaint costs us real business. And when this keeps happening, it sends a clear message: restaurants are replaceable, but your system is untouchable. That mindset is the problem.”
“You cannot build a platform on the backs of small businesses and then ignore them when things go wrong. We are not asking for favors. We are asking for basic fairness, transparency, and the ability to resolve genuine issues,” it continued.
It added, “Fix the system. Create accountability. Allow direct communication. Stop penalizing restaurants for delivery failures. Until then, every complaint like this is not just a mistake. It is a failure of your platform.”
(HT.com has reached out to Zomato. This report will be updated when the food delivery company responds)
How did social media react?
Many tagged Zomato in the post. An individual wrote, “The old method for free home delivery was better!” Another added, “This is exactly what happened to us today, where the rider forgot to deliver one of the items, resulting in us getting a bad rating.”
A third posted, “Srsly @zomato is really oriented to fake reviews and cares about more customers rather than partners.”