A Gurugram man's breakfast at a popular cafe took an unexpected turn after he claimed to find a live worm in one of the dishes he ordered. The incident was shared on Instagram, where the man posted a video showing the worm in the half-eaten dish.
Taking to Instagram, Sulabh Mathur shared that the incident took place at PAUL's at Horizon Centre in Gurugram, where he had gone for breakfast at around 11 am. He said that his group ordered six to seven dishes, and they were horrified when they noticed the live worm in their Caesar salad.
"Shocking incident at Paul's, Horizon Centre today! We went for breakfast around 11 AM and ordered 6-7 dishes. We were horrified to find A LIVE WORM in their Caesar Salad!" Mathur wrote in the caption of the post.
Calling the incident "extremely disturbing and concerning", he alleged that food hygiene had been compromised and urged customers to remain vigilant about what they were being served.
Bakery's response
The video was shared two days ago and has since drawn attention on social media. PAUL responded to the post by apologising for the incident and saying that the issue did not meet its standards.
{{/usCountry}}The video was shared two days ago and has since drawn attention on social media. PAUL responded to the post by apologising for the incident and saying that the issue did not meet its standards.
{{/usCountry}}"Hi, We sincerely apologize. This is absolutely not our standard, and we take food safety and cleanliness extremely seriously. Please check your DM. We are committed to make it right," the bakery wrote in the comments.
In a separate post, Mathur also shared a screenshot of his subsequent WhatsApp conversation with a representative from PAUL India. In the message, a representative identified as Rajneesh introduced himself as being from PAUL Restaurant and said he had tried to reach Mathur by phone.
"I would appreciate the opportunity to speak with you regarding your recent experience at OHC. Kindly let me know a convenient time when I may call you," the message read.
"We value your trust and assure you that maintaining the highest standards of food quality and guest safety remains our top priority," the representative added.
Mathur responded by asking whether there was anything specific the representative wanted to discuss. The PAUL representative then said the call was to discuss his experience at OHC, adding that Mathur was a regular customer and that the restaurant wanted to personally apologise while investigating the incident to ensure it was not repeated.
In the caption of the post, Mathur said he felt the response was a "standard draft reply" and alleged that the restaurant was trying to apologise and move on.
"Since many of you have also shared similar experiences at PAUL outlets, it seems they dont take things seriously at all and are confident thatl their outlet will continue to do business irrespective," he wrote.
Social media reactions
The post has prompted reactions from social media users.
One user wrote, "Thank you for highlighting this. Paul is one of my favourite. I will stop going there now."
"I prefer street side thela at this time. they are truly better than a big restaurant with hidden worm kitchen," commented another.
"Man if you can't trust cafes like Paul, I don't know where to go and eat," wrote a third user.
"Avoid leafy vegetables in sawaan (rainy season) it's their season of fun and have kids!!" said another.