Delhi Restaurant Accuses Zomato of Manipulating Visibility, Company Says It Will Investigate

Nov 25, 2025 | New Delhi A long-running frustration turned public this week when a Delhi restaurateur accused food delivery platform Zomato of manipulating how his outlet appears on the app. Gagandeep Singh Sapra, who owns the popular Tadka Rani restaurant in Greater Kailash 1, said that his restaurant was repeatedly shown as “unavailable” on Zomato, even during peak hours, while nearby restaurants looked perfectly active. To support his claim, Sapra shared a screen recording that shows him searching for Tadka Rani on the Zomato app. The restaurant appears as unavailable, but when he searches for other eateries within the same area, they all show up as open. This contrast raised questions for him about how the app decides which restaurants get visibility and which don’t. Sapra posted the video on X and alleged that the issue had continued for 31 days despite multiple complaints and meetings with the company’s support teams. He suggested that the “unavailable” tag may be used to push restaurants into agreeing to higher commission rates. According to him, Zomato already takes more than 50 percent commission per order, and he fears the platform is trying to push it even higher. His comments sparked debate online, with many restaurant owners sharing similar concerns about visibility and allocation. The matter reached Zomato’s leadership quickly. Aditya Mangla, CEO of Food Delivery at Zomato, responded publicly to Sapra’s post, saying he would look into what was happening. He acknowledged the video and thanked Sapra for bringing the issue to his attention. Sapra replied with appreciation but also with frustration. He said he had spent a month raising the issue through official channels, yet no solution had surfaced. He expressed hope that now, with senior management aware, the problem would finally be addressed. The situation has drawn attention to how much small and medium-sized restaurants depend on delivery apps for visibility, and how any disruption in listing can hit their business hard. Many users online are now waiting to see whether Zomato’s investigation will confirm a technical glitch, a systemic issue, or something more intentional. For now, the controversy has opened up a bigger conversation about transparency and fairness in India’s rapidly growing food delivery market. Delhi Restaurant Accuses Zomato of Manipulating Visibility, Company Says It Will Investigate A Delhi restaurateur has sparked a big conversation online after claiming that his restaurant, Tadka Rani in Greater Kailash 1, was repeatedly shown as unavailable on the Zomato app even during peak hours. Meanwhile, nearby restaurants were visible and receiving orders. He even shared a screen recording as proof, saying he has been raising the issue for 31 days with no solution from the platform. According to him, this visibility issue affects business directly and feels like pressure to increase commission rates, which he says are already above 50 percent. The post quickly caught public attention, with many restaurant owners sharing similar experiences and expressing concern about fairness on food delivery platforms. After the claims went viral, Aditya Mangla, CEO of Food Delivery at Zomato, responded, saying the matter would be checked. The restaurateur thanked him but added that multiple attempts to resolve the issue had already gone nowhere. This incident has triggered a wider discussion about transparency, platform dependency and how small restaurants struggle when algorithmic decisions impact visibility and orders. Many are now waiting to see what Zomato’s internal check reveals.