Delhi Restaurant Accuses Zomato Of Manipulation After Eatery Shows ‘Unavailable’ At Peak Hours

A Delhi-based restaurant has called out Zomato, alleging manipulation in rider allocation after the eatery repeatedly appeared as “unavailable” on the app during peak hours. The owner claims this affected orders and customer reach, sparking a debate over transparency and fairness in food delivery platforms.

Delhi Restaurant Alleges Zomato Of ‘Manipulation’

Here’s video proof of how rider allocation is being manipulated at @zomato .

For 31 days we’ve escalated this, and nothing has changed. Our restaurant is repeatedly shown as ‘unavailable’ at peak hours while nearby outlets within 50 meters keep getting riders.

This isn’t… pic.twitter.com/syHpTkvVsi

— Gagandeep Singh Sapra (@TheBigGeek) November 23, 2025

Delhi-based restaurateur, Gagandeep Singh Sapra (@TheBigGeek), took to X to share how his eatery appears ‘unavailable’ on Zomato during peak hours. His restaurant, Tadka Rani, located in Delhi’s Greater Kailash 1 neighbourhood, even shared video evidence to highlight what he calls “system-level bias.”

According to Hindustan Times, when he searched other restaurants within 50 metres of his eatery, all showed open for business on Zomato. “Here’s video proof of how rider allocation is being manipulated at Zomato. For 31 days we’ve escalated this, and nothing has changed. Our restaurant is repeatedly shown as ‘unavailable’ at peak hours while nearby outlets within 50 meters keep getting riders. This isn’t ‘dynamic allocation’—it’s system-level bias,” he said in the post, tagging Deepinder Goyal, Founder and CEO of Zomato.

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Zomato Replies To The Accusation

When someone in the comments asked the Delhi restaurant owner whether the move was meant to increase commission or boost revenue, he responded, “Yes, it’s all a game of increasing our commission, from the current 52+% that they take on sales, to let’s say a whopping 99% of each sale. The Greed is not ending,”

The post has seemed to reach the right audience as Aditya Mangla, the CEO of Food Delivery at Zomato, responded to the Delhi restaurant owner’s post. “Thank you for sharing this. I’m getting this checked,” he replied to the post. Thanking him, Gagandeep said, “Thank you Aditya ji, means a lot you reached out. I have written to all your team members and have several meetings. Yesterday was 31st Day, and no one seems to see a resolution.”

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Cover Image Courtesy: Canva Pro/Aflo Images (representative image)