“We have identified all such restaurants that were potentially fraudulent and have delisted them from our platform,” the Gurugram-based company said.
The company said that it has also strengthened its fraud checks to identify such cases and prevent similar incidents from happening.
“To solve this more comprehensively, we have also investigated all other restaurants which have a very limited menu on Zomato and might have listed prohibited items or worked around a way to list prohibited items,” the platform added.
Zomato said that all restaurants on its platform are required to have a Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) license. It also restricts the listing of items such as alcohol, cigarettes, cigars, and vapes.
“The restaurants highlighted were able to game our checks by using generic food names such as, ‘Naughty strawberry’, ‘Merry Berry’,” it said.
Discover the stories of your interest
Last week, users turned to social media to report dubious eateries in Chandigarh that listed only one dish at an exceptionally high price. These restaurants were selling dishes named Naughty Strawberry, Blue Adventure, Kiwi Delight Mojito and Citrus Punch.“Fake ‘restaurants’ offering just one dish at absurd prices, with nonexistent addresses. Something really shady is cooking on Zomato,” said a user on X.
“I tried ordering from one of the restaurants. After quite a long wait, the order was rejected and my money was refunded. The restaurant also stopped accepting orders after that – very very sus,” the user added.
