Zomato's 'Dilli-Ke-Legends' Service: Gurgaon Resident Files Suit Over Concerns

Gurgaon resident Sourav Mall has raised concerns about misleading practices related to Zomato Ltd.'s 'Dilli-ke-Legends' service. His grievances became apparent when he placed an order on Oct. 14, 2023, for items from renowned Delhi restaurants under this service.

Upon tracking the delivery, Mall discovered that the delivery partner picked up the order from an undisclosed third-party location within the vicinity, not from the original restaurant as displayed during the order placement.

The delivered food reached the mall within 25 minutes, deviating significantly from the initially indicated 51 minutes. Furthermore, the packaging differed from both regular restaurant packaging and standard Zomato deliveries, raising suspicion about its authenticity.

The packaging included expressions such as "freshly prepared," "travels using mobile refrigeration technology," and "no preservatives added." However, this contradicted the fact that the food came from an unknown location and was not consistent with the original restaurant's branding.

Mall, through recorded media, highlighted the delivery person's admission that the orders were picked up from a warehouse in Gurgaon, raising questions about whether the food was reheated before delivery.

Zomato introduced "Intercity Legends" in Delhi as a pilot project, aiming to provide 24-hour food delivery from renowned restaurant brands across different regions.

The diverse offerings included Kolkata's sandesh and rosogollas, Hyderabad's biryani, and Delhi's chhole bhature.

Zomato's blog from 2022 indicated that these special orders would be delivered the next day, utilising the extensive network of restaurants and delivery partners along with advanced food technology to bring legendary dishes from various parts of India to customers.

The case before the bench of Civil Judge Umesh Kumar in the Saket district court, involving Mall and Zomato, has been received for processing. Advocates Tishampati Sen, along with Anurag Anand and Biyanka Bhatia, represented the plaintiff.

The court has directed the issuance of summons for the suit. The case is scheduled for its next hearing on March 20.