Delhi restaurant alleges Zomato is blocking orders during peak hours; CEO responds

New Delhi: A restaurant owner in Delhi has raised concerns over rider allocation practices on Zomato, alleging that the food delivery platform repeatedly marks his outlet as unavailable during peak hours while nearby restaurants continue to receive orders.

The complaint was shared as a video on X (formerly Twitter) on November 23 and has since drawn significant attention from small businesses that rely on delivery platforms. In the post, Gagandeep Singh Sapra, owner of Tadka Rani in Greater Kailash 1, claimed that his restaurant had appeared “unavailable” for more than a month despite multiple attempts to flag the issue.

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

Sapra recorded his phone screen to demonstrate the problem. When he searched for Tadka Rani on the Zomato app, it displayed the message, “Closed right now: Sorry! All delivery partners are occupied. Please try after some time.” He then searched for several other restaurants located within roughly 50 metres, all of which appeared active and continued to accept orders.

In his post, Sapra wrote, “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. @deepigoyal.”

The complaint has prompted wider discussions about platform fairness, delivery visibility, and the challenges smaller restaurants face when competing with larger chains on aggregator apps.

Responding to an X user who queried why such an issue might occur, Sapra alleged that commission pressures were involved. “Yes, it's all a game to increase 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, and Goyal Babu is unable to control the loose cannons in his team who are rigging the system,” he wrote.

The post eventually drew a response from Zomato CEO Aditya Mangla. “@TheBigGeek - thank you for sharing this. I'm getting this checked,” Mangla wrote on X.

Sapra replied, “Thank you, Aditya ji, it means a lot that you reached out. I have written to all your team members and have had several meetings. Yesterday was the 31st Day, and no one seems to see a resolution.”

As the thread gained traction, several users described similar experiences. One wrote, “Open the app, and it's full of KFC, Burger King and other big brands. Whoever pays more commission and ad money gets pushed to the top.” Another commented, “This is worrying. If one outlet is shown unavailable while others nearby are active, something's clearly off.”

A third added, “I have seen this happen to my favourite restaurant in Bangalore multiple times. Hope this changes.” Another user suggested, “Have your own dedicated riders and parcel service, with your own app. It is win win for you and customers.”

The discussion continues online as users debate the broader impact of delivery algorithms on restaurant visibility and order volumes.