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New Delhi: It was an ordinary evening when Nisha G.(37) from Bengaluru was craving a delicious vegan sandwich, but her online order left her stunned after she discovered pieces of prawn in it. After she filed an official complaint about the mismanagement, the Consumer Commission directed the food delivery app and the restaurant to jointly pay her Rs 1 lakh in compensation for negligence.
The incident dates back to October 2024, when the Brahmin woman ordered a “vegan” sandwich from the Paris Panini outlet through a food delivery app. As she took the first bite, she felt a strange taste on her tongue. Out of suspicion, she checked the sandwich and discovered multiple pieces of prawns in it, Times of India reported.
The next day, the complainant visited the restaurant and confronted the manager. The manager admitted the mix-up, blaming it on the “heavy rush” that day. Although the food outlet offered her a replacement, Nisha refused, saying that her religious and cultural beliefs had been deeply hurt.
Seeking her consumer rights, Nisha sent legal notices to both the food delivery app and Paris Panini, but neither responded. On August 22, 2024, she filed a consumer complaint alleging deficiency in service and betrayal of trust, seeking Rs 2 lakh in compensation.
The delivery app later claimed that it was merely a mediator between the customer and the restaurant, and that it was not at fault. Paris Panini admitted their mistake but blamed the woman, saying that “a normal vegan would not have chosen our restaurant, as we serve both vegetarian and non-vegetarian food.”
In its ruling, the Bengaluru Urban District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission stated that delivering non-vegetarian food to a vegan “amounts to a grave deficiency in service.” “The act of sending non-vegetarian food to a vegan or a person with food restrictions based on religion, culture, or health cannot be taken lightly,” the order read. “Such negligence has emotional, religious, and psychological consequences,” the statement added.
Finally, the Commission ordered the delivery app and Paris Panini to jointly pay Rs 50,000 as compensation, Rs 50,000 for mental agony, ₹5,000 towards litigation costs, and a refund of Rs 146 (the cost of the sandwich), along with 12 percent annual interest from the date of the order until realisation.
