Zomato has come under scrutiny after fund manager Amit Mantri flagged what he described as a “massive fake restaurant problem” on the platform. In a detailed post on X, Mantri shared his experience of accidentally ordering from a fraudulent outlet that mimicked the popular beverage brand Keventers.
“Ordered a beverage from Keventers yesterday. Later realized I had mistakenly ordered from a ‘Keventerss’ (with a double ‘s’) instead, which is a sasta copy that sells crappy stuff,” Mantri wrote. He highlighted his frustration when Zomato’s customer support was unwilling to take any corrective action regarding the fake listing.
Drawing a comparison to global brands, Mantri remarked, “I doubt Zomato would dare allow a fake Starbucks, but smaller players like Keventers probably can’t fight back.” He questioned whether the company’s focus had shifted from customer satisfaction to maximizing revenue through commissions from such deceptive outlets. “While I am sure the commissions from these fake restaurants are great, I hope CEO Deepinder Goyal understands how badly it hurts customer loyalty,” he added.
Mantri’s criticism didn’t stop there. “I guess as organizations become too dominant, they shift their focus from customer delight to milking customers with scammy stuff. Happened with Amazon, now happening with Zomato,” he wrote, pointing to what he sees as a broader trend among large tech platforms.
However, in a quick turnaround, Zomato responded to the complaint and took prompt action by removing the fraudulent listing. Acknowledging the swift response, Mantri later posted, “Good to see the prompt action @zomato,” after the restaurant, ‘Keventerss,’ was deactivated from the platform.
This incident has sparked a broader conversation about platform accountability, the risks posed by fake listings, and the importance of maintaining customer trust in the face of rapid business expansion. Shrikant Patil, a social media user, agreed with Mantri and urged the Zomato CEO to validate businesses and offer a curated experience. “Listing those without real checkpoint is loss of customer trust and business.”
