Food delivery platform Zomato has landed in hot water once again, this time over concerns of fake reviews being bought with cash rewards. A customer recently took to social media to expose a restaurant allegedly bribing patrons for 5-star ratings on the app.
The controversy unfolded on X (formerly Twitter) when a user named Neel posted a screenshot of a handwritten note sent to him by a restaurant named Shakesee. The note boldly asked the customer to leave a 5-star rating in exchange for INR 20 on GPay.
It read: “Rate us 5 Stars on your order and get Rs 20 instantly on GPay! Just send us screenshot as proof. No. 6353013878”
Clearly disturbed by this blatant attempt to manipulate reviews, Neel tagged Zomato and wrote:
“Wow @zomato, didn’t know ₹20 and a screenshot is all it takes to get a 5-star review these days. Courtesy: Shakesee, bribing customers with GPay for fake ratings. Maybe include ‘cash for stars’ in your review policy?” #IntegrityOnSale #ZomatoExperience
The tweet quickly caught attention online, with many users questioning the credibility of Zomato’s review system and urging the platform to crack down on such unethical practices.
In response, Zomato’s official support handle, Zomato Care, replied to Neel’s post asking him to share his registered email address via DM so that they could investigate the matter further.
“Hey Neel, we’d like to get this checked. Please DM us your registered email address so that we can address this.”
While Zomato has not made a public statement beyond this reply, the incident has reignited debate around review authenticity on food apps. Many users expressed concern that such practices could mislead genuine customers, harm competition, and erode trust in the platform.
It also brings to light the need for more transparent and stricter verification mechanisms when it comes to ratings and feedback. If restaurants can simply buy their way to higher rankings, then honest businesses—and customers—stand to lose.
This isn’t the first time online review systems have come under scrutiny. But as platforms like Zomato continue to grow and influence consumer choices, ensuring integrity and fairness must become a top priority.
For now, all eyes are on Zomato to see what action it takes against the restaurant and how it plans to prevent such incidents in the future.