A buyer alleged Thursday that they discovered a worm in a dish served at The Rameshwaram Cafe’s outlet at Bengaluru airport, an allegation denied by the restaurant chain, which claimed the incident was staged in an try to extort Rs 25 lakh from the model.
The incident reportedly occurred Thursday morning, when a bunch of 5 to seven folks created a ruckus on the cafe, accusing the employees of serving unhygienic meals. The group demanded to talk with the cafe’s proprietor and allegedly threatened to flow into movies on social media to wreck the model’s fame except they had been compensated.
Sumanth, the son of Lakshminarayan and the Operations Head of The Rameshwaram Cafe, stated the café’s supervisor known as him following the confrontation. The group reportedly refused to have interaction additional except the cafe proprietor responded to their calls for.
Sumanth claimed the obtained a name shortly after from an individual from an unknown quantity who demanded Rs 25 lakh in money to be delivered at Brigade Street or face reputational penalties.
Sumanth alleged that the caller was unreachable when initially contacted, however known as again round 10:27 am, making the extortion demand. The cafe obtained calls from two numbers.
The Rameshwaram Cafe’s administration stated it recorded telephone conversations and messages as proof, and lodged a proper grievance with the Bengaluru police commissioner, in search of strict authorized motion. “It’s extremely seemingly that the particular person himself positioned the insect within the meals with the intention of blackmail,” Sumanth said within the grievance.
He added that this was not the primary such incident the cafe had confronted. “Prior to now, too, there have been makes an attempt by miscreants to put international objects like bugs or stones in meals objects with a view to malign our model.”
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In a proper assertion issued later Thursday, Divya Raghavendra Rao, Co-founder and Managing Director, The Rameshwaram Cafe, stated, “We’re completely investigating the incident. At The Rameshwaram Cafe, the protection, hygiene, and well-being of our clients are of utmost significance and type the inspiration of all the things we do. Prior to now, now we have additionally encountered cases of deliberate makes an attempt to compromise our meals or increase false alarms to wreck our model identify. Therefore, we’re wanting into this matter with utmost urgency.”
In the meantime, a purported video circulated on-line reveals a buyer recording a spoonful of pongal allegedly containing a worm. Within the clip, the client could be heard talking to a different particular person about submitting a grievance via Instagram.
A employees member can also be heard asking if the client was spoken to inappropriately. The video additionally reveals the cafe employees providing an apology, and refunding Rs 300 to the complainant.
In Could 2024, the model got here beneath scrutiny after Telangana’s Meals Security Division discovered expired and mislabelled objects — together with 100 kg of urad dal, 10 kg of curd, and eight litres of milk — at its retailers in Hyderabad.
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Headquartered in Bengaluru, The Rameshwaram Cafe is understood for its South Indian quick-service choices, and has a number of branches throughout the town and different states.