A late-night order on Zomato for food in Gurugram turned out to be a very difficult and frustrating experience for a consumer after he saw the Zomato delivery rider eating the very food he ordered. Gurgaon resident Rishabh Kaushik shared the incident on social media, and it has raised questions about accountability and transparency in food delivery.
According to Rishabh's account, he placed a food order from Khadak Singh Da Dhaba through Zomato at around 10:58 pm on Sunday. Like most of the customers waiting for late-night dinner, he used the delivery tracking feature on the app to monitor the progress of his order. Initially, the delivery seemed to be going well, and the rider was on a mobile number, implying he was near.
But the food did not come even after a few minutes. Rishabh got curious about the delay and decided to check the delivery partner's live location through the Zomato app. According to his post, the delivery rider's location appeared to be at the same spot for almost 40 minutes.
Instead of sitting at home, Rishabh decided to go outside and investigate the situation himself. What he found at the location depicted on the delivery tracker left him surprised.
Rishabh claimed that the Zomato delivery rider was at the location indicated by the app and was eating the food ordered for him. He also claimed that another person was present and appeared to be eating with the delivery partner.
Rishabh took pictures and posted the pictures on X, together with screenshots of the Zomato order tracker. The images appeared to show food packets opened, with some of the food already eaten. The screenshots were shared by Rishabh as evidence of what allegedly happened to his order.
The customer also took a sarcastic swipe at Zomato founder Deepinder Goyal on social media. He wrote that the location of his delivery partner remained the same for a long period of time and joked about how this is very different from usual food delivery.
“The delivery partner’s icon has been standing at the same spot for 40 minutes. @deepigoyal, this isn’t food delivery anymore. It’s a full-fledged food-sharing economy,” Rishabh wrote on his social media post.
I ordered from Khadak Singh Ka Dhaba through @zomato at 10:58 PM. Didn’t receive it but the app told me that the delivery guy is nearby. Went to track my order and, instead of finding my food, I found the delivery partner’s location, and apparently, two people were enjoying my… pic.twitter.com/i0EAdY3aib
— Rishabh Kaushik (@RishabhKaushikk) September 6, 2026
In response, social media users made light of the unusual allegation. Many users said delivery tracking was really important and that its function was to help customers identify where their orders were and when they would arrive.
The incident also prompted some users to share their own experiences of late, cancelled or problematic food deliveries. Some users also shared concerns about ordering food late at night and said they would like to make payment plans with customers aware of delivery issues (e.g., if they are worried about delivery-related problems).
However, the allegations are based on the customer’s account, and the circumstances surrounding the incident have not been independently established. Looking at the whole picture would require an investigation by the food delivery platform and the restaurant/delivery partner.
Zomato’s customer support team appeared to respond to Rishabh’s post and asked him to share his order ID so that the company could look into the matter. It shows that the company was seeking more information to investigate the complaint.
The episode has once again brought into focus the issues of accountability in India’s rapidly expanding online food delivery market. Many customers are now depending on online platforms for news and delivery times and location tracking. An order that is significantly late or appears to be in one place for a very long time can lead to questions about what is actually happening with the food quickly.
For delivery platforms, this also illustrates the necessity of maintaining customer trust. Communication of delays, accurate tracking, and complaint-resolution systems are critical when customers encounter problems with their orders.
For now, the Gurugram incident is a viral social media story, and Zomato is still trying to get all the order details to investigate the customer's complaint. The decision to investigate whether the delivery rider was actually eating the customer’s food as described and what led to this delay will depend on the company’s investigation.
