New Delhi: A restaurant bill that was substantially higher than the price shown on a food booking app has landed Swiggy and Themis Barbeque House in trouble, with a Delhi consumer commission ordering them to jointly pay rs 1 lakh to a customer.
The consumer panel found that the price displayed on Swiggy Dineout gave a misleading impression about what the customer would actually have to pay at the restaurant.
The dispute began on April 7, 2024, when advocate Praveen Kumar Singh booked a table for 14 people at Themis Barbeque House through Swiggy Dineout. The platform displayed the restaurant’s “cost for two” as rs 1,500.
For a customer looking at that figure, the apparent cost worked out to about rs 750 per person.
But the price at the restaurant told a very different story.
Themis Barbeque House charged rs 1,050 per person for the vegetarian buffet and rs 1,100 for the non vegetarian buffet. The difference between the displayed figure and the actual buffet rates was around 40% to 47%, depending on the meal chosen.
The commission said such a substantial gap could mislead consumers, particularly when they use the price shown on a digital platform to decide whether to make a booking.
It also directed the restaurant to refund rs 3,988 representing the excess amount charged, along with rs 254 collected as a service charge. The refund amounts will carry 9% annual interest.
Swiggy argued that it was merely an intermediary and sought protection under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act. The commission, however, did not accept the argument as a complete defence. It said the platform had not demonstrated adequate due diligence in ensuring that the pricing information displayed to consumers was accurate.
The commission consequently held both Swiggy and the restaurant responsible for the misleading representation, treating it as a deficiency in service and an unfair trade practice.
The service charge issue added another layer to the dispute. The commission noted that the restaurant’s menu did not properly disclose the 10% service charge on beverages, while the bill described the amount as a “Service Charge”.
Apart from the refunds, Swiggy and Themis Barbeque House have been ordered to jointly pay rs 1 lakh as compensation for mental agony, harassment, inconvenience and litigation expenses.
The parties have four weeks from receiving the order to comply. If payment is not made within that period, the awarded amount will attract 12% annual interest thereafter.
The ruling could draw attention to how food and dining platforms present prices such as “cost for two”, particularly when customers rely on those figures before making reservations.
For consumers, the case also serves as a reminder that the price displayed on an app and the final restaurant bill may not always tell the same story.
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