Incident Sparks Hygiene Concerns at Popular South Indian Restaurant Chain
Bengaluru: A shocking food safety lapse has surfaced at the Rameshwaram Cafe outlet located at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in Bengaluru, where a worm was allegedly found in a Pongal dish served to a customer on Thursday morning.
The customer, who captured the incident on video, claimed that the staff initially attempted to dismiss and cover up the matter when he raised a complaint. It was only after the situation was being filmed that the staff acknowledged the issue and issued a full refund of ₹300.
“They only started apologising when they saw I was recording the video. Until then, they tried to act like nothing happened,” the customer is heard saying in the video.
Video Shows Worm in Pongal, Staff’s Nervous Response
The now-viral video shows the customer pointing to a worm inside the bowl of Pongal using a spoon. He is also seen speaking to another customer about escalating the issue to the cafe's owners via Instagram.
In the background, a staff member is heard asking,
“Did you speak inappropriately?”
—A remark that has drawn criticism from netizens for alleged deflection of accountability.
The cafe has not issued an official statement on the incident so far.
Rameshwaram Cafe Faces Repeated Food Safety Issues
The Rameshwaram Cafe, a well-known Bengaluru-based chain celebrated for its South Indian offerings, has previously faced similar controversies.
In May 2023, Hyderabad outlets of the brand were inspected by the Telangana Food Safety Department, which found and seized expired and mislabelled food items, including:
-
100 kg of urad dal with expiry date marked as March 2024 but allegedly already expired
-
10 kg of expired curd
-
8 litres of expired milk
“We have seized items that posed serious health risks to consumers. The outlets violated basic food safety norms,” an official from Telangana Food Safety Department had then stated.
Mounting Questions on Food Hygiene and Brand Accountability
The recurrence of such incidents has raised questions over the food safety standards maintained by the Rameshwaram Cafe chain, especially given its high footfall at key locations like airports.
Customers are now demanding better quality control, transparent sourcing, and accountability from staff and management.
"We expect better hygiene from such a reputed brand, especially at international transit points like KIA,” said a concerned traveller who witnessed the scene.
As of Friday morning, no formal response or apology has been issued by the Rameshwaram Cafe management regarding the worm incident.
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