In the cutthroat arena of India’s food delivery boom, where apps like Zomato promise prosperity but often deliver pitfalls, one frustrated cloud kitchen owner’s explosive rant has peeled back the curtain on what he calls a “new scam.” Aditya Jadhav, a Delhi-based entrepreneur running a Zomato-partnered cloud kitchen, took to X on December 3, 2025, blasting the platform for crippling commissions, customer-funded discounts, mandatory ad spends, and agonizingly slow payouts that leave small operators starving for cash. His post, complete with dashboard screenshots showing weeks of zero-net earnings, has ignited a wildfire of outrage, amassing thousands of views and shares as fellow restaurateurs chime in with their own horror stories.
If you’re tuning into the Zomato scam accusation that’s boiling over on December 4, 2025, this isn’t isolated ire – it’s an indictment of the ecosystem where dreams of quick commerce curdle into financial quicksand. From Aditya’s “wah re Zomato” wake-up call to the company’s DM deflection, relive the row that’s got everyone rethinking restaurant-app romances.
The Explosive X Post: Aditya’s “Reality Check” on Zomato’s “Dark Side”
Aditya Jadhav (@the_adityajad78), a cloud kitchen operator who’s poured his passion into partnering with Zomato, didn’t mince words – or hold back screenshots – when he unloaded his frustrations. His December 3, 2025 tweet hit like a hunger pang:
“Reality of Opening a Cloud Kitchen on @zomato @deepigoyal Scaming people and filling pockets – 35% Comission, 34% Discount 100% funded by Restaurant, 38% Ad campaigns else no Visibility. Customer Support unresponsive? 6 wk Payout not Settled. Wrst experience as a restaurant owner.”
The attached images? A gut-punch gallery of his Zomato Partner dashboard: Week after week from October 27 to November 30, 2025, orders logged but net payouts stuck at Rs 0.00, status “TO BE PAID.” It’s a stark snapshot of stagnation – revenue rolling in, but relief rolling out at a snail’s pace. Aditya’s “bucks” slip (a cheeky Americanism in Indian English) adds to the authenticity, but the math? Maddening: 35% commissions nibbling profits, 34% discounts dumped entirely on the restaurant, and 38% ad spends as the “visibility visa” – all while support stays silent.
For Aditya, it’s not just numbers – it’s a nightmare narrative. Cloud kitchens, the ghost kitchens that fueled Zomato’s pandemic pivot, promise low overheads and high hustle. But as Aditya lays bare, the platform’s policies pinch harder than promised: “Unresponsive customer support” leaves queries in limbo, and those 6-week payout lags? A liquidity life-support line that’s anything but.
Zomato’s Swift (But Skeptical) Swipe: “DM Us Your Restaurant ID” – Probe or PR?
Zomato Care (@zomatocare), the app’s frontline for fixes, fired back within hours – a textbook tactic of triage and transparency.
“Hi Aditya, thank you for highlighting this. Packaging charges are decided solely by our restaurant partners. However, we would like to dig deep into this issue and share your concern with the restaurant partner. Could you please share the restaurant’s location via DM so we can get this checked?”
The reply? A masterclass in measured response: Empathize upfront, explain the ecosystem (fees are partner-picked), and escalate with a DM nudge. No denial, no deflection – just an offer to “dig deep,” linking to a support thread for follow-through. It’s Zomato’s go-to for gripes, aiming to turn tirades into tickets resolved.
But skeptics? Sniffing PR polish: “DM deflection? We’ve heard that before – where’s the systemic fix for these fees?” The thread’s a testament to trust teetering, with users unearthing similar stings from 2024’s “commission creep.”
Social Media Storm: From “Wah Re Zomato” to “Worst Experience” Wails
Aditya’s alarm didn’t alert alone – it avalanche’d across X, pulling in a parade of pained partners. The “wah re Zomato wah” wake-up call resonated raw, blending sarcasm with shared scars.
- Sarcasm Supreme: “35% commission + 34% discounts on us + 38% ads or invisible? Zomato’s recipe for restaurant ruin – served hot!” – 1.5K likes, a wave of witty woes.
- Worst Experience Wails: “6 weeks no payout? My kitchen’s on life support – Zomato, you’re the ventilator that’s not ventilating.” – 1K retweets, tales of tipped scales.
- Visibility Victimhood: “No ads, no orders – it’s a pay-to-play prison. Small owners like us are just cannon fodder.” – 800 shares, spotlighting the ad extortion.
- Support Silence Slam: “Unresponsive? Try ‘untraceable’ – queries vanish like my margins.” – Frustration flood, 600 replies raging at radio silence.
By December 4, 2025, the post’s propelled 10K+ interactions – a viral verdict on the “dark side” of delivery duopoly, where Zomato’s 60% market maw munches more than it masticates.
The Bigger Bite: Cloud Kitchens’ Crunch – From Boom to Bust in Zomato’s Grip
Aditya’s accusation isn’t an outlier – it’s the overripe fruit of a flawed formula. Cloud kitchens, the faceless food factories that exploded during COVID (Zomato’s Hyperpure arm alone onboarded 1 lakh in 2020-22), promised phantom profits: No storefront, just swift swipes. But the bite-back? Brutal.
- Commission Crunch: 35% standard skim leaves slim slivers – a ₹500 order nets ₹325, barely breaking bread.
- Discount Dump: 34% off? 100% on the owner’s tab – a “customer win” that’s a cash crater.
- Ad Addiction: 38% spends mandatory for “visibility”? It’s a visibility vise, squeezing small players into submission.
- Payout Purgatory: 6-week waits? A cash-flow chokehold, where ingredients spoil before invoices settle.
Zomato’s defense? “Partner-driven” – fees flexible, payouts per policy (weekly for most, but glitches grind). But for fledglings like Aditya’s, it’s a feast for the few, famine for the fragile.
In 2025’s delivery deluge (Zomato’s Rs 12,000 crore revenue run), Aditya’s arrow aims at the Achilles: Empower partners or erode them.
Faced a Zomato “scam” squeeze? Or got a success story in the system? Spill in comments – tag a restaurant owner for the real talk.
