MUMBAI: Questioning why they chose to order from a restaurant that also offered non-vegetarian options instead of an exclusively vegetarian establishment if they were strictly vegetarian and believed consuming meat would hurt their religious sentiments, a consumer commission has dismissed a complaint filed by two Dadar residents who sought Rs 6 lakh in compensation from a fast food chain that served them chicken momos in Dec 2020.“[That] a prudent person would be able to distinguish between veg and non-veg food before consuming it seems reasonable,” the commission said.The complainants, Gargi Joshi and Jitesh Mundhwa, had claimed that they had specifically asked for vegetarian options twice when placing an order for a momo and soft drink combination meal for Rs 120 at Wow Momos Foods Private Ltd’s Sion outlet, but the commission said the complainants failed to substantiate this claim, noting that the invoice indicated a non-vegetarian order. It said the photos of the dish provided by the complainants did not clearly show whether it was non-vegetarian.On the complainants’ claim that a display board near the eatery did not explicitly state that meat could be part of the combo meal, the commission comprising president Pradeep G Kadu and member Gauri M Kapse pointed out that it did mention “veg or non-veg” at the bottom.It also found no evidence for the claim that Joshi and Mundhwa’s plan to perform puja or religious ceremonies was thwarted by the consumption of meat. “…they have [not] disclosed the names of any pujari or pandit who allegedly performed the puja… They have failed to disclose even the nature, name, date and place of the puja or religious ceremonies,” it said.The Dadar residents had said after being served the wrong food, they contacted the company’s head office in Kolkata and spoke to the director, who connected them to the Mumbai management. An employee representing the Mumbai management apologised to them and offered to meet them to resolve the matter, but no settlement was reached during a meeting, they said. In their complaint filed before the consumer panel in 2021, Joshi and Mundhwa provided copies of the bill, photographs of the display board and legal notices. The company said the complainants suppressed facts and that they themselves had ordered non-vegetarian items, as shown by the invoice. Arguing that they were not “consumers” under Consumer Protection Act, 2019, as they had received a refund, the company said it had clearly displayed vegetarian and non-vegetarian options and has a complaint book and email ID available, which the complainants did not use.It also denied employing the server who the complainants said had taken their order, adding that the person was physically abused by the complainants. The company said it had refunded the complainants’ money because they had created “unnecessary nuisance”. Despite their behaviour, it said, the complainants were also offered a gift voucher worth Rs 1,200 as a goodwill gesture, but they demanded Rs 3 lakh each.
