Swiggy Misleading Price Case: Delhi Panel Orders Rs 1 Lakh Payout
Swiggy Misleading Price Case: A Delhi consumer commission orders Swiggy and a restaurant to pay Rs 1 lakh over a misleading buffet price.
RUKAIYA KADIWAL 
Fourteen people had a table booked for April 7, 2024. On the Swiggy app, the listing showed a "cost for two" of Rs 1,500, which implied Rs 750 a head. The final bill told a different story, and that gap is at the heart of the Swiggy Misleading Price Case now decided by a Delhi consumer commission.
The commission held Swiggy and Themis Barbeque House jointly responsible. It ordered them to pay Rs 1 lakh as compensation. The order is dated September 21, and PTI reported it on October 4, 2026.
What the Swiggy Misleading Price Case Is About
The complaint came from advocate Praveen Kumar Singh. He booked the table through the Dineout section of the Swiggy app. That is why the Swiggy Dineout case concerns a listing as much as a bill.
The restaurant charged Rs 1,050 for a vegetarian buffet and Rs 1,100 for a non vegetarian buffet. Against the listing, that added Rs 300 and Rs 350 per person. The commission called the difference of around 40 to 47 per cent material.
It also noted that nothing on the listing showed the figure was only an estimate. Swiggy had access to accurate, itemised pricing, yet the lower number stayed on display. That amounted, the commission said, to deficiency in service and unfair trade practice.
Why Swiggy Could Not Rely on the Intermediary Defence
Swiggy argued that it was only an intermediary, protected by Section 79 of the Information Technology Act. The commission rejected that view. A platform must show it performed due diligence, it said, and simply citing the provision is not enough.
Swiggy also placed nothing on record to show a mechanism that reconciled the displayed cost for two with actual billing. "Responsibility falls on both," the commission said of the restaurant and the platform. The line matters because it treats them as equally answerable for a misleading advertisement.
The consumer commission Swiggy faced is the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission bench in Delhi. It was led by president Divya Jyoti Jaipuriar.
The Service Charge Problem
The restaurant also levied a 10 per cent service charge on beverages. The menu did not disclose it. The bill called it "Service Charge" instead of "Staff Contribution", which the interim directions then applicable required.
The commission treated this as a second deficiency in service and unfair trade practice. It is another kind of restaurant price discrepancy, where the final bill differs from what the menu led a diner to expect.
What the Order Requires
Swiggy and the restaurant must jointly pay Rs 1 lakh. This Swiggy Rs 1 lakh compensation covers mental agony, harassment, inconvenience and litigation costs. Themis Barbeque House must also refund Rs 3,988, the excess over the displayed price, and Rs 254 for the service charge, both with nine per cent annual interest.
Payment is due within four weeks of receiving the order. After that, the parties would owe 12 per cent annual interest on the entire awarded amount. The deadlines make the order more than a symbolic rebuke.
Why It Matters for Diners and Restaurants
For diners, the case shows how misleading food prices can hide inside a single figure. A cost for two can read like a promise unless it says it is an estimate. Nothing on the listing in this case marked it that way.
For restaurants and platforms, the practical question is whether listed prices and billed prices can be reconciled. This Swiggy consumer complaint also shows how a platform's role can be judged. A listing on an app is not neutral space, and a platform that displays a price may share the blame if that price proves wrong.
What the Report Leaves Open
The report does not say whether Swiggy or the restaurant will appeal. It carries no statement from either company. It also notes that, except for the headline, the PTI story was not edited by NDTV staff.
Readers can find the company's own information on the official Swiggy website. For another story about what diners and staff pay for in a restaurant, see this report on restaurant server burnout in 2026.
A number on a screen can feel small when a table is being booked. It grows heavier at the end of the meal, when the bill arrives. The order suggests that trust, in a restaurant or on an app, begins with the first figure a diner sees.
