An outlet of Rameshwaram Cafe, a popular south Indian restaurant chain, in Hyderabad was raided by food safety authorities in Telangana, and expired stocks of urad dal (black gram) and some dairy products were found on May 23. The cafe's co-founder, Raghavendra Rao, in a video, said he accepted his mistakes and apologised to customers.
However, several social media users criticised Rao for his body language while he was speaking in the minute-long video.
"We are here to deliver the best product as promised and use the best ingredients forever. We have done little mistakes and I sincerely apologise for it. I would like to convey to the entire customers that we follow (former president) APJ Abdul Kalam's footsteps," Rao said in the video.
"Our vision is to play globally. We know we can't make a single mistake. I take it as a lesson. I have told my entire team to correct each and every step so that we don't go wrong anyway. This is how we learn. Again, I promise you that all our raw materials are of premium quality," he said.
Rao asserted that pulses, spices and vegetables used by the restaurant are of "premium quality".
"You can take any of your pulses and spices. It's all premium. The vegetables that we use are of premium quality. I request the food safety department to come and do inspections on what type of vegetables we use. These are the things they identified, which are valid and we are here to correct ourselves," Rao added.
Social media users were unimpressed with how Rao spoke in the video, with many accusing him of "threatening" instead of apologising for his mistakes.
"Why does it look like he’s intimidating us and not apologising," a user wrote.
"His aggressive body language is not resonating with his words. It's like I will take care of those who said there are expired items, but please eat in my outlet," another user said.
"Not going there after seeing this. He's threatening the customers," another user said.
"He is desperate for everyone to believe him, but his words have lost value. He should take action and show rather than pointing fingers at us to better believe him," a user said.
FOOD SAFETY RAIDS AT HYDERABAD'S RAMESHWARAM OUTLET
In a post on X, Telangana's food safety commissioner said the task force team conducted food safety inspections in Hyderabad's Madhapur area on May 23 and found 100 kg of expired urad dal worth Rs 16,000, and Nandini Curd (10 kg) and milk (8 litres) worth Rs 700. All these items were discarded on the spot.
In its response, Rameshwaram Cafe said the expired goods were not meant for consumption but to be discarded. The restaurant also said the management took note of the observations made by the authorities for its Hyderabad outlet and was already looking into the matter.
An internal inquiry was ordered to verify the facts and take stock of each outlet.
"The stocks found were sealed and unattended, meant for dispatch and not for consumption," the statement issued by the founders of The Rameshwaram Cafe, Divya Raghavendra Rao and Raghavendra Rao, whose establishment in Bengaluru witnessed a low-intensity blast in March this year, said.
The restaurant further said it also ordered hygiene and standard checks for all its outlets across the states and wanted to convey its strong commitment towards providing consumers with the best in the category.
Assuring cooperation with the authorities, the statement said the restaurant has not received any show-cause notice from the officials concerned.
The management said it was fully committed to maintaining the highest standards of servicing, hygiene and safety and welfare of the consumers.
