Restaurant not obligated to serve free gravy with porotta & beef fry: Kochi consumer court

Kochi: A consumer court in Kochi has ordered that a restaurant is not obliged to offer free gravy with porotta and beef fry. The Ernakulam District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission issued a curious order recently while dismissing a complaint against a restaurant. The complaint was filed by Ernakulam native Shibu S against a restaurant at Patham Mile near Kolencherry. 

Shibu moved the consumer forum after the restaurant owner declined his request to serve free gravy with his order of porotta and beef in November 2024. He was at the restaurant with a friend. The restaurant owner said that gravy was not served as a complimentary item.

Miffed by the response, the customer filed a complained to the Kunnathunadu Taluk supply officer. The supply officer and the food safety officer conducted an inquiry into the complaint and concluded that the restaurant did not have a policy of providing free gravy.

Shibu then moved the Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission. The forum ruled that the complaint was not maintainable under the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.

The consumer commission highlighted that there was no complaint against the quality, quantity or safety of the food served to the complainant. It also observed that the restaurant had neither promised free gravy nor charged money for it. The commission stated that the complainant could not prove that the restaurant owner was legally or by any contract obliged to offer gravy to him.

The order was issued by the bench chaired by D B Binu with V Ramachandran and T N Sreevidya.