Udupi Garden Restaurant, located on NH-48, faced the ire of the Additional District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission-I, Bengaluru bench for its alleged lapse in service standards. The Commission, comprising B. Narayanappa (President), Jyothi N (Member), and Sharavathi S.M. (Member), ruled against the restaurant after hearing a complaint filed by a dissatisfied consumer.
According to the complaint, lodged by a family en route to Hassan for a trip, they stopped at the restaurant around 9 am to have breakfast. Despite requesting hot food, they were served cold, stale, and tasteless dishes. The Complainant, who suffers from high blood pressure and relies on medication, found the quality of the food so poor that she could not consume it, resulting in health complications throughout the day. This unfortunate experience marred their planned family outing.
Following the incident, the Complainant sought redressal through legal means, issuing a notice to the restaurant, but received no response or compensation. Subsequently, feeling aggrieved, she approached the District Commission with her complaint.
During proceedings, the District Commission noted that the restaurant did not contest the allegations raised by the Complainant. Citing legal precedents, such as M/s. Single Builders and Promoters Ltd., Amarn Kumar Garg [2018 (I) CPR 314 (NC)], the Commission considered the restaurant’s failure to submit a written statement as an admission of guilt.
The District Commission held the restaurant accountable for deficient service as a service provider. As a result of the ruling, the restaurant was directed to compensate the Complainant with Rs. 5,000/- for the service lapses leading to health issues and an additional Rs. 2,000/- towards litigation expenses incurred by the Complainant.
