Incident at PAUL restaurant
A Gurugram man has alleged that he found a live worm in his food at PAUL's Horizon Centre outlet, in an incident that drew widespread attention on social media. Sulabh Mathur said he visited the restaurant with friends for breakfast at around 11 am and that his group ordered six to seven dishes.
Accounts of where the worm was found differ. In his Instagram post, Mathur described finding a live worm in a Caesar salad, as reported by Hindustan Times and Livemint. Other coverage, including from India Today and The Times of India, described the worm as crawling inside a partially eaten sandwich. Mathur's own caption, quoted by multiple outlets, read: "Shocking incident at Paul's, Horizon Centre today! We went for breakfast around 11 AM and ordered 6-7 dishes. We were horrified to find A LIVE WORM in their Caesar Salad!"
Reports also differ on the day of the incident. Some coverage says it happened on Friday, while a report citing the news agency PTI says it occurred on Sunday. The video, which shows a white, almost invisible worm in the half-eaten dish, was shared on Instagram and reportedly garnered over 1.3 million views.
Customer's response
Mathur described the experience as "extremely disturbing and concerning" and said food hygiene was "compromised." He urged customers to be "careful and vigilant" about what they are served, according to quotes carried by several outlets.
In a subsequent post, Mathur shared a screenshot of a WhatsApp conversation with a representative from PAUL India, identified as Rajneesh. The representative said he had tried to reach Mathur by phone and wanted to discuss his experience at the outlet. The message added: "We value your trust and assure you that maintaining the highest standards of food quality and guest safety remains our top priority."
Mathur, however, criticised the response as a "standard draft reply" and accused the restaurant of trying to apologise and move on. He wrote that others had shared similar experiences at PAUL outlets and that it seemed the company did not take the matter seriously.
Restaurant's apology and investigation
PAUL responded to the initial Instagram post with an apology in the comments section. "Hi, We sincerely apologize. This is absolutely not our standard, and we take food safety and cleanliness extremely seriously. Please check your DM. We are committed to make it right," the comment read, as quoted by Hindustan Times and Livemint.
The restaurant's management described the incident as "unfortunate" and said it was conducting an internal investigation, according to reports. The investigation is expected to examine how the worm ended up in the dish and whether there was any lapse in preparation, storage, or handling.
Attempts by reporters to contact the restaurant management for further comment were unsuccessful, The Times of India reported.
Public reaction
Social media users reacted strongly to the video. Some questioned how food containing a live worm could have been served at an upscale restaurant, while others said the incident made them reconsider dining there, according to reports from India Today and The Times of India. A netizen noted that worm infestations are common during the monsoon and advised avoiding eating out during that time, Livemint reported.
Official response
A senior official from the food and supplies department said no formal complaint had been received regarding the incident, but the department was examining the matter on its own, The Times of India reported, citing PTI.