The Rs 370 biryani controversy is still generating fresh reactions online, and this time Zomato has stepped in to clear the air over a viral screenshot carrying its name.
The food delivery platform issued a clarification after social media users began sharing what appeared to be a consent-related notification from the app. According to Zomato, the screenshot is fake and was never sent to users.
Zomato says viral notification is fake
In an Instagram post, the company shared a black graphic carrying the line: "Biryani is dinner, not consent."
Alongside it, Zomato wrote: "An important clarification."
"The screenshot of the distasteful notification you may have seen with our name is fake. We did not write or send it."
The clarification came after a screenshot claiming to show a Zomato notification spread across social media. The message in question read: "Biryani bhejdu? Rs 370 ki hai bas"
The image surfaced as brands, influencers, celebrities and even public institutions jumped into conversations around the now-infamous Rs 370 biryani remark.
By addressing it directly, Zomato sought to make it clear that the notification had no connection to the company.
How the controversy snowballed
The debate traces back to a crowd-work interaction during comedian Pranit More's stand-up show.
In the now-viral clip, an audience member recounted a date involving a plate of chicken biryani worth Rs 370 and suggested that spending money on the meal entitled him to something in return from the woman he was with.
The remark drew widespread criticism, with many arguing that it reflected a troubling and transactional understanding of consent.
As outrage grew, social media was flooded with memes, parody posts and brand references built around the incident. The fake Zomato notification was one of many pieces of content that emerged from the discourse.
The fallout extended beyond the comedy show. The audience member later lost his job after the clip went viral, while More also faced criticism over his response during the interaction and subsequently issued a public apology.
What began as a stand-up moment has since evolved into a much broader discussion about dating culture, consent, entitlement and the influence of online content.
In that conversation, one phrase has appeared again and again: "Biryani is dinner, not consent."
For many users, it captures the central point behind the backlash. Spending money on a date does not create an obligation, expectation or entitlement to intimacy.