Swastika Dutta and her family ordered four Kolkata-style mutton biryanis from the Behala outlet of a popular Awadhi restaurant on September 29 to celebrate Saptami. But undercooked rice and stiff, chewy mutton marred the festivities for the Dutta family.
“It took a lot of effort to get the meat off the bone. Complaints to the food delivery app did not help. Not only was the money wasted but also our festive mood was ruined,” said Swastika.
This wasn’t an isolated case. Across Kolkata, many diners reported poor quality food, wrong orders, and stale or improperly prepared dishes during the five-day Puja celebrations.
Many Puja visitors from other cities were also left disappointed.
Amrita Roy, visiting Kolkata from Siliguri, had a disappointing experience with the Gariahat outlet of a well-known Chinese restaurant known for its large portions. “We ordered a garlic chicken starter along with chilli chicken, chicken noodles and rice. At first, a friend sniffed the garlic chicken and said it was on the verge of getting bad. The rest also agreed. To our horror, that was just not it. They had sent veg noodles instead of chicken noodles. We got a refund, but obviously it was a bad experience,” she said.
Supratim Mitra and his friends, after a long day of pandal hopping, visited a newly opened dhaba outlet near Barisha Club on James Long Behala, eager for biryani. Instead, they were served a dish made with multiple grains of rice and a foul smell. The restaurant offered two firnis as compensation, but the incident quickly went viral through a vlog.
Several reels have gone viral on social media, raising concern over food quality, quantity and even service during Durga Puja days in Kolkata.
Meals at Rs 99 at a cafe near Lake area in south Kolkata had piqued the interest of sisters Sudeshna and Ashmita Mitra. They thought they were in for a steal deal. Instead, they ended up leaving unfinished servings of the chicken popcorn, fish and chips they ordered along with beer as the items were too oily and stale.
From large chain outlets to new eateries, the festive rush seems to have overwhelmed kitchens and exposed gaps in staff training, quality control and logistics.
Industry experts speak
Industry experts say such incidents are common during Durga Puja due to the unprecedented volume of orders and limited preparation time.
“No one wants to serve bad food. It is often a result of a lack of monitoring and not taking proper care,” said Asif Ahmed, owner of Sanjha Chulha.
Homechef Jayeeta Ghosh added that large-scale restaurants are more prone to spoilage due to excessive storage, climatic humidity, and pre-prepared quantities. Home chefs, on the other hand, cook fresh in limited amounts, which reduces the risk.
Experts note that in many Chinese restaurants, huge quantities of veg chow mein and fried rice are prepared in the mornings, while chicken pieces are battered and deep-fried.
Sneha Dutta, a former food journalist and communication specialist, noted, “When customers place orders, egg, chicken pieces, and other non-vegetarian items are tossed quickly with the pre-cooked fried rice or chow mein, and the chicken is mixed with a pre-cooked sauce before serving, a process that can compromise freshness and overall quality.”
Why the crisis?
Reduced manpower, unskilled staff and increased demand contribute to a drop in quality. “The volume of guests far exceeds normal capacity, kitchens hire temporary staff who are not familiar with the menu, and advance preparation may not be adequate. All these factors add up to a decline in quality,” said food writer Rukshana A. Kapadia.
Luna Chatterjee, a food and beverage consultant, noted that “extreme work pressure, inexperienced staff and impatient customers further contribute to mistakes”.
Foodpreneur Prithvish Chakravarti emphasised that “inadequate attention to food safety and storage infrastructure, combined with the pressure to serve quickly, remains a primary reason for failure in meeting standards”.
Historian Pritha Sen summed it up as “too much bulk cooking at high speed.”
Duhita Paul, a communications expert working with multiple F&B outlets, added, “Massive crowds, fatigue, and pre-cooked batches make quality dip almost inevitable”.
Most restaurants recover after the festive period, but experts say better preparation, temporary staff training, and stricter quality checks could prevent similar problems in the future.