A breakfast outing at a PAUL restaurant in Gurugram took an unpleasant turn after a customer claimed to discover a live worm inside his sandwich. The incident was filmed and shared online, where the video quickly drew attention and sparked questions about food hygiene and the restaurant’s response.
PAUL India issues statement
Following the social media uproar, PAUL India issued a statement on Monday addressing the incident at its One Horizon Centre outlet in Gurugram.
The French bakery and restaurant chain said food safety and hygiene remain serious priorities for the company, while acknowledging that the reported incident did not represent the standards it aims to maintain.
In the statement, the company said, “We at PAUL India take food safety, hygiene and quality standards extremely seriously. The matter reported at our One Horizon, Gurugram outlet does not reflect the standards we strive to uphold.”
It added, “PAUL India maintains rigorous food safety, hygiene and compliance standards. We remain committed to upholding the highest standards and ensuring the best possible experience for all our customers.”
Check out the statement below:
However, the statement did not contain a public apology, which became another point of contention among social media users.
“No apology? No accountability?” one person commented. Another wrote, “No apology?!”
Others questioned the restaurant’s response, with comments including, “No regrets. No sorry. Have some shame” and “Apologise at least?”
What happened at the Gurugram outlet?
The controversy began after a video surfaced showing what appeared to be a white-coloured worm moving inside a sandwich served at the Gurugram restaurant.
Customer Sulabh Mathur said he had visited PAUL at One Horizon Centre with friends at around 11 am on Friday, August 21, for breakfast. According to his account, the group ordered around six to seven dishes.
Mathur said he had already eaten approximately half of a sandwich when he noticed the live worm inside the bread. He recorded the discovery and later uploaded the footage to Instagram.
Sharing the video, he wrote, “Extremely disturbing and concerning. Food hygiene compromised. Customers, please be careful and vigilant about what you’re being served.”
After the video began circulating, representatives from PAUL reportedly contacted Mathur through phone calls and messages. According to the information shared by him, the restaurant privately apologised to him and described what happened as unfortunate.
The public statement, however, became a fresh talking point because it focused on the company's food-safety standards without including an apology.
