Scindia makes dosas at Bengaluru's Rameshwaram Cafe, video viral
Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia's impromptu visit to The Rameshwaram Cafe in Bengaluru has gone viral, with videos he shared showing him behind the counter making dosas and filter coffee with kitchen staff. He said tossing dosas was harder than it looked and called the outlet "an absolute must" for visitors. Some users criticised the lack of gloves and a cap. The visit revived attention on the 2024 Telangana food safety raid at the Madhapur outlet in Hyderabad and the NIA probe into the Brookefield blast.
Source
News18 — India · read the original report ↗
Desk check · some claims need care
What the desk checked (5)
- Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia made dosas and filter coffee at The Rameshwaram Cafe in Bengaluru. — Based on videos the source says Scindia shared himself; direct quotes attributed to him.
- Social media users criticised the absence of gloves and a cap while he cooked. — User comments quoted in source; no named accounts given.
- Telangana Food Safety Department seized 100 kg expired urad dal and other items at the Madhapur outlet in Hyderabad in 2024. — Figures appear in source and are described as alleged seizures; no official document cited.
- Bengaluru police registered an FIR against co-founders Divya and Raghavendra Rao over the airport 'superworm' case. — Source says 'reportedly'; matter stated to be under investigation and untested in court.
- NIA launched a multi-state probe after an IED blast at the Brookefield outlet on March 1, 2024. — Date and agency appear in source; case described as still under investigation.
Analysts’ view opinion
Strip away the politics and this is a textbook case of a food brand converting celebrity footfall into free reach. The Rameshwaram Cafe has spent two years building an audience economy on viral moments — Bollywood drop-ins, an Ambani catering credit, a MasterChef Australia judge filming its kitchen — and a Union minister at the griddle simply extends that playbook to a new, non-film audience. The catch is that virality is not curated: the same clip that kept the cafe trending for a second day also pulled the hygiene conversation, and its past raids and cases, back into the feed.
- For a chain built on 'darshini'-style theatre, a minister spreading batter on camera is content, not marketing spend — reach without a media buy.
- The celebrity roster cited in the story (Kartik Aaryan, Bhumi Pednekar, Janhvi Kapoor, the Ambanis, Gary Mehigan) shows the brand has already been operating like an entertainment property; this visit widens the funnel rather than changing it.
- The audience reaction was genuinely split — amusement, 'use gloves' hygiene jibes, and a local 'overhyped, overpriced' pushback — which is the standard risk profile of borrowed-fame publicity.
- Because the visit was self-shared, the brand gets the upside of a ministerial endorsement without paying for it, but also no control over the comment thread that follows.
- Reputationally, high-visibility food content invites scrutiny of kitchen standards, which is why the 2024 Hyderabad raid, the airport 'superworm' case and the Brookefield blast probe resurfaced alongside the fun clips.
What to watch — Watch whether the trend cycle translates into measurable footfall and fresh celebrity visits, or whether the hygiene-optics conversation becomes the stickier storyline for the brand.
The story does not establish any sales or footfall impact from the visit, nor does it resolve the pending cases mentioned — the airport FIR allegations remain under investigation and untested in court.
Deep dive
Research brief · 8 facts · 5 dates · exam-readyThe brief
Context
Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia made an impromptu stop at The Rameshwaram Cafe in Bengaluru and posted videos of himself behind the counter making dosas and frothing South Indian filter coffee with the kitchen staff. The clips went viral, drawing amused reactions along with criticism that he cooked without gloves or a cap, and pushback from some Bengaluru residents who called the chain overhyped. The attention has revived scrutiny of the chain's record — a 2024 Telangana food safety raid at its Madhapur outlet in Hyderabad, a 2025 "superworm" dispute at the Kempegowda airport outlet, and the NIA probe into the March 2024 IED blast at its Brookefield branch.
Key facts
- Scindia, dressed in a white kurta, poured and spread dosa batter, plated it with chutneys and served a waiting customer; he also attempted the back-and-forth pour for filter coffee.
- He wrote that he "couldn't resist dropping into Rameshwaram Cafe" and that tossing dosas had "a lot more to it than meets the eye"; he called the outlet "an absolute must".
- Online comments included "Use gloves brother" and "Not allowed Sir, atleast cap should have been worn", flagging absence of standard kitchen gear.
- In the 2024 Telangana Food Safety Department raid at the Madhapur outlet, Hyderabad, officials allegedly seized 100 kg expired urad dal, 10 kg expired curd, 8 litres of milk, over 450 kg unlabelled raw rice and 300 kg unlabelled jaggery.
- In the 2025 Kempegowda International Airport (Terminal 1) case, a traveller filmed an apparent insect in Ven Pongal; management filed a counter-complaint alleging a staged incident and an extortion attempt of Rs 25 lakh.
- Bengaluru police reportedly found no evidence for the extortion claim and registered an FIR against co-founders Divya and Raghavendra Rao under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections on unsafe food, criminal conspiracy and fabricating evidence.
- An IED blast hit the Brookefield outlet on March 1, 2024; the NIA launched a multi-state operation across Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, with the cafe not the target of searches.
- In 2026 the Pune Municipal Corporation removed extended seating outside the Viman Nagar outlet over footpath encroachment complaints.
Timeline
- March 1, 2024IED blast at the Rameshwaram Cafe's Brookefield outlet in Bengaluru; NIA launches a multi-state operation across four southern states.
- 2024Telangana Food Safety Department raids the Madhapur outlet in Hyderabad, seizing expired and unlabelled stock; a co-founder issues a viral apology.
- 2025'Superworm' video at the Kempegowda airport (T1) outlet; counter-complaint of Rs 25 lakh extortion, followed by an FIR against the co-founders.
- Earlier in 2026Pune Municipal Corporation removes extended seating outside the Viman Nagar outlet over encroachment.
- September 23, 2026Story published as Scindia's dosa and filter coffee videos keep the cafe trending for a second straight day.
Who has a stake
- Jyotiraditya Scindia, Union Minister — Gains viral visibility from the kitchen stint but faces online criticism over hygiene norms while handling food without gloves or cap.
- The Rameshwaram Cafe and co-founders Divya and Raghavendra Rao — Brand publicity from celebrity and political visits, set against an FIR, a past food safety raid and ongoing investigations.
- Telangana Food Safety Department — Enforcement of food safety and labelling norms; conducted the 2024 Madhapur seizure.
- National Investigation Agency — Investigating the March 1, 2024 Brookefield IED blast; case still under investigation.
- Bengaluru police — Examined flight records and timelines in the airport outlet case and registered the FIR under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
- Customers and Bengaluru residents — Food safety and hygiene assurance; some dismissed the chain as "overhyped, overpriced".
- Pune Municipal Corporation — Protecting public footpaths from encroachment by commercial seating at the Viman Nagar outlet.
Why it matters
A minister's light-hearted food video shows how celebrity and political drop-ins can shape a brand's public image, while simultaneously inviting scrutiny of the food safety rules that apply to everyone in a commercial kitchen. The same visit pulled back into view a chain with an unresolved FIR, a past regulatory seizure and an NIA terror probe — a reminder that viral fame and compliance records travel together.
UPSC angle
Prelims pointers
- National Investigation Agency (NIA) probed the March 1, 2024 IED blast at the Rameshwaram Cafe's Brookefield outlet, Bengaluru, with searches across Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
- The 2024 food safety raid on the chain was by the Telangana Food Safety Department at the Madhapur outlet, Hyderabad — not at any Bengaluru outlet.
- Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) provisions on unsafe food, criminal conspiracy and fabricating evidence were invoked in the FIR against the cafe's co-founders.
- Kempegowda International Airport (Terminal 1), Bengaluru, was the site of the 2025 'superworm' Ven Pongal controversy.
- Pune Municipal Corporation acted against footpath encroachment at the chain's Viman Nagar outlet in 2026.
- 'Darshini' style refers to the fast, self-service South Indian eatery format filmed by ex-MasterChef Australia judge Gary Mehigan.
Mains framing
Scindia's viral dosa-making stint at The Rameshwaram Cafe illustrates two intersecting trends: the use of informal, personality-led social media content by public figures to build relatability, and the public's growing readiness to hold the same figures to institutional standards — here, basic kitchen hygiene norms, as comments demanding gloves and a cap showed. The episode also returned attention to the chain's record: a 2024 Telangana Food Safety Department seizure of expired and unlabelled stock at its Hyderabad outlet, a contested 2025 airport 'superworm' case in which police found no support for the management's Rs 25 lakh extortion claim and instead filed an FIR against the co-founders under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the NIA's still-open probe into the March 1, 2024 Brookefield IED blast, and a municipal anti-encroachment action in Pune. The implication is that reputational capital from viral moments and celebrity visits does not substitute for regulatory compliance, and that enforcement in the food business is fragmented across state food safety departments, local police and municipal bodies. A way forward lies in consistent, outlet-level compliance and transparent disclosure by chains, timely conclusion of pending investigations so allegations are tested in court rather than online, and public figures visibly modelling the norms — protective gear, labelled stock, clean premises — that regulators are meant to enforce.
Key terms
- The Rameshwaram Cafe
- A fast-service South Indian eatery chain known for podi idlis, benne dosas and filter coffee, with outlets in Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Pune.
- NIA (National Investigation Agency)
- Central agency that ran a multi-state operation after the March 1, 2024 IED blast at the cafe's Brookefield outlet.
- Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS)
- India's criminal code under which the FIR against the cafe's co-founders was registered for unsafe food, criminal conspiracy and fabricating evidence.
- Telangana Food Safety Department
- State regulator that raided the Madhapur outlet in Hyderabad in 2024 and seized expired and unlabelled food stock.
- Darshini format
- A quick-service, stand-and-eat South Indian eatery style, filmed at the cafe's kitchen by Gary Mehigan.
- Ven Pongal
- A savoury rice-and-lentil South Indian dish; the plate in which a traveller filmed an apparent insect at the Bengaluru airport outlet in 2025.
Practice questions
- Viral political content can humanise leaders but also exposes them to scrutiny over norm compliance. Discuss with reference to recent instances of public figures participating in commercial kitchen work.
- Food safety enforcement in India is split across state food safety departments, police and municipal bodies. Examine the challenges this fragmentation creates for consumer protection, using the case of a multi-city restaurant chain.
- How should brands balance publicity gained from celebrity visits against the reputational risk of pending investigations and regulatory action? Illustrate with examples from the source.
Grounded only in the source report — figures and dates are the source's, not inferred.