A Gurugram man shared his horrifying breakfast experience at the popular PAUL bakery's Horizon Centre outlet, and claimed to have found a live worm in his ceaser salad.

He posted a video on Instagram showing a white, almost invisible, worm in the half-eaten dish.

In his post, Sulabh Mathur said that he and his group went to PAUL for breakfast at 11 AM and had ordered around 6-7 items. However, in what he called a shocking incident, they were horrified to find a live worm in their Caesar salad.

“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! Mathur wrote.

He described the incident as “extremely disturbing and concerning,” and said that food hygiene at PAUL was “compromised”. Mathur also cautioned customers to be “careful and vigilant” about what they’re being served.

After the video went viral on social media, PAUL issued an apology for the incident, saying it wasn't in line with its standards and that it takes food safety extremely seriously.

“Hi, We sincerely apologize. This is absolutely not our standard, and we take food safety and cleanliness extremely seriously,” the bakery commented. “We are committed to make it right.”

In a separate post, Mathur also shared a screenshot of his subsequent WhatsApp conversation with a representative from PAUL India.

In the message, the representative said he had tried to reach Mathur by phone.

“I would appreciate the opportunity to speak with you regarding your recent experience at OHC. Kindly let me know a convenient time when I may call you,” the message read.

“We value your trust and assure you that maintaining the highest standards of food quality and guest safety remains our top priority,” the representative added.

The PAUL representative told Mathur that the call was to discuss and personally apologise to him for his “unfortunate” experience at OHC. He also assured him that the outlet was investigating the incident to ensure that it doesn't happen again.

“I'm told you are our regular, and this unfortunate experience happened. So, calling you personally to apologise. Meanwhile, we are investigating it and ensuring it is not repeated,” the message read.

Mathur called the apology a “standard draft reply” and alleged that PAUL was trying to apologise and move on.

“They are trying to apologise and move on. Feels like a standard draft reply from them,” he wrote in the caption. “Since many of you have also shared similar experiences at PAUL outlets, it seems they don't take things seriously at all and are confident that their outlet will continue to do business irrespective.”

Social media users were quick to react to Mathur's post — some shared their personal bad experiences at PAUL, others had puns.

“Not surprised! I saw the staff using the used glasses without washing and serving at different tables ! That was my last visit to Paul!” a user said.

A user said, “Thank you for highlighting this. Paul is one of my favourites. I will stop going there now.”

“Man if you can’t trust cafes like Paul, I don’t know where to go and eat,” another added.

A netizen joked: “Worm Regards”

However, another netizen noted that worm infestations are common during the monsoon, and people should generally avoid eating out during this time.

“Even fresh veggies are worm-infested during this season, what else do you expect from these food joints, be it any renowned place. It’s better not to order leafy vegetables or even eat out,” the netizen said.

Arshdeep Kaur is a Senior Content Producer at Mint, where she reports and edits across national and international politics, business and culture‑adjacent trending stories for digital audience. With five years in the newsroom, she strives to balance the speed and rigor of fast‑moving news cycles and longer, context‑rich explainers.

Before joining LiveMint, Arshdeep served as a Senior Sub‑Editor at Business Standard and earlier as a Sub‑Editor at (). Her experience spans live news flows, enterprise features, and multi‑platform packaging.

At Mint, she regularly writes explainers, quick takes, and visuals‑led stories that are optimized for search and social, while maintaining the publication’s standards for accuracy and clarity. She collaborates closely with editors and the audience team to frame angles that resonate with readers in India and abroad, and to translate complex developments into accessible, high‑impact journalism.

Arshdeep's academic training underpins her interest towards policy and markets. She earned an MA in Economics from Panjab University and holds a Post‑Graduate Diploma in Broadcast Journalism from the India Today Media Institute (ITMI). This blend of economics and broadcast storytelling informs her coverage of public policy, elections, macro themes, and the consumer‑internet zeitgeist.

Arshdeep is based in New Delhi, where she tracks breaking developments and longer‑horizon storylines that shape public discourse.

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