Red panda cute, Hungrypanda not: Zohran Mamdani's zoo announcement goes viral
Standing at the red panda exhibit inside Prospect Park Zoo, NYC mayor Zohran Mamdani called out a food delivery platform accused of overcharging small businesses.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani chose an unusual setting to make a pointed announcement. Standing at the red panda exhibit inside Prospect Park Zoo, he called out a food delivery platform accused of overcharging small businesses.
The setting was deliberate, drawing a contrast between something “adorable” and what he described as unfair business practices.
Mamdani, along with Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) Commissioner Sam Levine, announced a settlement of over $875,000 (approx Rs 8,16,70,443) with HungryPanda. The action followed a DCWP investigation which found that the app had violated the city’s Third-Party Food Delivery Service Laws, particularly the Fee Cap Law.
Highlighting the contrast during the announcement, Mamdani said, “This hungry red panda at the Prospect Park Zoo? Adorable. The HungryPanda delivery app scamming hundreds of small businesses? Not adorable.” He added that $580,000 would be returned directly to affected restaurants.
According to details shared by the New York City Central Labour Council, HungryPanda had been charging restaurants illegal fees, sometimes amounting to thousands of dollars. The platform, popular among Asian immigrant communities in the city, allegedly masked these overcharges by relabelling or bundling fees, making them harder to detect.
The internet was absolutely amused by the irony of the announcement.
The mayor also signalled stricter action going forward, stating that the city would continue to act against companies exploiting small businesses.