A screenshot of a restaurant bill is circulating on social media, suggesting that Virat Kohli dined on beef at Gordon Ramsay’s renowned restaurant in Florida, USA. This image of the bill is paired with another photo showing the Indian cricketer seated at a table with his wife and daughter. The post also alleges that Virat adopted this dietary choice to enhance his ability to hit sixes, following advice from Pakistani cricketer Babar Azam. In this article, we’ll fact-check the assertions made.
Claim: Restaurant bill suggesting that Virat Kohli dined on beef at Gordon Ramsay’s renowned restaurant in Florida, USA.
Fact: The viral screenshot of the restaurant bill is related to an American couple, who misread the menu and ended up with an obscenely high bill at Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant located at the Atlantic City Hotel and Casino. The bill has nothing to do with Virat Kohli. Further, there are no reports of Virat Kohli dining at the said restaurant. Moreover, the photo of Virat Kohli seated at a table with his wife and daughter was taken in Dubai, where the cricketer was seen having breakfast with his family during the ICC T20 World Cup, in October 2021. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The viral screenshot of a restaurant bill indeed indicates that a patron consumed beef at Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant. However, it wasn’t the Indian cricketer but rather an American couple in New Jersey, USA, who enjoyed a dinner date there. A Google search using relevant keywords led us to several news reports featuring identical bill screenshots (here, here & here).
As per these reports dating back to December 2021, the couple misread the menu and ended up with an obscenely high bill. “The man, Jeffrey Paige, had ordered premier Japanese Kobe beef after having misread the price. He expected Kobe only $35 (Rs.2500) for 4 ounces. Thinking the 5A Japanese Kobe to be cheaper than American Wagyu, he ordered 12 ounces of it. However, he soon realized his mistake when he was served a bill of $600 or Rs. 45,000. This incident occurred at a restaurant called Gordon Ramsay Steak, located at the Atlantic City Hotel and Casino”, reported the article.
These reports confirm that the bill is unrelated to Virat Kohli and has been inaccurately associated with him. Additionally, we found no reports of the Indian cricketer dining at this restaurant. Moreover, the photo of Virat Kohli seated at a table with his wife and daughter was taken in Dubai, where the cricketer was seen having breakfast with his family during the ICC T20 World Cup, in October 2021. Kohli shared the picture on his Twitter handle.
While there are reports that Virat Kohli is likely to be excluded from the T20 World Cup squad, as claimed in the widely circulated post, we found no credible reports supporting the claim that Pakistani cricketer Babar Azam advised Virat Kohli to consume beef to enhance his six-hitting prowess. It can be concluded that two unrelated images are incorrectly associated with Virat Kohli, falsely implying that he consumed beef.
To sum it up, two unrelated images are being shared alleging that Virat Kohli dined on beef at Gordan Ramsay’s restaurant.
