Bengaluru food vlogger slams restaurants for forcing customers to share phone numbers

Popular Bengaluru-based food vlogger Kripal Amanna has voiced his frustration with a growing trend in the city’s dining scene — restaurants insisting on collecting customers' phone numbers during food orders or billing.

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Taking to social media, Amanna called out the practice as unnecessary and intrusive, urging restaurant owners to focus on serving food rather than gathering personal data. “I come to a restaurant to enjoy a meal, pay for it, and leave. That transaction should be complete without being forced to share a phone number,” he wrote. “You’re running a food business, not a data centre.”

Amanna’s post struck a chord with many social media users, who echoed similar experiences and criticized what they saw as a privacy invasion. One commenter described the pushback they often face: “I refuse to give my number. They insist. I say no again. Eventually, they let it go after checking with the manager. It’s unnecessary drama.”

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Another user raised concerns over how this data might be misused. “Phone numbers collected at restaurants and grocery stores are often sold to third parties. That’s why we get so many spam calls,” the user wrote. “It’s better to avoid giving out our numbers where it's not essential.”

Several others pointed out that the issue extends beyond eateries. “It’s happening everywhere — pharmacies, supermarkets, retail stores. When you say no, they threaten that you won’t get an invoice or be able to return products. It’s ridiculous,” another comment read.

A user also expressed frustration with the virtual menu cards which can only be acessed using movie number. “I am tired of saying No, they need my number to give me a table, then I cannot open the digital menu unless I log in with my number, then for bill they need my number, and I get a call asking how I would rate the restaurant. Smaller establishments are much better, they don’t trouble the costumers asking for numbers, you eat, you pay and you leave,” wrote a user.