India, May 1 -- 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.

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 priv...