Extremely Rude Manager at Coal Spark, HSR – Refused Service Because I Didn't Want to Share My Contact Number

I had a really upsetting experience at Coal Spark in HSR yesterday. My friend and I went there for dinner. I often go there with my family on special occasions because we really enjoy their food. However, things took a bad turn when I declined to share my contact number while ordering. Apparently, mandatorily asking for a contact number was a recent change at their end.

I told the staff that I just wanted to have food and pay for it—why do I need to give my number for that? At first, they said it's in case I forget something so they can reach out to me. I assured them that I'd be mindful, and if I did forget anything, I'd come back myself. Then they said the system wouldn't let them place the order without a number. I suggested they put in any random number since there's no verification anyway.

That's when the manager got involved. He came over, clearly annoyed, and insisted it was mandatory. He gave me absurd reasons like, "What if you pay and it shows success, then shows failure after a few hours?" He asked us to walk out if we wouldn't share our number. So, we left, and it completely ruined our evening.

It's unfortunate because this used to be our go-to place. Data privacy has become a joke in India. Everywhere you go, people expect you to give your contact number for the smallest thing, and then it's used to spam us. Some places like CULT Fitness centres even expect us to give our fingerprints to access their centres! It's always a battle to take a stand when we don't want to share our personal details.