Diners Aged 20 to 40 Show ‘Strange Behaviours’ During Biryani Eatery’s ‘No Phone Challenge’, Says Owner

Announced the challenge on TikTok

The challenge started gaining traction after owner Govin Da Rajan, 56, posted a TikTok announcing it on 1 Nov. In the video, he declares: “What annoys me the most as a restaurant owner is not the bad reviews, it’s not the difficult customers, it’s not the bad market, but mobile phones.”

“Not looking at the biryani is fine, but at least look at your father and mother”

He goes on: “People come to the restaurant looking at the phone, ordering food and not looking at the waiter. Eating biryani and not looking at the biryani — not looking at the biryani is fine, but at least look at your father and mother who’s sitting in front of you. Leave the phone for a minute.”

Behind the playful dare, though, lies a more heartfelt intention.

“Most of the time, people are on their phone”

Govind has spent his whole life in F&B. Before opening Mr Briyani in 2018, he spent 15 years working in hotels like La Meridien Orchard, Shangri-La, Ritz-Carlton, Fullerton and Grand Copthorne — starting as a banquet waiter and eventually becoming director of banquets.

After leaving the hotel industry, he ran an Indian catering business, then a small biryani hawker stall in Commonwealth in 2017. Home delivery orders took off quickly, and he eventually opened his first Mr Biryani restaurant at Norris Road in 2018. Today, he runs two Singapore outlets, 11 Chander Road and 27 Upper East Coast Road, plus a Johor Bahru outlet in Senibong Cove. 

Over the years, he’s built a loyal customer base and noticed a growing trend. “I've been running my business for seven to eight years now, I have a lot of regular customers and their kids have also grown up. I've seen some of them go from three to ten years old. Our number one fans are actually the children,” Govind says. “But most of the time, I see them on the phone, and parents just conveniently give their children the phone as well [to distract them].”

He relates to the issue personally too. “I have four children too, so I see that it's not helping our generation. I’ve felt that even I myself have gotten addicted to my phone so it's a problem,” he admits. 

The No Phone Challenge

Instead of nagging customers to put their screens down, which he jokingly does with regulars, Govind decided on something more impactful — The No Phones Challenge. 

The rules are simple: place your order via QR code, turn off your phones, and stack them at the corner of your table. Restaurant staff will walk around to check and cheer you on with claps.

Complete your meal without touching your phone and you’ll enjoy 15 percent off your total bill, no matter what you order. The challenge runs at all three outlets, including Johor Bahru.

A space for people to interact more with each other 

Why introduce something like this? “The whole idea is to create opportunities and a space for people to have interactions because nowadays people are becoming less and less interactive with each other,” Govind tells 8days.sg.

Govind also makes it a point to engage with diners personally. “I try to speak to everyone who comes to my restaurant and my supervisors also do so. We try to have some engagement with them, ask them how the food is, how they are, if it’s their first time coming here,” he shares. “With this challenge, it gives us more space to interact with customers [as well].” He’s also noticed diners engaging more with his team too [while participating in the phone-free challenge].

People are eating more slowly without their phones 

So far, diners seem to be having fun with the challenge. “A lot of people come in a group and enjoy the challenge as a group activity, then take pictures at the end,” Govind smiles. “On average, about eight to ten tables do the challenge a day.”

“Parents always ask their children to turn off their phones but some refuse. But with the challenge, we are like a third party. We’ll say: ‘Children, today we have a no phone challenge. All of you need to turn off the phone and put it aside.’ Some won’t be happy, some will laugh. I think it’s a good start for the parents,” he shares. 

Interestingly, without their phones, diners aren’t eating faster. Instead, they’re actually slowing down. “People are actually taking more time to eat. I can see them having good conversations,” Govind tells 8days.sg. “That day, I saw a mum and dad dining with their young kid. I saw the father play with his kid, and they had a lot of fun without their phones."

“Suddenly they’ll stop eating and start searching for their phone”

After his initial TikTok hit 19K views, Govind posted a follow-up video reflecting on what he’s observed from customers attempting the challenge.

Families with young children struggle the most. “If you don’t give the phone to your kids, you’re dead — forget about eating your biryani in peace,” he chuckles. He also noticed that most of the people who complete the challenge tend to be aged between 45 and 65 years old.

As for Gen Zs and Millennials, the issue is withdrawal symptoms. “People aged between 20 to 40 have strange behaviours. While eating, suddenly they’ll stop and search for their phones. We’ll tell them, ‘Hey, calm down, everything’s okay — eat your biryani.’”

“I want to talk about our social problems”

Has business improved since introducing the challenge? “Definitely, some people come to dine in just because of the challenge. I think many of them appreciate this initiative,” Govind smiles. And while the challenge has brought in new customers thanks to media coverage, he sees it as more than just a marketing move.

“Besides talking about biryani, I want to talk more about our social problems and speak about issues to benefit the public.”

The response has been encouraging. “Yesterday one diner was telling me he spoke to his friend about how brilliantly creative this marketing campaign is. It is very encouraging when people come back and tell me these things,” Govind shares. 

What to eat while you’re not on your phone

Mr Biryani is best known for its rather spicy Hyderabadi Chicken Dhum Biryani ($15.90) and Hyderabadi Mutton Dhum Biryani ($21.90). The menu also includes classics like Half Tandoori Chicken ($18.90), Butter Chicken Masala ($17.90), Aloo Gobi Masala ($13.90), and Mutton Rogan Josh ($21.90). 

Mr Biryani is located at 11 Chander Rd, S219529. The second outlet is at 27 Upp East Coast Rd, S455211. More info via website or Instagram. 

Photos: Mr Biryani 

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