On yet another Sunday, long lines were seen outside Anand Dum Biryani in Hoskote on the outskirts of Bengaluru. The line began as early as 4.30 am and was so long that some hungry customers left without tasting the famed biryani. "The long lines which began after we reopened last month continued today and unfortunately, we could not serve everyone who turned up," Anand, the owner of the popular biryani hotspot told TNM.
Although Anand does not have exact figures, he estimates that the sales have increased by 20% since the restaurant reopened following the relaxation of lockdown restrictions at the start of September.
Located about 25 kilometres from Bengaluru's city centre, many people start their journey to the biryani spot as early as 4 am. The owner was no stranger to long lines before but he says that a video uploaded by Food Lovers TV on YouTube documenting the biryani and the craze for it has led to an uptick in business in the past month. The video uploaded on Food Lover's TV has 1.4 million views currently. There have been similarly popular videos of the biryani place published by other outlets.
The owner told Food Lover TV’s Kripal Amanna that they tend to use locally grown ingredients and also rear their own sheep for the mutton. A huge pot of biryani is cooked over a wood-fired flame before it is finished with a coal dum. They begin the cooking process in the early hours of the day before getting ready to serve customers at 6 am.
It seems that Bengaluru residents might have to start waking up even earlier to get a taste of the biryani if the long lines are anything to go by. Anand began making biryani several years ago but admits that his establishment initially served idlis and chitranna. But now, the restaurant focuses on its biryani which has become the talk of Bengaluru.