Born in the Pandemic, This Biryani Brand Conquered Bengaluru — Now Chennai’s Next

Watch the Full Interview with Ramya Ravi

When most food brands struggled to make their presence felt during the pandemic, Bengaluru-based RNR Donne Biryani made a loud and stylish entry into the market – not through celebrity ads or massive digital campaigns, but through their packaging.
“In the initial days, our marketing strategy was simple — we focused on packaging,” says Ramya Ravi, Co-founder of RNR Donne Biryani. “There was no physical contact with the customer. So, we wanted to create a ‘wow’ factor the moment the biryani reached home.”

RNR’s biryani arrived in a triangle-shaped tin box, designed to stand out and evoke curiosity. “We wanted the experience of receiving the biryani to be social media-worthy. That unique packaging created a ripple effect. People started sharing pictures — influencers and even non-influencers,” Ramya recalls.


What started as a clever design decision soon turned into a strong word-of-mouth campaign. “Honestly, for the kind of noise we made at the start, it was completely organic. Eventually, even celebrities started talking about it. And of course, the PR coverage added to the momentum,” she says.

Reflecting on digital marketing, she adds, “Social media is very important and undoubtedly cost-effective when compared to TV or print advertisements. Businesses need to be active and innovative online because 80% of our non-working hours are spent on social media.”

But RNR didn’t rely on heavy influencer campaigns like many startups today. “There are two kinds of marketing — push and pull. We chose pull marketing,” she explains. “We didn’t onboard influencers initially. Instead, we focused on making our product so unique that it would create its own hype.”


She reveals that while industry standards typically allot around 5% of product cost to packaging, RNR took a bold step. “For us, it went beyond 10%. That was our investment — instead of social media ads, we invested in making a product that markets itself.”

In five years, RNR has grown steadily with 28 locations across Bengaluru and plans to expand further. “We’ve almost maximised our presence in Bengaluru. Now is the right time to enter another city — and yes, this year, we’ll be launching in Chennai,” she confirms.

Ramya also acknowledges the challenges of balancing a fast-growing startup with motherhood. “Honestly, there’s no such thing as work-life balance. It’s always a compromise on either personal or professional responsibilities. I have huge respect for women who take a break and return, and equally for those who juggle everything,” she says.


Working with family has been both grounding and efficient, according to her. “My sister handles marketing, I look after operations, and my father, though in the food industry, is part of a different vertical. We’ve made things simple by dividing our responsibilities clearly.”

Ramya’s biggest pride, however, lies not in the numbers, but in what the brand has done for the city’s food culture. “According to me, our biggest achievement is that we helped shape a cuisine. Five years ago, Donne Biryani wasn’t being served in five-star hotels or upscale restaurants. Today, it is.”

As RNR looks forward to new cities and possibly international markets, the focus remains the same — consistency and standardisation. “Our goal was to make the recipe process-driven and not people-dependent. That’s the only way to maintain quality as we scale.”

For a brand born during a crisis, RNR’s journey so far has been anything but ordinary — and their story proves that sometimes, a well-designed box can say more than an expensive ad campaign. - TWL Bureau