Now, corporates want a seat at the restaurant business table

Big corporate houses have found an appetising opportunity in the most unlikely corner of the business world: restaurants. Once dominated by family-owned businesses, the Indian restaurant industry is now seeing a massive interest from corporates that all want a piece of the growing, highly lucrative pie.

The trigger behind this shift was the pandemic. As the lifting of Covid curbs led to the so-called revenge dining, the Indian consumer not only indulged in experimentation but was also dining out more. This sparked the interest of several corporates and now, the post-pandemic rush to corporatise India’s restaurant industry seems to be on full throttle.

The scalability, standardisation and long-term growth are seeing leading corporates like Aditya Birla, Reliance and the Tata Group entering the organised dining format space.

Aditya Birla New Age Hospitality Ventures (ABNAH) acquired a 100% stake in KA Hospitality, which owns the home-grown brand CinCin and the franchise rights of the three global restaurant brands –– Yauatcha, Hakkasan and Nara. ABNAH, which is currently established in the premium segment, last month added the Ode and Waarsa brands too to its portfolio, helmed by chefs Rahul Akerkar and Mukhtar Qureshi.

The hospitality industry in India is seeing significant growth, reflecting a vibrant eating out culture. “While diners repeat brands based on their experiences, they are also eager to explore new places depending on different occasions,” said Aryaman Vikram Birla, founder, ABNAH.
“We see this as a unique opportunity to capture greater wallet share by offering a variety of formats, cuisines, and price points across occasions,” said Birla.

Rising disposable incomes and a desire for new experiences mean consumers now eat out on an average of eight times a month. “We are also introducing new brands that appeal to the younger audiences and see significant opportunities in the rapidly growing mid-segment,” he said.

Similarly, industry giants like Reliance and Tata Group have ventured into organised dining for mats, tapping into India’s growing demand for standardised and predictable experiences.

Qmin, the culinary and food delivery platform of Indian Hotels (IHCL), has evolved across online and offline formats including Qmin App, gourmet shops, all-day-dining restaurants in Ginger hotels.

“With over 40 physical outlets and online delivery operations, Qmin clocked an enterprise revenue of Rs 100 crore in FY24,” said Deepika Rao, executive vice-president, New Businesses and Hotels Openings, IHCL.