·     5,000+ restaurant owners, 100+ industry leaders and 3,000+ brands come together in Ahmedabad; NRAI signs MoUs with Mitti Café, GIFT City and Easy Caters to deepen industry collaboration.

Hyderabad, 20^th August, 2026: The National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) brought together more than 5,000 restaurant owners, 100+ industry leaders, 3,000+ brands and delegates from 30+ cities at the 5th edition of the NRAI Food Delivery Summit 2026 in Ahmedabad, putting the spotlight on the questions that will shape the next phase of India’s restaurant industry, from building ₹1,000 crore food brands and decoding the next decade of food delivery to the role of GIFT City and artificial intelligence in the restaurant of the future. The summit was inaugurated in the presence of Shri Harsh Sanghavi, Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister of Gujarat, who joined industry leaders and stakeholders in discussions around the growth and transformation of India’s restaurant ecosystem.

Presented by Petpooja and themed ‘Automate to Dominate: Tech Powers Growth’, the summit brought together restaurateurs, food brands, technology companies, investors and ecosystem partners for a day of conversations around growth, scale, technology, consumer behaviour and business sustainability. Rather than looking at technology as a standalone theme, discussions examined how AI, automation, data and digital platforms are increasingly becoming part of the fundamental decisions restaurants make around operations, expansion, and marketing and consumer engagement.

The summit also witnessed the signing of MoUs with Mitti Café, Gift City and Easy Caters, marking new areas of collaboration across the restaurant and food services ecosystem.

One of the central conversations, ‘Food Delivery – Decoding the Next Decade’, examined how food delivery is evolving and what the next phase of the ecosystem could mean for restaurants, platforms and consumers. The discussion was followed by ‘Building India’s Next ₹1,000 Crore Food Brand’, which explored the ambition, operating models and capabilities required to build restaurant and food businesses at significant scale.

The question of scale was also examined through ‘The Franchisee Paradox – Scale with Excellence’, looking at how businesses can expand rapidly while maintaining consistency, quality and operational excellence. The conversation was particularly relevant as restaurant businesses increasingly look at franchising as a route to enter new markets and build national footprints.

GIFT City for the Global Kitchen – Intersection of Innovation, Capital and Food Brands brought the focus back to Ahmedabad and Gujarat, examining the opportunity emerging at the intersection of global capital, business infrastructure and the food and hospitality ecosystem. The session looked at what GIFT City could mean for restaurant brands seeking new consumers, new partnerships and new avenues for expansion.

Technology remained a recurring thread through the summit, culminating in ‘The Intelligent Restaurant – Who Will Own the Future: Restaurant Platforms or Algorithms?’ The discussion explored how AI, data, automation and technology platforms could reshape restaurant operations and decision-making, while raising a larger question around how much of the future restaurant will be driven by algorithms and how much will continue to depend on human judgement and hospitality.

The summit also examined the role of brand-building and consumer engagement through ‘Marketing Strategies That Play to Your Strengths and Product’, while the concluding ‘Food Fight – Is Discount a Necessary Evil?’ brought the conversation back to one of the industry’s most persistent questions around customer acquisition, pricing and sustainable profitability.

Mr. Sagar Daryani, President, National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) and CEO & Co-Founder, Wow! Momo Foods, said, “This year’s summit reflected a clear shift in the way the restaurant industry is thinking about growth. The conversation is becoming less about expansion for its own sake and more about building businesses that are resilient, profitable and capable of sustaining scale. Across food delivery, franchising, brand building, technology and the emergence of new markets such as GIFT City, we are seeing a greater focus on the fundamentals that determine long-term success. Technology will undoubtedly reshape how restaurants operate, but the businesses that create lasting value will be those that combine innovation with strong execution, consumer understanding and the core principles of hospitality.”

Commenting on the occasion, Parthiv Patel, Co-Founder & CEO, Petpooja, said, “The most significant change we are seeing in restaurants is that technology is becoming part of the decision-making layer of the business, rather than remaining limited to individual operational functions. As restaurants become more complex across formats, locations and channels, operators need connected systems that give them a clearer view of the business and enable faster, more informed decisions. The opportunity now is to make technology simpler, more accessible and more actionable for restaurant owners, so that it translates into better control, stronger efficiency and healthier businesses. The conversations at the NRAI Food Delivery Summit reflected this shift very clearly.“

Commenting on the summit, Chef Aanal Kotak, Chapter Head, NRAI Gujarat – Founder, The Secret Kitchen (India & Global) said, “Gujarat have built a strong and evolving food ecosystem, driven by entrepreneurial energy, changing consumer preferences and a growing appetite for new dining experiences. The opportunity today extends beyond the growth of individual restaurants, with the wider ecosystem becoming more connected to technology, new business models and emerging developments such as GIFT City. Bringing the NRAI Food Delivery Summit to Ahmedabad has allowed us to put this evolution in focus while creating a platform for the industry to exchange ideas on growth, innovation and the future of food and hospitality in the region and across India.”

Alongside the main-stage sessions, the summit featured a series of 13 focused workshops designed to translate industry conversations into practical insights for restaurant businesses. Running across three parallel rooms, the workshops covered subjects including smarter growth strategies, direct ordering and repeat business, the entrepreneur’s money mindset, customer acquisition, packaging as a brand experience, AI-led restaurant operations, dine-in growth, building repeatable revenue engines, business valuation, visibility-led growth, menu innovation and content creation.

The summit featured leading voices from across the restaurant, food delivery, technology and business ecosystem, including Mr. Sameer Khetarpal, Managing Director & CEO, Jubilant FoodWorks; Mr. Ankush Grover, Co-Founder & Global CEO, Rebel Foods; Mr. Anshul Gupta, Co-Founder, EatClub; Mr. Rohit Kapoor, CEO, Food Marketplace, Swiggy; Mr. Nitin Saluja, CEO, Chaayos; Mr. Mohit Khattar, CEO, Graviss Foods; Dr. Tapan Vaidya, Group CEO, Papa John’s; and Mr. Zorawar Kalra, Founder & MD, Massive Restaurants, among other industry leaders.

The 5th edition of the NRAI Food Delivery Summit reinforced a broader shift underway in the industry: the next phase of restaurant growth will require businesses to think simultaneously about technology, scale, consumer relevance and profitability. With new business models emerging and technology increasingly influencing how restaurants operate and grow, the industry’s focus is moving from simply adopting new tools to determining how they can create lasting business value.

About NRAI:

Founded in 1982, NRAI is the voice of over 5,00,000 restaurants across the country, representing an industry with an annual turnover of INR 5.69 lakh crores. The Mangaluru & Western Karnataka Chapter aims to bring together restaurants, QSRs, bars, cloud kitchens, and caterers under one powerful platform to address industry challenges, drive profitable growth, and put Coastal Karnataka’s unique culinary identity on the national map.

National Restaurant Association of India is the voice of the Indian Restaurant Industry. Founded in 1982, it represents the interests of 500000+ Restaurants, an industry valued at INR 5.69 lakh crores. Being the leading association of the Indian Restaurant Industry, NRAI aspires to promote and strengthen the Indian Food Service Sector. The Association in its 43rd year has a pan India presence and is governed by a committee of members and led by a President and Office Bearers. The committee consists of over 30 Restaurant CEOs / Owners representing various national and international brands from the F&B sector. The association works closely with a network of State and City Chapters across the country.

Website:https://nrai.org/