NRAI INDIAN RESTAURANT SUMMIT 2025: F&B INDUSTRY GREW BY
8.1% AND POISED TO REACH ₹7.76 TRILLION BY 2028
FROM FEATURES DESK
A landmark gathering that brought together
2500+ delegates from 25+ cities and 80+
speakers for 3 days filled with insights,
innovation and collaboration.
Trends of how Goa is becoming a culinary
destination of India as it attracts a diverse set
of tourists from multiple countries of origin.
New consumers & food & beverage industry
across India are focussing on global quality,
consistency, with adoption of newer
technology, changing face of India’s F&B
industry.
National, September 16, 2025: The National
Restaurant Association of India (NRAI), the
voice of the Indian F&B industry, successfully
concluded the 4th edition of the NRAI Indian
Restaurant Summit 2025 at the Taj Cidade de
Goa Horizon, Goa, marking yet another
milestone in India’s evolving food service
landscape.
With the theme “Serving the Future,” this
year’s summit welcomed 2500+ industry
professionals, 300+ leading brands and 80+
distinguished speakers, making it India’s
largest restaurant industry annual event.
From all over the country, restaurateurs,
chefs, investors, delivery partners, policymakers and technology innovators
attended.
Discussions highlighted evolving
culinary trends, with a growing emphasis on
ethnic cuisines, alongside the transformative
influence of technology and Gen Z on the
future of the F&B industry.
The event began with an exclusive Google
CEO Roundtable, featuring insightful
deliberations with leading restaurateurs. The
summit day commenced with a traditional
lamp-lighting ceremony graced by Shri
Rohan Khaunte, Hon’ble Minister for Tourism,
IT, and E&C, Government of Goa, Shri Rohit
Monserrate, Mayor of Goa, along with the
NRAI leadership team. This was followed by
three days of insightful sessions, hands-on
workshops, engaging exhibitions, and
networking forums.
Investing in People and Their Potential
“Our industry has faced immense challenges
in recent years, but what sets us apart is our
resilience. From neighbourhood cafés to
large restaurant chains, we have fought back
with determination, continued to innovate,
and above all, served our guests with warmth
and a smile. This spirit of perseverance is
what keeps India’s restaurant community
strong and thriving”, he further added.
Mr. Prahlad Sukhtankar, Chapter Head, NRAI
Goa, added: “The success of this year’s
summit demonstrates the strength and
resilience of India’s restaurant community.
Goa proved to be the perfect setting to
celebrate innovation, culture and
collaboration and is rapidly emerging as a culinary hub, drawing a diverse set of tourists
from across the world and offering a melting
pot of global tastes and experiences. As
India’s emerging culinary hub, it continues to
attract talent, creativity and fresh ideas,
making it the ideal destination for such a
gathering. We are excited to carry forward
the ideas and partnerships forged here.”
The summit featured a fireside conversation
between Gauri Devidayal and keynote
speaker Roni Mazumdar, CEO, Unapologetic
Foods, Board Director, National restaurant
Association (USA). He noted that this is the
biggest event of the year for the F&B
industry, which has successfully made its mark
in Hyderabad, Kolkata, Chennai, and now
Goa, a remarkable achievement and a proud
milestone for the community.
Furthermore, there were other discussions on
a variety of topics, including Dining as
Theatre, Raising the Bar: India’s Present and
Future, Staying Relevant in Changing Times,
The Evolution of QSRs, Cafés, and Fast
Casual in India, and How Regional Cuisines
are Going Mainstream. The event concluded
with the grand finale session, Food Fight –
Culinary Capitals Clash: The Race for India’s
Food Frontier.
In addition, attendees participated in
deep-dive workshops and masterclasses that
dived into key industry trends and growth
strategies. Highlights included The
Economics of Cloud Kitchens in India with
Sumit Gulati and Ashish Tulsian, Digital
Supercharging for Restaurants by the Google
team, Building Growth Beyond Discounts
with Parin Sanghvi and Rahul Singh, The
Perfect Serve: Crafting Beverage Experiences
with Tim Du Gardijn and Ishrat Kaur,
Automation That Cooks Up Profits with Jyoti
Sudhir, Sunil Shrivastava, and Mirnal Sethi,
Scaling & Optimising Kitchens for Profitability
with Chef Ashish Massey.
The summit also brought together some of
the most eminent speakers and industry
leaders, including Ankit Ahuja, Nitin Saluja,
Chef Ashish Massey, Ankush Grover, Chef
Shankar Krishnamurthy and Mister Tikku
(Influencer & Food Personality), whose
diverse perspectives enriched the discussions
around growth, profitability, sustainability,
consumer behaviour, and the future of India’s
restaurant industry.
Culinary and tech showcases complemented
these sessions, allowing participants to see
innovations in restaurant technology, food
delivery, packaging, automation, and new
cloud kitchen profitability models that attract
decision-makers from across the F&B value
chain. The summit also emphasized
networking and community building, with an
exclusive Poolside Welcome Sundowner,
which brought together over 2,500
distinguished guests, after parties, and
curated networking forums, as well as the
NRAI Annual General Meeting (AGM) and
the exciting NRAI Premier League (NPL),
which featured cricket and beach volleyball,
fostering collaboration and camaraderie
among the restaurant community.
The 2025 edition was made possible with the
support of partners like Restroworks
(Presenting Partner) and industry leaders
such as Coca-Cola, Google, Goa Tourism,
Nestlé Professional, AWL, Reelo, Foodservice
India, Hyfun Foods, Grant Thornton,
EazyDiner, UEngage, Pernod Ricard, McCain,
MasterChef Creations, and Prasuma, among
others.
The NRAI is grateful to its sponsors, partners, speakers, and delegates for their
enthusiastic participation and support in
making the 4th Indian Restaurant Summit a
resounding success.
About NRAI:
National Restaurant Association of India is
the voice of the Indian Restaurant Industry.
Founded in 1982, by L.C. Nirula of Nirula’s,
Madan Lamba of Volga, O.P. Bahl of Khyber
Restaurant, R.D. Gora of Gazebo, A.S. Kamat
of Kamat Restaurants & other leading
restaurateurs, 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 42nd 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.
