NRAI’s 4th Edition of Indian Restaurant Summit 2025 in Goa concludes, highlighting F&B industry to grow by 8.1% CAGR and become INR 7.76 lakh crore by 2028

• 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 diverse set of tourists from multiple country origin
• New consumers & food & beverage industry across India are focussing on global quality, consistency with adoption of newer technology is changing face of India’s F&B industry

National, September 16th, 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, 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 Goa, along with the NRAI leadership team. This was followed by three days of insightful sessions, hands-on workshops, engaging exhibitions, and networking forums.

Speaking at the summit, Mr. Sagar Daryani, President NRAI, said “The NRAI Indian Restaurant Summit has always been more than just a discussion; it is about shaping the future of our industry together.  In Goa, we witnessed unparalleled energy and collaboration among all stakeholders.  From sustainability and digital transformation to profitability and policy advocacy, the discussions here will help define the roadmap for India's food and beverage sector in the coming decade.”

“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”, 

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 Ditrector, National restaurant Assiociation (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, and Chennai, and now in 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 Mister Tikku (Influencer & Food Personality), whose diverse perspectives enriched the discussions around growth, profitability, sustainability, consumer behavior, 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.