- 5th NRAI Food Delivery Summit brings 5,000+ industry stakeholders to Ahmedabad as Gujarat emerges as a high-growth F&B market
- GIFT City, Commonwealth Games and expanding home-grown brands create a fresh recipe for restaurant and hospitality growth
- AI, automation, direct ordering and new-age consumer behaviour take centre stage at India’s biggest food business gathering
- NRAI Gujarat chapter seeks closer government-industry collaboration as food, tourism and hospitality prepare for a bigger global role
NE HOSPITALITY & TOURISM BUREAU
AHMEDABAD, AUG 18
What does the future of food taste like? In Gujarat, it increasingly comes with a side of technology, entrepreneurship, global ambition—and a distinctly Ahmedabad flavour. As the State’s restaurant ecosystem races beyond traditional dining into premium experiences, QSRs, cafés, delivery, corporate food services and international expansion, Ahmedabad is preparing to become the national meeting point for the industry’s next big conversation.
The 5th NRAI Food Delivery Summit 2026, to be held on August 20 at The Forum – Hotel & Convention, Ahmedabad, will bring together 5,000+ attendees, 70+ speakers, 1,500+ brands and participants from 30+ cities, making it the largest edition of the summit so far. The official NRAI event platform confirms the scale and the Ahmedabad venue.
Gujarat’s food story goes far beyond khakhra and farsan
The State’s restaurant landscape is rapidly diversifying, with Ahmedabad alone estimated to have more than 20,000 restaurants, cafés and QSRs, while NRAI has more than 500 members across Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot and Vadodara.
Home-grown names such as The Secret Kitchen, Gopi Dining Hall, Old School Eatery, 22nd Parallel, Jagdish Foods and La Pino’z, alongside national and international brands, reflect a market where consumers are increasingly experimenting with premium dining, international cuisines, cafés, QSRs and experience-led formats.
The emergence of GIFT City is adding another layer—business dining, corporate catering, premium hospitality and international-facing food experiences are creating new opportunities for restaurant entrepreneurs.
Pranav Rungta, Vice President, NRAI and Director, Mint Hospitality Pvt. Ltd, said the restaurant industry’s next phase of growth is increasingly coming from markets with strong entrepreneurial ecosystems and diverse consumers. “Gujarat is an important example of this shift,” he said, pointing to the strength of restaurant businesses across the State and the emergence of GIFT City as a new consumption centre.
Aanal: ‘We are working in tandem with Gujarat Government’
Chef Aanal Kotak, NRAI Gujarat Chapter Head and Founder, The Secret Kitchen (India & Global), said Gujarat’s food ecosystem is becoming increasingly diverse and that GIFT City is creating an entirely new business and consumption environment.
She said Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Haresh Sanghavi, who holds Tourism and Sports portfolios, will inaugurate the summit, with several MoUs related to food, hospitality and tourism expected to be signed in his presence.
“We are working in tandem with the Gujarat Government to cater to the needs of our international customers as a precursor to Commonwealth Games,” Aanal said.
Highlighting a recent policy development that she said followed the NRAI Gujarat chapter’s demand, she added: “We are thankful to the state government for reducing VAT from 65% to 25% on liquor in GIFT City. Despite being a dry state, we have been holding major events with ease.”
The Gujarat Government has officially notified the reduction in the VAT rate on alcoholic liquor for registered dealers holding valid FL-III licences; the notification was issued in June 2026. The government record corroborates the tax reduction, while Aanal’s statement attributes the advocacy behind it to the NRAI Gujarat chapter.
Sagar Daryani: restaurant industry needs to become future-ready
NRAI President and Wow! Momo Foods CEO & Co-founder Sagar Daryani said the food-delivery ecosystem had evolved significantly, creating opportunities while also bringing new operational and business complexities.
“As the industry enters its next phase of growth, it is essential for restaurant operators, technology partners and ecosystem stakeholders to come together, exchange perspectives and collectively shape solutions that drive sustainable growth,” Daryani said.
He said the summit would examine how AI, automation and technology can enable restaurants to become more efficient, resilient and future-ready.
From kitchen counters to AI: the next decade is being cooked now
The summit’s central conversation will revolve around technology-driven transformation. Its sessions will explore AI, automation, direct ordering, customer loyalty, restaurant valuation, franchising, marketing, packaging, menu innovation and intelligent restaurant platforms.
The theme, “Automate to Dominate: Tech Powers Growth,” reflects a fundamental shift: technology is no longer merely supporting restaurant operations—it is increasingly influencing how restaurants forecast demand, manage inventory, design menus, engage customers and scale.
The event will feature leading names from the restaurant, delivery, technology and hospitality ecosystem, including Wow! Momo, The Rameshwaram Cafe, Rebel Foods, Swiggy, La Pino’z, The Belgian Waffle Co., Chaayos, Baskin-Robbins, McDonald’s, The Secret Kitchen, Massive Restaurants and Hunger Inc Hospitality, among others. The official NRAI platform lists more than 70 speakers.
Ahmedabad’s plate gets a global ambition
With Ahmedabad preparing for the 2030 Commonwealth Games and Gujarat continuing to strengthen its tourism, infrastructure and business ecosystem, NRAI sees an opportunity to place restaurants at the heart of the State’s next growth cycle.
The summit will therefore be more than a food-delivery conference. It is a platform to connect food, technology, tourism, hospitality, capital and entrepreneurship—and to position Gujarat’s restaurant industry for a much larger national and international role.
For a State known for entrepreneurial appetite, the message from the summit is deliciously clear: Gujarat is no longer merely serving India—it is preparing to serve the world.
