NRAI Summit 2025 Highlights Urgent Reforms in India’s Food Delivery Sector

The National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) concluded the fourth edition of its Food Delivery Summit 2025 at Le Meridien, New Delhi, focusing on key challenges and strategies shaping India’s food delivery landscape. Held under the theme “Delivering Fresh Ideas to Fuel Your Food Business”, the event attracted over 2,000 stakeholders from across the food service sector.

The summit opened with a lamp lighting ceremony led by Member of Parliament Bansuri Swaraj, and included Shehzad Poonawalla, National Spokesperson for the Bharatiya Janata Party, as a Guest of Honour.

Participants included restaurateurs, cloud kitchen operators, aggregators, delivery service providers, and technology firms. The discussions centred around changing consumer behaviour, the need for sustainable delivery operations, and the demand for greater operational efficiency.

Sagar Daryani, President of NRAI noted, “The Indian food delivery landscape is undergoing a massive transformation, driven by shifting consumer behaviour and rapid technological adoption. The NRAI Food Delivery Summit is an important platform for aligning all stakeholders, from restaurateurs to tech enablers, around a common vision. To unlock long-term growth, we must now prioritize collaboration, innovation, and standardization.” He added, “It’s not just about reaching customers faster, but also doing so responsibly, transparently, and in a sustainable manner.”

Poonawalla acknowledged the role of NRAI in crisis response during the pandemic, highlighting the organisation's efforts under Daryani and NRAI Vice President Zorawar Kalra, including distribution of 1 crore free meals a month and full staff vaccination in line with government directives.

Abhishek Gupta, Chief Customer Officer at Coca-Cola India, emphasized the importance of aligning food delivery with changing consumer expectations. “As consumer preferences continue to evolve, it is critical for the ecosystem to respond with agility, innovation, and responsibility. We are proud to support NRAI Summit, which promotes open dialogue and solutions that benefit the entire value chain, from kitchens to customers.”

Ashish Tulsian, Co-Founder and CEO of Restroworks, reinforced the role of technology. “Technology is no longer a supporting function in food delivery; it is the backbone. From optimizing last-mile logistics to improving customer experience, digital transformation is shaping the future.”

Key sessions included “Margins That Matter with Reelo,” “Tech as a Margin Multiplier,” and Pidge’s discussion on reducing aggregator dependency. The summit also marked the launch of Coca-Cola Foodmarks 2.0, spotlighting culinary destinations across India. Discussions around delivery bottlenecks, quick commerce, influencer marketing, and profitability provided tactical insights for operators.

The event concluded with a collective push for standardization, cross-sector collaboration, and responsible innovation as the foundation for scalable growth in India’s food service ecosystem.