Delhiites dine out most in India, people in Bengaluru spend more: Survey

Mumbai has the largest of the organised food service markets pegged at nearly Rs 41,000 crore

Indians are increasingly consuming restaurant-cooked food, according to a survey by the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI). The survey shows whether they dine in restaurants, grab food on the go or have a meal delivered, the national average is 6.6 times per month. This, however, is nowhere near other Asian cultures such as Singapore (where they dine out 30 times a month), Bangkok (45) and Shanghai (60). Let's take a look at this region-wise:

Mumbai has the largest  organised food service markets pegged at nearly Rs 41,000 crore, followed by Delhi at Rs 31,132 crore and Bengaluru at Rs 20,014 crore.

Delhi

On an average, Delhiites dine out six times a month. Most of them focus on the local food.

Mumbai

Mumbaikars eat out 4.2 times, with many preferring to binge eat south Indian dishes. 33% prefer Italian compared to 29% who like Chinese.

Bengaluru

Surprisingly, the survey reveals that most respondents in the South Indian cities chose north Indian grub and Biryani over South Indian food. 27% consumers prefer north Indian food, followed by Biryani (11%) while south Indian food is preferred by only 10%.

What Indians like to eat the most:

Across India, north Indian food is by far the most popular (41% respondents picked it as their favourite), followed by Chinese (27%), south Indian (23%), Mughlai (22%) and Italian (16%).

How much do Indians spend on eating out
 

On an average, an Indian household spends Rs 2,500 per month on eating out. Bengaluru spends the most (Rs 3,586). Mumbaikars spend Rs 2,890, while Delhiites spend Rs 1,381.

Indians don't like to dine alone

Among the things Indians dislike the most is dining alone. Only 17% of Indians said they would eat alone at a restaurant; with as high as 83% in favour of company, according to NRAI survey.

Size of Indian food service industry

The current market size of Indian food service industry is Rs 4.23 trillion. According to NRAI, the overall size is expected to expand to Rs 5.99 trillion by 2022-23, growing at a compounded annual growth rate of 9 per cent.

Number of people employed in the Restaurant industry in India

"The Indian restaurant industry employed 7.3 million people in 2018-19. The organised food service sector, which is only 35 per cent of the total market, contributed a whopping Rs 18,000 crore as way of taxes in 2018-19. The number is expected to more than double if the unorganised sector becomes organised," NRAI report said.

Pegging Mumbai's organised food service market at Rs 40,480 crore, the report noted it was the highest amongst metros in the country.

The city has approximately 87,650 restaurants and employs over 4,28,000 people.

The average spend per month per household on eating out in the city is Rs 2,890, higher than national average of Rs 2,500, it said, while adding that the average frequency of consuming non-home cooked food in Mumbai is 4.2 times per month including dine-out, delivery and takeaways.