Delivery Diaries: Diversity tadka in Indian F&B — a brilliant interplay of local and global flavours

I am often asked whether this fusion and menu diversity is reflected in food delivery as well. Until about 5-6 years ago, international cuisines constituted a mere 10-15 percent of total food delivery orders, with Italian (largely pizzas and pastas) and Chinese food making up the majority. However, recent data suggests that exotic (non-Indian) cuisines now constitute as much as 40 percent of the total orders placed through Swiggy. Within this category, while Italian, Chinese, and American continue to dominate, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Mediterranean, Mexican, and Arabian cuisines are also making a strong presence. In certain cities, Japanese and Korean orders are expected to double compared to the previous year. This trend may be partly attributed to the increasing number of expat communities in these cities, but with improved accessibility and quality, Indian consumers are also keen to explore food from cultures other than their own.

Experimenting with Restaurants

Anecdotal evidence also suggests that a consumer is more “adventurous” on a food delivery platform i.e. she is more likely to order a dish from a new restaurant instead of visiting it straight. Once her “experiment” has gone to her liking, she is more likely to visit that eatery marking the beginning of a long-standing engagement with a restaurant/cuisine. In several instances, we have seen that popularity of a cuisine via online orders is a precursor to opening of new restaurants. Arabic and Mediterranean fare for instance constitutes 10-12 percent of non-Indian food orders on Swiggy in top cities and post this validation we are witnessing opening of several restaurants dedicated to these varieties.

Indian Fusion Food Goes Mainstream

Another interesting aspect is the fusion of food and cuisines (which was earlier inexplicably frowned upon) is now mainstream. Chinjabi- that endearing portmanteau of Chinese and Punjabi—is now mainstream. Those noodles, fried rice, gobi manchurian and else- with copious amounts of soy and chillies, may not be found on the Chinese mainland, but it is a hit in India and major contributor of ‘Chinese cuisine’s’ popularity on Indian restaurant scene- it constitutes almost 15 per cent of total food orders on Swiggy. Similarly, there are popular dishes associated with our idiosyncrasies, childhood memories or a grandmother recipe, which a purist may frown upon, but today are some of the highest selling items, because agile smaller restaurants were able to get quick validation of their popularity through delivery. One of the most ordered flavours from a popular ice cream chain, which has expanded in the last few years, is Guava ice cream with a sprinkle of chili on the top. Achari do pyaza pizzas, myriad permutations of Chai (saunf, elaichi, kali mirch- you name it) which one may be abashed of asking for in a restaurant, are available in your desired form on your delivery platform. On Valentine’s Day, this year, almost 275 cakes were ordered per minute on Swiggy, and while there were usual suspects of chocolate and red velvets, there were also sizeable orders of cakes and macarons in flavours of- rasmalai, thandai, anjeer, kaju katli. Many patisseries often run by first generation entrepreneurs came out with these delightful fusions, to attune the offering to the preferred flavour of your loved one.

International Food Brands Embrace Local Culture

Various international food companies have had their epiphanies in diverse cultures. My favourite pertains to Nestle Kit Kat’s incredible success in Japan, where this chocolate’s inexplicable humungous surge in sales in the months of December, January and February, was subsequently explained to Kit Kat’s almost homonymic reference to Japanese phrase of Kitto Katsu (Good luck/you must overcome), which made them popular amongst students as good luck charm in the exam season. Nestle seized the moment and built upon a whole campaign around it, making it one of the most successful food brands in Japan ever.

The fact is that when it comes to food every culture has its distinct mores and preferences, which are neither immediately manifest, nor are they subject to any rule of thumb. Beyond a point food preferences and habits are not explained by statistics either. Sneering at excessive use of statistics to explain diets, George Bernand Shaw is known to have quipped, “Statistics show that of those who contract the habit of eating, very few survive.” Traditional wisdom, or static data sets could never have predicted or explained the success of some of the cuisines and food versions in India. Consumer behaviour is dynamic and real time and India’s restaurant entrepreneurs buoyed by the food delivery operations- because of consumer’s comfort with them- are leading a revolution which has infused India’s F&B sector with an iridescent variety.