Ankit Mehrotra - Digital Reinvention Of India’s Restaurant Industry

The digital transformation of the restaurant business in India started in 2014 with the spread of internet connection, the use of smartphones, and online payments that started growing within the urban environment at a tremendous pace. Restaurants that traditionally relied on walk-ins, manual billing, and word-of-mouth marketing started to implement technology-driven systems that helped them streamline their reservation process, payment transactions, and interaction with customers.

The advent of restaurant technology platforms and discovery apps introduced a drastic change in the food and beverage (F&B) ecosystem. The early experiences offered the consumer a scheme of online booking, a loyalty program, a custom-crafted restaurant experience, and a shift from disordered eating habits to ones based on facts. Ankit Mehrotra played a significant role in this movement when he co-founded Dineout in 2012. Dineout became one of the first organized systems that allowed making table reservations, conducting payments online, and gaining loyalty under his leadership, thus becoming one of the first systems of this kind in India. The site contributed to the officialization of the digital transformation of the dining industry and the establishment of operational standards for restaurants using technology.

By 2015, the F&B sector in India had entered the following level of digitization, as mobile payment systems and governmental financial inclusion programs had developed. Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and digital wallets made transactions easier and traceable, and this prompted both small and large restaurants to implement the cashless system. Dining-out applications, loyalty programs, and cloud-based point-of-sale solutions enabled restaurants to collect the consumer information, enhance the efficiency of the service, and reinforce the recurring engagement.

The involvement of investors and start-ups also contributed to the development of the sector. Venture-backed startups built apps and platforms which helped, in the discovery of restaurants. Analytics, and marketing automation, helped to professionalize employees and normalize the quality of the offered services. Dineout was one of the prominent examples of this kind of innovation, acquired by Swiggy in 2022. The collaboration was also a sign of increased consolidation in the Indian digital dining sector as companies with more extensive ecosystems wanted to add functions to discover, reserve, and deliver.

The COVID-19 pandemic also significantly stimulated digital adoption. Restaurants had to put into practice contactless menus, QR-based orders and use the app to make payments to remain in business due to restrictions and health guidelines regarding dining in. This period was marked with the necessity to be digitally prepared, particularly in the cities where technology was associated with being safe and convenient.

At the beginning of the 2020s, the restaurant industry of India had developed a hybrid form, a blend of physical hospitality and online interaction. The operation of the restaurants and their engagement with the consumers are now characterized by technology platforms, data analytics, and loyalty ecosystems. Individuals like Ankit Mehrotra have helped in making this change, as they have facilitated the hospitality sector's digital innovation, which shows how the F&B business of India is still evolving to meet the demands of new consumers and world trends in the digital world.

The above information is the author’s own; Outlook India is not involved in the creation of this article.