Mumbai, 04 November 2026: Diwali has traditionally been a time for bringing family and friends together over elaborate meals. As home celebrations become an occasion to serve something special, premium restaurant delivery is taking on a new role, moving beyond everyday convenience to become a considered part of festive hosting.
Industry estimates cited in Redseer’s State of India’s Food Services Market 2026 put online delivery at around 11% of India’s food-services market today, with its share expected to rise to nearly 20% over the next five years. The shift is also moving beyond quick and inexpensive meals, with consumers increasingly ordering from premium restaurants for occasions at home.
According to Prashant Issar, Founder of Ishaara and Managing Director, Bellona Hospitality, this requires restaurants to look at delivery as an extension of hospitality rather than simply another sales channel.
“When someone orders several dishes for a dinner with family or friends, they are not simply ordering food. They are hosting, and for that evening they have borrowed our kitchen. The question for a restaurant is no longer only how we get the food there, but how we help that guest host well. That means making sure the food travels properly, arrives when promised and still feels like the restaurant it came from,” said Issar.
For premium restaurants, this means designing delivery menus around how food travels. While curries may hold well, breads can lose texture, dumplings need careful handling and pasta continues to cook in transit. Restaurants may need to adjust cooking times, pack sauces separately or leave out dishes that cannot travel well. At the same time, the focus is shifting from speed to reliability, especially for larger orders meant for gatherings, where guests value food arriving on time and as the chef intended over simply arriving in minutes.
Delivery is also becoming a discovery channel, with guests experiencing a restaurant at home before visiting it, and existing diners turning to it when hosting.
As these habits grow, Issar believes restaurants will increasingly need to treat dine-in and delivery as two connected experiences rather than separate businesses. “We used to stand at our own front door to welcome guests. It may now be someone else’s home across the city. Our job is to make sure that what arrives there still feels unmistakably like us,” Issar added.
As dining habits continue to evolve, the opportunity for premium restaurants will be to make the experience feel consistent wherever the guest chooses to dine – at the restaurant or at home.
About Ishaara: https://www.instagram.com/ishaaraindia/?hl=en
Ishaara is a contemporary fine-dining destination pioneering purpose-driven, inclusive hospitality in India. Founded in 2019 by Prashant Issar (Managing Director, Bellona Hospitality), the restaurant is led by Speech and Hearing Impaired (SHI) professionals in customer-facing roles, delivering a unique, gesture-based dining experience. Ishaara’s ingredient-forward menu offers a modern interpretation of traditional Indian cuisine, celebrating provenance and rich culinary heritage. Today, Ishaara operates nine outlets across Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, and Bengaluru.
About Bellona Hospitality
Bellona Hospitality, owned by Phoenix Mills, is a leading hospitality group with six brands across Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, and Lucknow. With Ishaara as its flagship, the portfolio includes Dobaara, Cha Hongkong Eating House, Eight, Allora Milano and Legume. Bellona is known for local sourcing, craft beverage programmes, and immersive dining that delights all senses.
