On World Biryani Day on July 5, restaurants, cloud kitchens and FMCG brands say India’s most-loved dish is no longer just a celebratory meal—it has become a year-round business engine, driving innovation, premiumisation and regional culinary revival
Whether it is a Sunday family lunch, a late-night craving, an office celebration or a wedding feast, biryani has become India’s universal comfort food. Its popularity is no longer anecdotal. According to Swiggy, biryani has remained the most ordered dish on its platform for the last 10 consecutive years, making it India’s undisputed online food favourite.
On World Biryani Day (July 5), a celebration pioneered by LT Foods through its DAAWAT® World Biryani Day® initiative, India’s favourite rice dish has emerged as much more than a culinary icon.
Ritesh Arora, CEO – India & Far East, LT Foods, says the company launched DAAWAT® World Biryani Day® five years ago to celebrate the country’s enduring love for the dish and build a larger biryani ecosystem. “Consumers are at the heart of everything we do. In India, biryani is emotion, memory and celebration layered into a single dish with a regional twist. That’s what makes this category so special,” he says. Arora adds that LT Foods continues to invest in premium basmati rice for traditional dum cooking while expanding into convenience products such as regional DAAWAT® Biryani Kits, reflecting the growing consumer demand for authentic yet accessible biryani experiences.
What was once seen as a celebratory meal is now an everyday order, a premium dining experience and a strategic business category rolled into one.
India’s Largest Online Food Category
For food delivery platforms and cloud kitchens, biryani has become one of the most valuable consumer categories.
Nishant Kedia, Chief Marketing Officer at Rebel Foods, says biryani continues to dominate India’s online food landscape, with demand cutting across premium, value-conscious and regional consumer segments.
“Biryani remains the largest food category on India’s online platforms, and with its increasing popularity, we are even more convinced that the opportunities lie in fulfilling unique consumer requirements,” he says.
To capture this demand, Rebel Foods has adopted a portfolio-led strategy rather than relying on a single brand. While Behrouz Biryani caters to consumers seeking a premium experience, The Biryani Life addresses the value segment. The company has also recently launched Thalaiva Biryani, offering authentic South Indian regional flavours.
Kedia says the company continues to innovate across flavours, formats, packaging and pricing to cater to evolving consumer tastes while strengthening its leadership in India’s largest online food category.
Biryani Is No Longer Reserved For Special Occasions
The biggest shift, however, is in consumption behaviour.
According to Abhik Mitra, Managing Director and CEO of Paradise Food Court, consumers increasingly prefer trusted branded biryani because of hygiene, food safety and consistent quality.
“Biryani is increasingly becoming an everyday order rather than an occasional indulgence,” Mitra says.
That shift is changing business models across the restaurant industry. Paradise is expanding selectively as part of a broader national strategy backed by Samara Capital to add around 100 new outlets across metro cities and emerging markets with an investment of nearly ₹100 crore.
The company is also moving towards smaller omni-channel outlets designed primarily for delivery, while continuing to invest in dine-in formats that cater to families and celebrations.
Mitra estimates the overall Indian biryani market at nearly ₹40,000 crore, but notes that the organised branded segment accounts for only about 8 per cent of it, highlighting the significant room for formalisation and future growth.
Regional Flavours Are Driving The Next Wave
Consumers today are not merely ordering biryani more often—they are becoming more discerning about what they eat.
Restaurants are increasingly moving beyond generic offerings to showcase regional recipes with authentic ingredients and traditional cooking techniques.
At Bellona Hospitality’s Ishaara, regional varieties such as Dindigul Biryani and Gucchi Kashmiri Dum Biryani have emerged as strong performers across both dine-in and delivery.
Murali Purushothama, Cluster Chef at Bellona Hospitality, says customers are actively seeking authentic regional flavours prepared using premium ingredients.
“Our menu innovation remains rooted in authenticity. Instead of reinventing biryani, we focus on elevating traditional recipes through superior ingredients and thoughtful presentation,” he says.
A similar philosophy guides Pincode by Chef Kunal Kapur.
Aditi Tihara, Senior Vice President at True Palate Hospitality, says signature dishes such as the Awadhi Chicken Dum Biryani and Mutton Dum Biryani continue to witness strong consumer demand.
She believes diners are increasingly willing to pay for premium ingredients, authentic flavours and unique dining experiences, making biryani one of the strongest drivers of customer acquisition and repeat visits.
Heritage Dining Is Making A Comeback
For premium restaurants, the growing popularity of biryani is also reviving interest in India’s royal culinary traditions.
Anil Kumar, Co-founder of Singh Sahib, believes consumers today are looking beyond individual dishes and embracing heritage-led dining experiences rooted in authenticity.
“The growing popularity of biryani reinforces what we have always believed—that Indian diners are increasingly seeking authentic, heritage-driven culinary experiences rooted in tradition,” he says.
Rather than expanding through multiple biryani variants, Singh Sahib has focused on reviving forgotten recipes from the kitchens of the Maharajas and Nawabs through slow-cooked techniques, curated menus and immersive dining concepts such as Mehr-o-Mah.
According to Kumar, today’s diners value storytelling, craftsmanship and ambience as much as the food itself. While delivery continues to serve convenience-led occasions, destination dining remains central to the brand’s long-term strategy because experiences built around ritual and hospitality cannot be replicated at home.
FMCG Brands Are Betting Big On The Biryani Economy
The biryani boom is not just transforming restaurants—it is also reshaping India’s rice industry.
Ritesh Arora, CEO – India & Far East at LT Foods, says consumers remain at the centre of the company’s strategy because biryani represents much more than food.
“In India, biryani is emotion, memory and celebration layered into a single dish with a regional twist. That’s what makes this category so special,” he says.
To cater to changing consumer preferences, LT Foods continues to invest in aged, extra-long grain basmati rice designed for traditional dum cooking while simultaneously introducing DAAWAT® Biryani Kits featuring regional recipes such as Lucknowi, Hyderabadi and Kolkata biryani for consumers seeking convenience without compromising authenticity.
Arora says the company has consciously built the broader biryani ecosystem over the years, leading to the launch of DAAWAT® World Biryani Day® five years ago, which has since evolved into an intellectual property dedicated to celebrating and growing the category.
One Dish, Multiple Business Opportunities
What unites all these businesses is a common understanding: consumers are no longer buying just a plate of biryani.
They are choosing authenticity over imitation, branded quality over uncertainty, regional identity over standardisation and memorable experiences over simple convenience.
For cloud kitchens, biryani is driving portfolio diversification. For restaurants, it is strengthening premium dining. For heritage brands, it is reviving forgotten culinary traditions. For rice companies, it is creating entirely new product categories.
As India’s most ordered online dish for a decade, biryani has evolved into one of the country’s strongest food businesses. And if the strategies of leading brands are any indication, its next chapter will be defined not by bigger portions, but by deeper regional storytelling, better ingredients and richer consumer experiences.
On this World Biryani Day, one thing is clear: biryani is no longer just India’s favourite dish—it is one of its most dynamic and fastest-evolving food categories.
