GIFT City could add 25–30 restaurant brands over the next 4–5 years: NRAI
Gujarat’s food-service market is drawing national and global interest as GIFT City, tourism destinations and Ahmedabad’s 2030 Commonwealth Games preparations expand demand. NRAI cites changing consumer tastes, vegetarian-led demand and delivery potential as key growth drivers.
What happened
National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) · NRAI expects 25-30 national and international restaurant brands to enter GIFT City within four to five years,
Key facts
- 25-30 national and international restaurant brands expected to open in GIFT City
- 4-5 years expansion timeframe
- 2030 Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad
- Vegetarian food accounts for around 70% of Wow Momo's Ahmedabad sales
- Liquor VAT reduced from 65% to 25%
- More than 1,500 restaurateurs
- More than 5,000 summit attendees expected
- 1,500-plus brands
- Delegates from more than 30 cities
Why this matters
Use GIFT City’s emerging restaurant cluster to pursue local operating partners, franchise rights or strategic alliances before international entrants lock up high-potential formats and locations.
What to watch
- Net office leasing, active workforce and residential handovers in GIFT City
- Announcements of new hotels, convention venues, food courts, retail high streets and entertainment assets
- Confirmed restaurant lease signings and actual opening cadence versus NRAI's 25–30-brand projection
- Average delivery order density, lunch-time demand and corporate catering adoption
- Rent levels, minimum-guarantee terms and vacancy rates for food-service units
- Clarity on alcohol service, operating-hour rules, licensing and delivery access
- Ahmedabad 2030 Commonwealth Games project milestones and associated visitor-infrastructure spending
- Entry of anchor national chains, international brands and premium vegetarian concepts
- Prioritize GIFT City site mapping around office towers, residential clusters, hotels, transit nodes and upcoming mixed-use developments rather than relying on citywide Ahmedabad demand data.
- Enter with scalable formats: express QSR, premium cafe, corporate-lunch, delivery kitchen or food-court units before committing to large destination dining locations.
- Build vegetarian-forward menus while retaining selective global and health-oriented options for expatriate, finance-sector and business-traveller demand.
- Secure delivery partnerships, corporate catering accounts and recurring office-meal programs to stabilize weekday sales and offset weak early-stage weekend traffic.
- Track Commonwealth Games-linked infrastructure and tourism investments for spillover opportunities in Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar and key Gujarat destinations.
- Negotiate leases with phased rent escalations, fit-out support and exit clauses given the multi-year demand-ramp risk.