Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath recently ignited discussions on changing food consumption habits after sharing insights from his trip to Singapore. Taking to microblogging platform X (formerly Twitter), Kamath observed that home cooking is nearly absent in Singapore, with many residents either not having kitchens or rarely using them. In the post, Kamath speculated that if India were to shift towards a more dining-out culture, the restaurant industry could see unprecedented growth. However, he noted a key challenge—India currently lacks large-scale restaurant brands comparable to those in Southeast Asia.
“I was in Singapore this week; most I met said they never cook at home, and others don’t have a kitchen,” he wrote in the post. “If India were to follow this trend, investing in or opening restaurants would be a massive opportunity, but we don’t have restaurant brands that have close to the scale Southeast Asian chains do,” Kamath remarked.
He also pointed out that India’s food service sector remains underdeveloped, with only 30% of the market being organized, compared to 55% in the United States.
Citing data from Swiggy and Bain & Company, Kamath highlighted India’s significantly lower consumption of non-home-cooked meals in comparison to other nations. According to data from 2023, the average number of such meals per person is 33 in China, 27 in the United States, 19 in Singapore, 14 in South Korea, and just 5 in India.
Nikhil Kamath’s post ignite discussions
Kamath’s post stirred an online debate, with users reacting in various ways. One user commented “Every culture is different. Indians love eating meals cooked by themselves, their mom, spouses etc. Moreover Home cooked food is best food your health and mind. Changing this whole and outsourcing it, will definitely boom two industries at scale – restaurants and hospitals”. Another said “Ghar ka khana (home food) is an integral part of Indian culture, and I don’t think that will change anytime soon.”
While a third user wrote “The convenience of restaurant dining and food delivery will definitely grow, but home-cooked meals will always be a part of Indian life”. “Wouldn’t a lot of it have to do with price sensitivity & ease of access as well? Indians have a higher probability of ordering in through digital platforms (as compared to eating out / takeaway) but if platforms charge higher rates, they’d rather prefer home cooked food,” said a fourth.
