Breakfast boom in restaurants, spending up 56%

NEW DELHI: More Indians are stepping out of their homes to fuel up on the most important meal of the day. Breakfast, a meal traditionally prepared and consumed at home, has emerged as one of the fastest-growing categories in the Indian dining industry, according to a 'Business Insights on Dining Industry' study by American Express.

The proportion of total spending on breakfast rose by 56% in 2016 over 2015. In Bengaluru, millennials bound for work, joggers, gym-goers and youngsters are keeping restaurants busy in the morning. "Imagine a restaurant being full with diners at 9.30am," said Manu Chandra, chef and restaurateur, Toast and Tonic, Monkey Bar (Delhi, Mumbai,Kolkata and Bengaluru).

"Awareness about breakfast as the most important meal of the day has been growing," said Shamsul Wahid, chef of Smokehouse Deli and Social.

What restaurants needed to do to tap this (breakfast-eaters) segment was think beyond omelettes," Wahid said.

Vegetarian options, too, have become more creative. Earlier, idli, dosa and poori would rule breakfast spreads, even at five-star hotels. Now you can gorge on bagels and waffles.

Manu Chandra says the idea was to offer breakfast that people wouldn't usually have at home. "We introduced pandhi curry with kulcha, kebab, paranthas along with pancakes and waffles," he said.

He sees breakfast home-delivery as the next big thing. Geography is also a factor. For instance, the study revealed Bengalureans like junk food. In Bengaluru, growth rate in dining-spending was 67% for quick service restaurants (QSR) and take-aways in 2016 over the previous year, compared with 44% in Delhi-NCR and 63% in Mumbai.

"QSRs and casual-dining segments are growing fast, as eating out has become a matter of convenience," said Manoj Adlakha, CEO at American Express India. "But fine dining will continue to lead the way." Delhi-NCR leads in fine and casual dining. It witnessed maximum growth of 54% in casual dining (cafes, bars and clubs) and 21% in fine dining compared with 17% and 7% in Bengaluru and 13% and 6% in Mumbai, during the period.