How the F&B industry actually
runs, evolves, and grows.
In-depth pieces from our analyst team — the operations, market shifts, technology bets, and people decisions shaping food service.
The Race Between 7 Brew and Dutch Bros is Officially On
There aren’t any visible signs the QSR beverage space is cooling. Rather, it’s become a race to grab sites, adjust menus, and leverage what’s become one of the more-attractive margin and demographic opportunities in recent memory, especially as inflation narrows restaurant usage.
The Science Behind Gratuities
Like many, Wm. Michael Lynn helped pay his way through college by waiting tables and bartending. Little did he know at the time that the experience would lead to his career-long passion for studying the tipping process that’s lasted for more than 40 years.
Sychedelic Bags $3.5 Mn To Build AI-Powered Mental Wellness Headphones
Wearable startup Sychedelic has raised $3.5 Mn (about ₹31.5 Cr) in its seed round from investors like Cultadvisors LLP, TurboStart, Ideabaaz and Praveek Ventures, along with participation from angel investors.
Gong cha Launches Tetris-Inspired Energy Drinks Across U.S. Stores
Gong cha, the world’s leading bubble tea brand with nearly 2,200 locations in 32 international markets, is leveling up in a big way with the launch of its new EnerTeas, a bold line of energy drinks created in collaboration with The Tetris Company.
DevX Swings Back To The Black, Reports ₹8 Cr Profit In Q4
Coworking space provider DevX (Dev Accelerator)’s net profit for the quarter ended March 2025 (Q4 FY26) stood at ₹8 Cr, nearly 4X of ₹2.11 Cr PAT registered in the year-ago period. The company managed to get back into the black after incurring a loss of ₹1 Cr in Q3.
Groww Promoters Sell Stake Worth ₹270 Cr
Stock broking firm Groww’s promoters have offloaded shares worth around ₹270 Cr over the past one week, according to disclosures filed with the exchanges.
The Race to Build the Next Great Asian Fast-Casual Chain
Aks Sethi remembers the moment that changed the trajectory of his business. In 2014, the entrepreneur—then four years into running Thai Chili, a sit-down restaurant in Gilbert, Arizona—walked into a Chipotle and saw the future.
India’s Swiss Watch Challengers
On April 10, the Prime Minister was spotted wearing a wristwatch adorned with a tiger motif that immediately drew the attention of watch enthusiasts in India — not for its price tag or a global luxury label, but for its origin.
The Hidden Cost of the Third-Party Delivery Boom and How to Win
Over the years, the typical QSR customer has changed. One of the biggest changes is that 30–40 percent of dine-in customers have moved toward the drive-thru. This shift originally driven by COVID caused the customers to visit their favorite restaurants a different way.
D2CX Converge Ahmedabad Spotlights Growth Playbooks Of India’s Emerging Consumer Brands
As India’s consumer internet story matures beyond the first wave of ecommerce adoption, the next decade of D2C growth will be shaped by brands that can build strong recall, crack omnichannel distribution, and create products tailored to the country’s evolving consumption habits.
NPCI To Roll Out Unified Soundbox Infrastructure For Merchants: Report
The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) is working on building a common interoperable infrastructure for UPI soundboxes to enable a single device to process UPI payments across different payment apps.
The Mythos Threat, Delhivery’s Q4 Snapshot & More
When AI Learns to Break Things Anthropic’s Mythos — an AI system capable of autonomously finding and exploiting software vulnerabilities — has sent shockwaves through India’s financial establishment.
Shadowfax’s Inflection Point And The Next Frontier
It was FY22 and Shadowfax was still viewed largely as another fast-growing logistics startup battling for ecommerce deliveries in India’s crowded third-party logistics (3PL) market.
New-Age Tech Stocks Slide Amid Q4 Earnings; Pine Labs, Zaggle Lead Losses
New-age tech stocks saw a bearish week as investors turned selective amid the ongoing Q4 earnings session. Forty six out of the 57 new-age tech stocks under Inc42’s coverage fell in a range of 0.2% to over 22% this week.
Indian Listed New-Age Tech Company Tracker: Market Cap, Revenue & More
For years, we at Inc42 have tracked the Indian tech startup ecosystem and seen it grow from a kid to an adult. Among the clearest signs of evolution and maturity of this ecosystem is the growing number of startups eyeing a public listing now.
App-Based Gig Workers’ Union Calls For 5-Hour Nationwide Shutdown
The Gig & Platform Service Workers Union (GIPSWU) has called for a nationwide five-hour shutdown of app-based services, demanding higher kilometre-based payment rates from digital platforms and government intervention following the recent hike in petrol, diesel and LPG prices.
From Rapido To HrdWyr— Indian Startups Raised $303 Mn This Week
Indian startup funding momentum witnessed a sharp uptick this week on the back of Rapido’s mega funding round this week. Fifteen startups managed to raise $303 Mn between May 11 to May 15, marking a 129% increase from $132.2 Mn raised across 18 deals last week.