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Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath shared that during his visit to Singapore, he noticed that many people neither cook at home nor have a kitchen.
Nikhil Kamath shared data showing that eating out is far more common abroad. (Photo Credits: Instagram)
During a trip to Singapore, Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath observed something striking about the country’s food habits: many people don’t cook at home. Some households don’t even have a kitchen and eating out is the norm. This made him reflect on India’s deep-rooted preference for home-cooked meals and whether this trend could shift in the future.
“I was in Singapore this week; most I met said they never cook at home, and others don’t have a kitchen,” Kamath wrote in his post on X (formerly Twitter).
He pointed out that India still lacks large-scale restaurant brands comparable to those in Southeast Asia. He also noted that only 30 per cent of India’s food industry is organised compared to 55 per cent in the US.
“If India were to follow this trend, investing/opening restaurants would be a massive opportunity, but we don’t have restaurant brands that have close to the scale Southeast Asian chains do. What’s different in our consumption behaviour? And will this change say when GDP per capita crosses 5K USD, and labour costs increase?” he wrote.
I was in Singapore this week; most I met said they never cook at home, and others don’t have a kitchen.If India were to follow this trend, investing/opening restaurants would be a massive opportunity, but we don’t have restaurant brands that have close to the scale Southeast… pic.twitter.com/xctpFUyV57– Nikhil Kamath (@yikhilmathcio) February 18, 2025
To support his observations, Kamath shared data showing that eating out is far more common in other countries. In 2023, the average number of meals consumed outside the home was 33 in China, 27 in the US, 19 in Singapore and 14 in South Korea. India stood at just 5 meals per person which showed the country’s reliance on “ghar ka khana.”
Kamath also pointed out that most Indians are not getting enough protein in their diet with over 80 per cent falling short of their daily requirement. However, he noted that eating habits in India are changing. More people are now focusing on healthy eating which he described as a “paradigm shift” in the country’s approach to food and nutrition.
Kamath’s observations sparked a lively debate in the comments section, with many users defending India’s strong home-cooking culture.
One user shared, “Why should we even endeavour to encourage hawker or restaurant-cooked food over home-cooked meals regularly? India has a great “cook at home” culture and I pray that it stays that way.”
Another shared, “Sad take. We need to encourage home-cooked meals in India and look for disruption in this space. Not encourage consumption of unhealthy food.”
“Not a restaurateur, but Indian food in restaurants is not healthy. It has way more oil, it is way more fried, and way more spicy than most home food is. It is impossible to eat Indian food every day, but one could easily eat, say, Vietnamese food out daily,” someone pointed out.
“Yeah, but their menu is great. Clean ingredients with appropriate calorie numbers. You can’t expect even 10 per cent from restaurants here. Even if you do, costs will be high,” said another.
- Location :
Delhi, India, India
