BENGALURU: Swiggy Limited, India’s leading on-demand convenience platform, has announced the launch of Swiggy Dineout’s widely popular Great Indian Restaurant Festival (GIRF) 2026. Launched with Bhuvan Bam as the official ambassador for GIRF 2026, integrating the much-loved universe of BB Ki Vines into India’s biggest dining festival.

Following the phenomenal success of last year’s editions, GIRF 2026 returns bigger, better, and louder with a simple, powerful promise: Bill Half. Party Full. Starting 15 February 2026, diners can enjoy up to 50 percent off at 40,000+ top restaurants in 60+ cities in India. The offers are available across categories, including cafes, pubs, bars, luxury dining, and family restaurants for two full months. Diners can not only unlock up to 50 percent off on their food bill, but also get an additional 10% instant discount across all HDFC Bank cards and avail 10% back as Dinecash on every order when booking via Dineout.

Leading this year’s cultural moment is Bhuvan Bam, who brings the iconic world of BB Ki Vines into the heart of GIRF 2026. The campaign integrates beloved characters, including Babloo, Babli, Sameer, and Bhuvan, each representing relatable diner archetypes India instantly recognises.

In the flagship film, the BB Ki Vines universe takes on a familiar dining anxiety. Babloo worries about discount caps and fine print. Sameer confidently explains the scale of GIRF. The insight is simple but powerful. When the bill is half, hesitation disappears. Celebrations get bigger. Group plans become spontaneous. The vibe changes.

Commenting on the launch, Dhruvish Thakkar, AVP Marketing and Revenue, Swiggy Dineout, said, “GIRF is one of India’s largest dining movements. Our focus every year is to make dining out more rewarding, more accessible, and more frequent for consumers, while unlocking sustained incremental footfalls and revenue growth for our restaurant partners. With Bhuvan and the BB Ki Vines universe, we are tapping into characters that India deeply relates to. Babloo, Babli, and Sameer represent real diner mindsets we see on the platform every day, from the bill-conscious planner to the value maximiser to the spontaneous celebration starter.”

The GIRF 2026 theme, ‘Bill Half. Party Full.’ captures the core emotional insight behind dining out. Dining out is a joy. The Bill is the only brake. Take that away, and the celebration scales. From the established dining capitals of Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Chennai to emerging culinary hotspots like Goa, Jaipur, Indore, Coimbatore, Chandigarh, Lucknow, and Udaipur, GIRF 2026 ensures that every foodie across 60+ cities gets to celebrate their way.

The campaign will roll out across digital, social, and creator ecosystems as well as in-app storytelling formats, with deep integration of BB Ki Vines characters across performance marketing, platform creatives, and cultural moments.

Beyond discounts, GIRF 2026 introduces high-energy activations including limited-time Crazzzy Deals of the Day, complimentary cocktails and mocktails at select partner bars, and extended happy hours across participating venues.

This year’s edition features participation from leading brands such as Cafe Coffee Day, Barista, Good Flippin Burgers, Punjab Grill, YouMee, Krishnapatnam, Biergarten, Ironhill, and several other popular dining destinations.

Link of the film- https://www.instagram.com/p/DU0Nc8ViB1q/

The post Bhuvan Bam Joins Swiggy Dineout as GIRF 2026 Ambassador: Unveiling the Magic of BB Ki Vines with ‘Bill Half. Party Full’ appeared first on NRI News.

PUNE: In 2025, the food choices of Punekars reflected the city’s rich cultural heritage and modern energy, with preferences spanning from comfort-driven meals to indulgent favourites, from relaxed dinners to late-night burger cravings.

Check out the Pune Edition of How India Swiggy’d 2025, a snapshot of the city’s evolving food habits and a flavour-packed recap of the year gone by.

The City’s Favourites

• Chicken Biryani topped the charts with 14.86 lakh orders, followed closely by Chicken Burgers (12.10 lakh) and Chicken Fry (10.5 lakh). Veg Burgers also featured prominently in the city’s top favourites.
• Dessert choices stayed classic, with Chocolate Cake leading the way at 1.48 lakh orders, followed closely by Gulab Jamun (1.44 lakh) and Boondi Ladoo, showing Pune’s continued love for OG sweet treats.
• Breakfast in Pune was light and comfort-led, with Idlis emerging as the most popular choice at 3.8 lakh orders, followed by Veg Dosa (2.4 lakh) and the local favourite Veg Poha (1.79 lakh).
• Evening snack cravings (3 pm and 7 pm) were dominated by Chicken Burgers (2.47 lakh orders) and Veg Burgers (1.86 lakh orders) — easy, filling picks for a mid-evening bite.
• Late-night indulgences (12 am and 2 am) remained strong, Chicken Burgers led the night cravings with over 1 lakh orders, followed by Veg Burgers, while Chicken Biryani and Veg Pizza also featured among favourites.
• Pune’s evolving palate was reflected in its growing interest in regional cuisines, with Gujarati cuisine emerging as the fastest-growing at 27.6% growth, followed by Kerala cuisine at 23% growth.
• Pune featured among the top 10 Indian cities using Incognito and Group Ordering features, pointing to both convenience-led and shared ordering occasions.
• Affordable eating struck a chord with Punekars as well. Veg Burgers (1.28 lakh orders) topped the list on 99 Store, followed by Chicken Burger and Chicken Biryani.
• On DeskEats, McAloo Tikki Burger ruled the charts with 2.54 lakh orders, while Chocolate Lava Cakes and Veg Pizza McPuff ranked 2nd and 3rd. A customer ordered 67 Maharaja Burger combos, 67 Pizza McPuff, and 1 fries, worth Rs. 31,957 on DeskEats. Talk about an office party!
• High Protein was the real MVP. Pune placed 11.69 lakh high-protein orders, featuring among the top 10 cities nationally.

Quick food delivery made possible with Bolt

• On Bolt, Chicken Biryani (1.3 lakh orders) and Chicken Burger (1.26 lakh orders) were the top 2 dishes ordered, followed by Veg Burger, Veg Idli, and Aloo Burger.
• While Choco Lava Cake was the most ordered dessert on Bolt, Jalebi and Rasmalai ranked second and third, respectively.
• Bolt of lightning! Chocoholic Cake and Strawberry Cupcake were delivered to a customer in 3 minutes.
• Pune loves burgers at night. More than 62 Chicken Burgers were ordered every night (12 am-2 am). Veg Burgers and Aloo Burgers were also amongst the top 5.
• Last-minute party requirements? The biggest Bolt order in the city was by a customer who ordered 175 Golden Corn (Pizza)!

Elaborating on the trends, Sidharth Bhakoo, Chief Business Officer, Food Marketplace, Swiggy, said, “In 202,5 food continued to be an important part of our daily life and celebrations as India indulged in its favourite dishes. In the city of Pune, we witnessed a fine balance of the love for classics and the comfort of national favourites. From late-night indulgences to premium dining out, Pune embraced the rich tapestry of culture through food. Food is an emotion, and we remain committed to delivering exceptional food experiences in every corner of the city, one meal, one celebration at a time.”

Dining Out

• Dining out remained an integral part of Pune’s social life in 2025, with diners saving a total of Rs. 64.35 crore through Swiggy Dineout, marking a 10.4% YoY increase.
• Big savings weren’t just spread across the city — one Pune diner alone saved Rs. 93,588 in a single booking, the fifth-highest saving in the country.
• Pune’s nightlife stayed active well past midnight, with the city recording the 4th highest number of dining transactions across India between 12 am and 3 am.
• Large group outings and festive celebrations translated into significant savings during the Great Indian Restaurant Festival (GIRF 2025), when Pune diners saved Rs. 26 crore.
• Premium dining continued to gain strong traction, with over 65,900 premium dining bookings, reflecting a healthy 67% YoY growth.
• Special occasions saw diners splurging in style — Pune recorded the highest single billing in the country on Valentine’s Day at Rs. 1,19,257, while also featuring among the top 5 cities for Valentine’s Day bookings.
• Celebrations continued through the year, with Father’s Day witnessing the second-highest single billing nationally at Rs. 58,764, highlighting Pune’s growing appetite for experience-led dining.

And to add to the fun, here are some of India’s food trends from 2025

• With a decade-long record of being the favourite, Biryani continued to reign supreme! With 93 million biryanis ordered in 2025 (that’s 194 orders per minute or 3.25 biryanis every second), Biryani is the undisputed King, proving that while trends may come and go, India’s deep-rooted love for this aromatic masterpiece remains constant. Chicken Biryani (57.7 million orders) was the most loved in the Biryani universe with the highest number of repeat orders.
• Burgers were the second most loved with 44.2 million orders, followed by Pizzas with 40.1 million orders. Another favourite dish was Veg Dosa with 26.2 million orders, proving that this crispy, golden classic is much loved by foodies.
• Snack time (3- 7 pm) is a mood, and we all live in it. Burgers were the most ordered amongst snacks, with Chicken Burgers leading the pack (6.3 million orders), and Veg Burgers as a close second with 4.2 million orders. Other loved snacks were Chicken Roll (4.1 million orders), Veg Pizza (3.6 million orders), and Chicken Nuggets (2.9 million orders).
• The Chai-Samosa ritual continued with 3.42 million Samosas and 2.9 million Adrak Chai ordered during snack time (3 pm-7 pm) in 2025.
• Dessert delights and indulgence: While White Chocolate Cake topped the charts with 6.9 million orders, 2025 was also the year of love for desi favourites. Chocolate Cake (5.4 million orders) and Gulab Jamun (4.5 million orders) featured in the top 3 desserts ordered. Kaju Barfi (2 million orders) and Besan Ladoo (1.9 million orders) ranked 2nd and 3rd in Indian sweets.
• Chocolate was the flavour of the year in ice creams, with 3.3 million Dark Chocolate ice creams and 2.6 million Chocolate Sundaes ordered.
• Global cuisines entered the carts with Mexican (16 million orders), Tibetan (12 million+ orders), and Korean (4.7 million orders) cuisines becoming consumer favourites. Matcha was the most searched global cuisine in 2025.
• Hyperlocal is the new authentic, with love for local cuisines. Pahari cuisine marked a 9x growth, while orders in Malabari, Rajathani, Malvani, and other regional cuisines also grew almost 2x in the past year.
• Without a doubt, Dinner is the ultimate Bahubali of mealtimes, with dinner orders nearly 32% higher than lunch orders
• Big Heart, Bigger Celebrations: A single consumer in Hyderabad spent Rs 47,106 and ordered 65 boxes of Dry Fruit Cookies Gift Pack in August to kickstart the festive period!
• A foodie in Mumbai redefined “dining all day” and placed 3,196 food orders on Swiggy in 2025. That’s almost 9 food orders/day- this was the highest in the country!
• For those cravings and hunger pangs, quick food delivery with Bolt came to the rescue. The highest number of deliveries was in Bengaluru, followed by Hyderabad and Mumbai. Also, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Vizag, and Kochi were the top emerging markets for Bolt
• Interestingly, a customer in Mumbai ordered a massive feast – 15 units of Dum Chicken Biryani, 10 plates of Chicken Meatball Kebab, 5 plates of Falafel-E-Khaas and Pepper Paneer Biryani, and 100 gulab jamuns on 99Store! Seems like a huge party!
• The true enablers, our delivery partners, ensured your cravings met with a smile and a hot meal! Our delivery partners clocked an epic 1.24 billion kilometers this year – that’s like driving the distance from Kashmir to Kanyakumari 340,000 times and still stopping for chai!
• Mohammad Razique, our Delivery partner from Bengaluru, delivered an incredible 11,718 orders this year, while Poongodi, a partner from Chennai, led the female partners by delivering 8169 orders in 2025!

Here’s to an even more delicious 2026!

Note: All statistics presented here are based on data collected from January 01 to November 30, 2025

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MUMBAI: Swiggy (Swiggy Ltd, NSE: SWIGGY / BSE: 544285), India’s leading convenience platform, today shared that Ganesh Utsav was celebrated with full fervor across the country with the favorite festive delicacy- the modak. During Ganesh Utsav (between August 26 and September 3, 2025), customers across India ordered a staggering 2,28,102 modaks on the Swiggy platform.

A week of celebrations

The appetite for modaks remained strong throughout the festive week. Orders on the Swiggy platform tripled in just a day, increasing from 29,674 orders on August 26 to peaking at 1,02,045 orders on Ganesh Chaturthi, August 27. The platform witnessed over a 35% increase in orders compared to last year’s Ganesh Chaturthi.

Maharashtra tops the Modak Charts as India celebrates

Maharashtra led the Ganesh Utsav celebrations, with Mumbai accounting for 69,240 modak orders and Pune for 30,433. They were followed by Nagpur, Nashik, and Amravati in Maharashtra.

With the festive cheer spreading across the country, while Mumbai and Pune topped the charts through the Ganesh Utsav week nationally, Bengaluru took third place, followed by Delhi and Kolkata. Emerging cities joined in the festivities as well, with Nashik, Vadodara, Surat, Dehradun, and Patna being the top 5.

The evolving Modaks

From classic Ukadiche Modaks in Maharashtra to Kesar and Mawa favorites across India, Swiggy’s data reflects how tradition and convenience played a central role in Ganesh Utsav 2025.

Nationally, Mawa Modak (8742 orders) emerged as the top choice, followed by Kesar Modak, Coconut Modak, Ukadiche Modak, and Kaju Modak.

In Maharashtra, tradition ruled—Ukadiche Modak led with 4,460 orders, followed by Mawa and Malai. Smaller pack sizes were popular too, with Mawa Modak (2 pcs) recording 2,983 orders.

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Zakir Khan is celebrated for his Hindi Shayari and unforgettable jokes through storytelling that captures the hearts of his audience. This collaboration between Mother’s Recipe and Swiggy aims to craft an immersive experience that combines the joy of laughter with the rich taste of Mother’s Recipe, showcasing a shared commitment to delivering memorable experiences to audiences across India.

As part of the fest’s Food & Beverage section, attendees can look forward to enjoying Mother’s Recipe’s complimentary range of Chutneys and Sauces to pair with the diverse food offerings at the event. Attendees can expect to encounter Mother’s Recipe branding prominently displayed at the event venue, creating a visual feast that mirrors the vibrancy of the comedy show and the brand’s diverse range of products.

Sanjana Desai, Executive Director of Mother’s Recipe, expressed her enthusiasm about this collaboration, stating, “We are thrilled to be associated with Swiggy for ‘Zakir Khan – Live A Laughter & Gourmet Fest.’ The distinctive synergy between Zakir Khan’s flavorful comedy and the authentic taste of Mother’s Recipe makes this partnership truly special. As the Official Taste Partner, we look forward to contributing our unique touch to this unforgettable journey of laughter and flavor.”

Swapnil Bajpai, Vice President of Sales at Swiggy, shares, “Excited to onboard Mother’s Recipe as the official sponsor for the Swiggy X Zakir Khan Live Tour. Together, we’re adding more flavor to the fun. This collaboration is all about delivering great entertainment with tasty food and creating unforgettable moments for our users and customers. There’s more joy in every bite and laugh!”

This collaboration exemplifies the fusion of entertainment and food, encapsulating the spirit of ‘Haq Se Taste Partner.’ Mother’s Recipe invites everyone to join the festivities, savor the laughter, and indulge in the authentic flavors that only Mother’s Recipe can provide.

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