“Stop Renting Customers: Build Growth Beyond Discounts & Aggregators” was the title of a training session that the National Restaurant Association of India and Reelo put on in Kolkata. More than 150 industry leaders gathered for the session to talk about how to keep customers, grow sustainably, and make money in the food service industry.

Loyalty programs, customer relationship management system adoption, and personalised engagement tactics were the main points of discussion as ways to strengthen direct customer relationships and decrease reliance on third-party aggregators.

Parin Sanghvi, Founder of Reelo, and Rahul Singh, Founder and CEO of The Beer Cafe, were featured in a fireside chat. In the course of the conversation, Singh made the statement, “aggregators are not the enemy, dependency on aggregators is,” in which he emphasised the value of a personalised customer experience and ongoing engagement above short-term discounts.

To further improve client loyalty and repeat business, the session also discussed the function of consumer data, behavioural insights, and technology.

“There is a significant shift towards sustainable and relationship-driven growth models in the restaurant industry,” said Piyush Kankaria, Chapter Head of NRAI Kolkata, who spoke about the initiative. We hoped that by holding this session, restaurateurs would be able to share real-world experiences and insights while also starting a fruitful conversation about customer ownership, retention, and long-term profitability.

As part of its continuing mission, NRAI is launching this program to encourage restaurant owners and managers in India to share knowledge and work together.