The 33rd AGM of the NRAI was very well received and was an overwhelming success.

Hosted by incumbent president Riyaaz Amlani at his Anti-Social restaurant in Hauz Khas Village, Delhi, the AGM received an excellent attendance and addressed many essential issues being faced by the restaurant industry.

The star of the show was Kapil Mishra, Delhi’s young tourism minister, who struck a crucial cord with the audience by pledging his & the government’s unflinching support in achieving results. “We want to see this industry progress, its not been easy for you (restaurateurs) with so many licences and rules needlessly created. We’ll bring it down to a minimum. So the NRAI has to do its complete homework, study the current laws and suggest realistic changes. We’ll get it done,” said Mishra, to thunderous applause.

Amlani, on his part, presented a compelling case for rationalising the number of licences while also supporting the industry with special zones and global marketing. “The Indian restaurant industry is bigger than many prominent Indian industries, so we’re working to get our due respect and support. We’re seven times bigger than the hotel sector and 24 times bigger than Bollywood. By 2018, our industry will be worth approximately 400 lakh crore (INR 400,040 crore). Worldwide, countries specifically promote their restaurant industries with tangible profits. We (NRAI) are making good progress and are working ceaselessly to bring such success here too,” he said.

With the association’s financial report in order, the ‘Other topic’ session saw many contentious issues raised, the chief among them being long pending, unresolved issues with PPL/IPRS & Zomato.