200 biryanis a minute, ₹1.18 lakh dineout bill: how India ate in March
The trends show steady growth during Navratri, a surge in demand on Eid, and a jump in dining out as the IPL began, with ordering patterns shifting across cities and occasions through the month.
- Apr 1, 2026,
- Updated Apr 1, 2026 6:25 PM IST
From big-ticket individual orders to sharp spikes during peak festival hours, March offered a clear snapshot of how India ate, according to data from Swiggy.
The trends show steady growth during Navratri, a surge in demand on Eid, and a jump in dining out as the IPL began, with ordering patterns shifting across cities and occasions through the month.
Navratri sees a steady jump in orders
During Navratri (March 19–27, 2026), orders on Swiggy grew 25% compared to Navratri in April 2025. The highest activity was on March 22, when 4,800 orders were placed at 8:06 pm, according to the company's release.
Simple fasting meals remained the top choice. Sabudana Khichdi was the most ordered dish, with around 222 orders every hour. It was followed by Sabudana Vada at 156 orders per hour and Vrat Thali at nearly 120 orders per hour.
Among cities, Bengaluru, Delhi and Gurgaon led demand, while places like Bareilly, Bhopal and Dehradun also saw strong participation.
The company also pointed to large festive orders. In one case, a customer in Delhi spent ₹11,980 on 10 Navratri Special Vrat Thalis, 10 Special Veg Thalis and 20 glasses of Masala Chaas.
Eid demand led by biryani
On Eid al-Fitr (March 21, 2026), biryani dominated orders across the country. An average of over 200 biryani orders were placed every minute.
Desserts were also popular, with Gulab Jamun seeing around 11 orders per minute.
The biggest order came from Noida, where a customer spent ₹38,165. In Mumbai, another customer ordered three large packs of Mutton Biryani worth ₹15,866, enough to serve about 15 people.
Large cities such as Bengaluru, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai and Delhi saw high volumes. Cities like Thiruvananthapuram, Surat and Mangaluru also recorded strong demand, while Shillong, Agartala and Dibrugarh led among smaller markets.
IPL opening weekend boosts dining out
Dining-out activity saw a sharp jump during the IPL 2026 opening weekend, with Swiggy Dineout bookings rising 31% compared to the first day of the previous season (March 22, 2025).
On March 28, bookings rose by over 30% compared to the previous Saturday (March 21), especially at venues offering live screenings. Bookings for the 7 pm slot increased 22.4% as fans stepped out to watch matches.
Bengaluru, which hosted the opening match, recorded a more than 21% increase in bookings compared to the previous Saturday, with diners collectively saving over ₹96 lakh through Swiggy Dineout. Mumbai followed with savings of over ₹63 lakh the next day.
A single customer in Bengaluru spent ₹1,18,973 on opening night, the highest recorded bill, while group bookings of five or more rose 24.8%. The largest group booking was for 30 people.
Casual dining saw the highest number of bookings, while pubs, bars and lounges recorded the fastest growth over the weekend.
Holi orders travel on trains
Swiggy also saw growing use of its Food on Train service during Holi. Between February 28 and March 8, 2026, it delivered over 5,764 Holi-special orders across 1,381 long-distance trains.
Popular items included samosa, lassi and pyaaz kachori, showing that people preferred familiar festive food while travelling.
Jaipur was the top station, with every eighth order being a Holi special. The Kerala Express alone saw 780 orders.
In one case, a passenger on the Indore–Amritsar Express ordered 122 items in a single order, showing a rise in group orders during travel.
From big-ticket individual orders to sharp spikes during peak festival hours, March offered a clear snapshot of how India ate, according to data from Swiggy.
The trends show steady growth during Navratri, a surge in demand on Eid, and a jump in dining out as the IPL began, with ordering patterns shifting across cities and occasions through the month.
Navratri sees a steady jump in orders
During Navratri (March 19–27, 2026), orders on Swiggy grew 25% compared to Navratri in April 2025. The highest activity was on March 22, when 4,800 orders were placed at 8:06 pm, according to the company's release.
Simple fasting meals remained the top choice. Sabudana Khichdi was the most ordered dish, with around 222 orders every hour. It was followed by Sabudana Vada at 156 orders per hour and Vrat Thali at nearly 120 orders per hour.
Among cities, Bengaluru, Delhi and Gurgaon led demand, while places like Bareilly, Bhopal and Dehradun also saw strong participation.
The company also pointed to large festive orders. In one case, a customer in Delhi spent ₹11,980 on 10 Navratri Special Vrat Thalis, 10 Special Veg Thalis and 20 glasses of Masala Chaas.
Eid demand led by biryani
On Eid al-Fitr (March 21, 2026), biryani dominated orders across the country. An average of over 200 biryani orders were placed every minute.
Desserts were also popular, with Gulab Jamun seeing around 11 orders per minute.
The biggest order came from Noida, where a customer spent ₹38,165. In Mumbai, another customer ordered three large packs of Mutton Biryani worth ₹15,866, enough to serve about 15 people.
Large cities such as Bengaluru, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai and Delhi saw high volumes. Cities like Thiruvananthapuram, Surat and Mangaluru also recorded strong demand, while Shillong, Agartala and Dibrugarh led among smaller markets.
IPL opening weekend boosts dining out
Dining-out activity saw a sharp jump during the IPL 2026 opening weekend, with Swiggy Dineout bookings rising 31% compared to the first day of the previous season (March 22, 2025).
On March 28, bookings rose by over 30% compared to the previous Saturday (March 21), especially at venues offering live screenings. Bookings for the 7 pm slot increased 22.4% as fans stepped out to watch matches.
Bengaluru, which hosted the opening match, recorded a more than 21% increase in bookings compared to the previous Saturday, with diners collectively saving over ₹96 lakh through Swiggy Dineout. Mumbai followed with savings of over ₹63 lakh the next day.
A single customer in Bengaluru spent ₹1,18,973 on opening night, the highest recorded bill, while group bookings of five or more rose 24.8%. The largest group booking was for 30 people.
Casual dining saw the highest number of bookings, while pubs, bars and lounges recorded the fastest growth over the weekend.
Holi orders travel on trains
Swiggy also saw growing use of its Food on Train service during Holi. Between February 28 and March 8, 2026, it delivered over 5,764 Holi-special orders across 1,381 long-distance trains.
Popular items included samosa, lassi and pyaaz kachori, showing that people preferred familiar festive food while travelling.
Jaipur was the top station, with every eighth order being a Holi special. The Kerala Express alone saw 780 orders.
In one case, a passenger on the Indore–Amritsar Express ordered 122 items in a single order, showing a rise in group orders during travel.