When home food is no longer the default

You’ve just returned home from work and are faced with a familiar choice: cook an entire meal or order in? Representational pic/istock

Every morning, 58-year-old media producer Delna Patel takes the window seat at Nandan Coffee in Kala Ghoda and watches the world go by over a cappuccino with hazelnut in almond milk. Some days she reads; others, she has fun chats with total strangers. "It's my two hours, sometimes more, of peace and people-watching. I love the coffee and the baristas here treat me like family. It's my happy place. I know I'll never be disappointed."

Despite owning a Nespresso machine, milk frother, a collection of coffee mugs from around the world and a beautiful home, Patel prefers her coffee at Nandan. And it isn't just about the coffee. "It beats going home and organising your meals for the day when there are so many options outside. No dishes, no cleaning up, and no cooking. With the cost of everything, especially when you're single, it's cheaper, easier and less hassle to eat out, unless you love to cook," says Patel.

Albert Henriques eats out almost daily at lunchtime due to work

Convenience is addictive

For many, restaurant food and delivery have moved beyond the occasional indulgence. The Indian restaurant industry is valued at Rs 5.69 lakh crore and Mumbai has already seen over 100 new restaurants, cafés, bars and food-led openings this year. Interestingly, the National Restaurant Association of India's India Food Services Report 2024 found that Mumbai residents consumed non-home-cooked food 7.92 times a month on average. That's roughly twice a week. About 30 per cent of Mumbaikars said they were dining out more frequently post-pandemic.

Cappuccino with almond milk at Nandan

Delivery has deepened the habit further. Swiggy's 2025 data put Mumbai among its leading cities, while one Mumbaikar placed 3196 food orders between January and November that year, the highest recorded for an individual user in India. It is an extreme outlier, but also a striking illustration of how seamlessly delivery can become part of an urban routine.

For Thane resident Sanjay P, the kitchen is still active. He and his wife both cook, but her office schedule and his work-from-home meetings make cooking every meal difficult. "I get caught up in meetings and often end up ordering rather than cooking. We do meal prep, but with my frequent work travel, it isn't always practical."

Sanjay P's usual order is this Kerala meal from Malabar House

The couple follows a gluten-free diet and has a trusted list of places for clean gluten-free meals, particularly Kerala and Maharashtrian food. He sees the same pattern among friends. "Most newer nuclear, dual-income households I know eat out or order in at least four meals a week. Even the definition of home-cooked food has changed. Half the meal may be homemade, while the rest comes from ready-to-eat or heat-and-eat products like powdered marinades, frozen parathas, and ready-to-eat gravies that need only vegetables or protein. Convenience is increasingly entering the home kitchen alongside traditional staples," he adds.

Sanjay P

At 48, businessman Albert Henriques eats out almost daily at lunchtime, largely because work keeps him moving. "It's about convenience, speed and variety." Dinner depends more on social commitments and his children's moods. For him, ordering can be about cravings, variety, or simply escaping the everyday menu. He prefers Continental food, while his family tends towards Indian staples such as dal and rice, making delivery an easy way to break the monotony. Delivery has expanded the choices, widening Mumbai's food map beyond professional restaurants; his favourites being Banana Leaf, Deepak Pure Veg, and Veronica's. "It has also helped us discover cuisines we might never have tried otherwise," he points out.

Dr Sharat Kolke, Anushka Bhattacharya and Aditi Prabhu

In her 18 months in Mumbai, Chef Anushka Bhattacharya, who trained with Chef Massimo Bottura at Osteria Francescana, has never had a cook. For someone who has spent years in hospitality, long hours make ordering an easy fallback. "Hospitality has very long, gruelling hours. After that, a quick meal from a takeaway container before crashing is all most of us have the energy for, especially when you're living alone, without family waiting with a table laid out for you. Being chefs and home cooks, we're more aware of what's really behind those carefully shot Swiggy pictures and can make slightly better choices. But we have our days, and we often give in too. Everyday home food can feel too boring for all the effort it takes. Home food is still home food, but quick food delivery has certainly crawled into everyone's lives."

She has her regulars: Khao Man Gai in Bandra, Kebab Gunj, Hundo's, Mezcilita and Boujee. Kuai. When she misses home food, there's Oh! Calcutta; and Trishna when she feels like splurging.

Is that alright?

For physician and diabetologist Dr Sharat Kolke, the concern isn't that people order food, but that it has become the default. He sees patients who have a kitchen, and even a cook, at home, yet rely heavily on restaurant and delivery food. "Convenience, time, and variety have made eating out a routine rather than an occasional family affair," he says. The nutritional concern, he says, is that outside food can be calorie-dense and high in oil, salt and refined carbohydrates, while hygiene is another consideration. Awareness, he adds, often comes late, when weight or blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure begin to rise. "We need to move from a symptom-driven approach to prevention." His advice: don't avoid eating out altogether, but choose wisely. Prioritise protein, vegetables and fibre, control portions, and limit fried foods, sugary drinks and refined carbohydrates.

Clinical and sports dietitian-nutritionist Aditi Prabhu sees a similar pattern. "Restaurant meals may also not be nutritionally balanced, as their focus is on pleasing the palate. Besides, what you choose, how much you consume, and how frequently you have it matters." Her advice is simple: understand why you're ordering, check if you're actually hungry, and choose food you genuinely enjoy, rather than something labelled ‘healthy' that leaves you unsatisfied."

For a generation juggling work and social lives, cooking is not the only way to put a meal on the table and coming to terms with that is important, lest the right eating choices are made.

5 expert tips to make ordering in healthier

Here are nutritionist Aditi Prabhu's tips for healthier orders
1 Don't wait until you're ravenous. It makes one prone to overeating.
2 Keep a trusted list of go-to restaurants and dishes for busy days.
3 Build the meal. Start with protein and vegetables, then add rice, roti or millets.
4 Choose lighter cooking. Grilled, steamed or roasted is generally preferable to fried or heavily sauced.
5 Order smaller portions and skip the extras: sugary drinks, smoothies and desserts needn't be part of every order.

7.92
No. of times a month Mumbaikars dine out or order in
'Source: National Restaurant Association of India, 2024

3196
No. of delivery orders placed by a particular Mumbaikar in 2025 - the highest in India
'Source: Swiggy, 2025