Restaurant Week India returns

Restaurant Week India is back in April 2026 after a 10-year gap, which is unusual for a dining event that once ran often enough to call itself a fixture of India’s restaurant scene. This return is tied to Kotak Solitaire, an invitation-only premium banking program whose cardholders get first access to bookings and extra dining perks. (afaqs.com) The original version started in Mumbai from September 6 to September 12, 2010, and the official Restaurant Week India site still describes that launch as being backed by Kotak Mahindra Bank. The same site says the format was simple: limited-time meals at aspirational restaurants for lower, fixed prices. (restaurantweekindia.com) Restaurant Week India’s own “About Us” page says the event was built as a one-week, twice-a-year push for fine dining, not a daily discount app. That matters because the 2026 comeback is being framed less like a coupon sale and more like a curated seasonal event. (restaurantweekindia.com) The bank on the poster is new in one important way. Kotak launched Solitaire in July 2025 as an invite-only affluent banking proposition, aimed at customers with a deeper wealth relationship rather than ordinary mass-market card users. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) So the comeback is not just about reviving an old festival name. It is also a customer-acquisition play where a bank gets a luxury lifestyle hook, and a dining festival gets a ready-made pool of high-spending diners who are likely to book premium tables. (afaqs.com) (kotak.bank.in) That fits how India’s dining market has been moving. Swiggy Dineout said in December 2025 that it had more than 50,000 restaurants live for bookings and bill payments across 50-plus cities, which shows how restaurant discovery and reservation behavior has shifted onto large platforms over the past decade. (business-standard.com) The premium end of that market has also become more crowded. In December 2025, Swiggy Dineout and Diners Club launched a “Gourmet Edit” built around luxury hotels including The Leela, ITC, Hyatt, and Ritz-Carlton, which shows banks and dining platforms are already using exclusive access to chase the same affluent customer. (theweek.in) Restaurant Week India is returning into that exact environment, but with an older brand that already has recognition among urban diners. Hotelier India says the 2026 edition is being “reimagined” for a dining culture that now treats going out as an experience-led purchase, not just a meal. (hotelierindia.com) There is also a practical reason the old format still works. The festival’s own frequently asked questions page shows it was designed around pre-booked set meals with a convenience fee of 50 Indian rupees per person, which makes inventory and pricing easier for restaurants than open-ended discounting. (restaurantweekindia.com) So after 10 silent years, Restaurant Week India is coming back as something narrower and more targeted than before. The 2010 version sold access to fine dining for a broader public; the 2026 version is reopening with a bank partner whose whole pitch is exclusivity. (restaurantweekindia.com) (afaqs.com)