Restaurants and quick-service restaurant (QSR) chains across India are navigating a rare double-edged scenario this season- an IPL-driven spike in demand colliding with supply-side stress due to cooking gas shortages.
Food outlets are adapting in real time. Many have trimmed menus, cut operating hours, explored alternative cooking methods, and even dropped gas-intensive dishes such as mutton recipes. Others have begun to expand vendor networks for LPG cylinders to ensure continuity.
"Indian Premiere League has evolved into one of the most powerful consumption engines for India's QSR industry," said Sagar Daryani, president of the National Restaurant Association of India, and co-founder of WOW! Momo. What it creates, he said, is "a compressed festive-like demand cycle". In practical terms, that means a second dinner. At his outlets, order volumes on match days have risen between 22-28% during the ongoing 19th edition of the league. Daryani added, "Late-night orders have witnessed a 22–28% surge in order volumes on match days, with late-night orders growing by 35-40% and average order values up 12–15%, driven by group ordering and sharable formats."
The same pattern is visible at other QSRs and restaurants. At pizza chain Papa John's, which entered India only a few months ago, IPL brings a surge of 25-40% in orders, according to Tapan Vaidya, Group CEO of PJP Investments Group. In Bengaluru, when the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) take the field, the spike is sharper still. What is being ordered also tells the story: large pizzas, chicken wings, and rolls that can sit at the centre of the table, passed around between overs. "Pizza is really being positioned as the centerpiece of such viewing experiences," Vaidya said.
For Abhik Mitra, MD and CEO of Paradise Food Court Private Limited, the sales are largely driven through delivery channels, instead of dine-in amid the glitzy cricket tournament.
However, this demand surge comes at a challenging time, as LPG supply disruptions are straining operations.
India depends on imports for a significant share of its liquified petroleum gas, much of it historically routed through the Strait of Hormuz. Disruptions tied to geopolitical tensions in West Asia have constricted flows, forcing both diversification and rationing. Government allocations of commercial LPG have recovered only partially, to about 70% of pre-crisis levels.
For a sector as fuel-dependent as the food service industry, the implications are immediate. Industry estimates from Elara Capital suggest that roughly 80% of India's 4 million food outlets rely on LPG as their primary cooking fuel. Together, they consume millions of cylinders each month.
Therefore, operators are adjusting in ways both visible and subtle. "We have shifted opening hours from 11 am to noon to better manage LPG usage and extend operations," said Vaidya, adding that companies are absorbing higher costs without passing them on to consumers.
Others, like Paradise Food Court, are investing in alternative cooking solutions. Mitra said the company has implemented contingency measures without compromising product quality. However, some operational challenges extend beyond fuel. He added that pressure on the delivery ecosystem, with rising temperatures and rider shortages, partly due to the election atmosphere, is affecting last-mile logistics.
Notably, since mid-March, prices of domestic LPG cylinders have risen by Rs 60, while commercial cylinder rates have increased by Rs 115. The government has increased commercial LPG allocation to about 70% of pre-crisis levels, offering partial relief.
Despite strong demand, the supply constraints are expected to weigh on the fourth-quarter financial performance of the QSR chains. Industry experts suggest that the listed burger-to-pizza restaurants could experience a quarterly sales increase of 18-20%, translating into a 5-6% impact for the full quarter.
For now, survival hinges on balancing booming demand with constrained fuel supplies in one of the world’s most dynamic dining markets.