Michelin stars, sold-out dinners: the business of bringing global chefs to India

In August, a dinner by Massimo Bottura, chef-owner of the three-Michelin-starred Osteria Francescana restaurant in Modena, Italy, was priced at ₹75,000 plus taxes per person. Hosted at Le Cirque at The Leela Palace New Delhi, the event sold out within minutes.

Similarly, two dinners by Maido, a Lima-based restaurant named the world's best in 2025, sold out at The St. Regis Mumbai before reservations even opened on the hotel's website. Each dinner drew 55-60 diners, who paid ₹60,000 plus taxes per person.

Luxury hotel groups and restaurants are increasingly flying in chefs from Michelin-starred restaurants, acclaimed international culinary talent and prominent Indian chefs to attract diners willing to pay a premium for exclusive dining experiences. The benefits go beyond revenue from expensive dinners. Hotels are looking to attract new customers, encourage repeat visits, build distinct identities for their restaurants and expose their culinary teams to different cooking techniques.

At The Westin Gurgaon, for instance, an eight-course menu curated by Andy Beynon, chef of Behind, a one-Michelin-starred restaurant in London, also sold out. The two-day pop-up drew 80-85 diners in total, each paying ₹10,000 plus taxes.

The French tyre company Michelin awards one to three stars to restaurants through its dining guide, the Michelin Guide. One star recognises good cooking, two indicate cuisine worth travelling out of your way for, and three signify exceptional food worth making a special trip for.

The strategy is visible across hotel groups in India. The Oberoi Bengaluru and Trident Nariman Point in Mumbai hosted chefs from Thai restaurant Saawaan in February. The LaLiT New Delhi hosted Japanese chef Daisuke Mori for a six-course Euro-Japanese chef’s table last week.

The Leela’s chef pop-ups have grown 6% over the past year, while bar pop-ups have increased 9%, with international bar activations rising 13%. The group has hosted chefs including Bottura, and Indian chef Manish Mehrotra, alongside international restaurant collaborations and bar takeovers. Anupam Dasgupta, senior vice-president, operations (north) at The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts told Mint its average price per cover from these events has grown at a compound annual rate of 7-10%, depending on the market.

The group typically charges diners ₹25,000-40,000 per person for chef collaborations, although some events command significantly higher prices. For instance, Bottura's dinner at Le Cirque at The Leela Palace New Delhi in August was priced at ₹75,000 plus taxes per person. The hotel said prices for its most exclusive chef experiences have reached ₹85,000 per person.

The format helps keep the supply limited. A typical chef residency, Dasgupta said, accommodates around 50 diners per service and lasts two-three days. Adding more sittings is not always possible because menus, ingredients and chefs’ travel schedules are arranged in advance.

“We’ve not lost a single rupee in any of the things that we do,” Dasgupta said, emphasising that the group does not run these events at a loss. The aim is to create distinctive experiences for guests while ensuring the events remain financially responsible.

The costs vary by chef and arrangement. Hotels may cover travel and accommodation, while talent fees depend on the collaboration. Ingredients not readily available in India, particularly some dry groceries, may be brought in from overseas; fresh produce, dairy, meat and seafood are typically sourced locally. Food and beverage marketing companies have also entered the business of bringing chefs and mixologists to India, adding another commercial layer to the market.

For Marriott International, the aim is to give customers a reason to revisit its restaurants and attract diners who might not otherwise consider dining at a hotel. Through its Masters of Marriott Bonvoy programme, the group has brought international culinary names including Heston Blumenthal, Marco Pierre White and Bottura to India. Khushnooma Kapadia, vice-president of marketing for South Asia at the company, said the Maido event at The St. Regis Mumbai attracted both existing customers and people discovering the restaurant for the first time. “We see a mix of people who already know our restaurants and are keen to come back for something different, and guests who are discovering them for the first time,” Kapadia said.

Vishal Sharma, general manager of The LaLiT New Delhi, said that diners increasingly want to know the story and craft behind a meal, rather than simply choosing a restaurant for its cuisine. “Diners have evolved considerably. They want an opportunity to interact with chefs, making such events helpful for celebrations as well as for food enthusiasts and those entertaining for business,” he said.

Restaurants, too

The trend has spread beyond hotels, but opening a permanent restaurant to showcase a chef's cuisine involves a different level of risk than hosting occasional pop-ups. In August, chef Gaggan Anand and restaurateur Zorawar Kalra opened Rāga in New Delhi with collaborator Rydo Anton. The restaurant offers a 22-course tasting menu priced at ₹11,111 plus taxes, with seating for 36 diners.

Kalra said Rāga received more than 5,000 website visits within the first hour of opening reservations, with bookings extending several weeks ahead almost immediately. But he cautioned that the initial response is different from the challenge of sustaining the business over the long term.

“A residency is an event; a permanent restaurant is a commitment,” he told Mint. “It requires investment, infrastructure, talent development and the confidence that the market can sustain such an experience beyond the initial excitement.”

Other restaurant-led collaborations have also picked up in 2026: Mumbai’s Masque Lab hosted Gaggan Anand for a five-night, 20-course residency in May at ₹35,000 per person; Trèsind Mumbai brought in Himanshu Saini, chef of Dubai’s three-Michelin-starred Trèsind Studio, for a two-day collaboration in February; and Mumbai's Mirai is hosting Michelin-starred chef Daisuke Mori for a French-Japanese pop-up on 28-29 October.