Brands
District by Zomato brings luxury to Kotak Solitaire
MUMBAI: Fine dining just got finer, and a little more exclusive. District by Zomato has teamed up with Kotak Mahindra Bank to offer Kotak Solitaire Credit Card holders a seat at India’s most coveted culinary tables.
The partnership opens doors to extraordinary experiences curated by some of the world’s top chefs and mixologists. Think Himalayan air meeting Malaysian flair in Naar x Dewakan by chefs Prateek Sadhu and Darren Teoh, or the soulful Bhog Table experience by chef Auroni and Bengaluru Oota Company, each event crafted for those who treat dining as an art form.
For Solitaire cardholders, the flavour of privilege continues long after dessert. They enjoy 20 per cent savings on dining via District (up to Rs 5,000 per bill, twice a month), priority access to India’s most sought-after restaurants, and Zomato Gold membership at just Rs 1.
“At Kotak Solitaire, we believe true luxury lies in experiences that feel personal and effortless,” said Kotak Mahindra Bank executive vice president – head of affluent and salaried propositions Jyoti Samajpati. “For our clients, dining is not just a meal, but a celebration of taste, culture and identity.”
A District by Zomato spokesperson added, “We’re not just creating events like the Naar x Michelin series, we’re building a movement to redefine India’s fine dining culture and make these collaborations more accessible.”
Previously reserved for those with industry access or insider connections, such dining experiences are now discoverable through the District app. For Kotak’s elite, this is more than a card, it’s a golden ticket to a world where banking meets haute cuisine.
Brands
Dunkin’ Donuts to exit India as Jubilant FoodWorks ends 15-year franchise deal
The quick service restaurant giant is ending a 15-year franchise partnership with the American doughnut chain, even as it renews its Domino’s agreement for another 15 years
NOIDA: Dunkin’ is done in India. Jubilant FoodWorks Ltd, the country’s leading quick service restaurant operator, has decided not to renew its franchise agreement with the American coffee and doughnut chain, and will wind down its Indian stores in a phased manner before December 31, 2026, bringing a 15-year partnership to a quiet, loss-laden close.
The decision, approved by JFL’s board on March 30, 2026, ends a relationship that began with a Multiple Unit Development Franchise Agreement signed on February 24, 2011. JFL will now evaluate and undertake what it described in a regulatory filing as the “rationalisation and/or cessation of certain operations and/or sale, transfer or disposal of assets and/or assignment or transfer of franchise rights,” all in consultation with Dunkin’s brand owners and strictly within the terms of the original agreement.
The numbers tell the story bluntly. In the financial year 2024-25, Dunkin’ India posted a revenue of Rs 37 crore against a loss of Rs 19 crore — a haemorrhage that was always going to test the patience of a parent company recording revenues of Rs 6,104 crore and a profit of Rs 194 crore in the same period. Doughnuts, it turns out, were never going to move the needle.
The contrast with JFL’s handling of its other marquee franchise could hardly be sharper. Even as it walks away from Dunkin’, the company has just doubled down on Domino’s, signing a fresh Master Franchise Agreement on March 31, 2026, granting it exclusive rights to develop and operate Domino’s Pizza stores in India for 15 years, with an option to renew for a further 10.
JFL, incorporated in 1995 and promoted by the Bharatia family, operates a network of more than 3,500 stores across six markets — India, Turkey, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Azerbaijan and Georgia. Its portfolio includes Domino’s and Popeyes on the global side, and two home-grown brands: Hong’s Kitchen and COFFY, a café brand in Turkey.
For Dunkin’, India was always a stretch. The brand never quite cracked the cultural code in a market where filter coffee and chai command fierce loyalty and where the doughnut remains, at best, an occasional indulgence rather than a daily habit. Fifteen years, mounting losses and a parent with better things to spend its capital on was always going to be a difficult equation to solve.
The doughnut has had its last day. The pizza, however, is staying.
