Brands
Uber Eats, CCD partner to launch India’s largest virtual restaurant network
MUMBAI: Uber Eats, the world’s largest food delivery network and Café Coffee Day, India’s largest café chain, have announced a partnership to launch the country’s largest network of virtual restaurants, which will soon bring foodies a greater choice of ‘delivery-only’ restaurant brands exclusively on the Uber Eats app.
The first restaurant brand under this partnership is scheduled to launch in November.
This partnership will leverage Café Coffee Day’s robust and innovative F&B expertise, pan India café network with the technology that Uber Eats is renowned for. Uber Eats will help Café Coffee Day with data, analytics and insights to help identify food or cuisines that consumers crave the most. This will enable Café Coffee Day and Uber Eats to launch menu offerings as per evolving consumer trends, for multiple ‘delivery-only’ virtual restaurants.
Uber Technologies vice president Jason Droege says, “Using experience and lessons learnt in the virtual restaurant space from our global operations, we hope to provide our Indian restaurant partners greater growth opportunities. Our customers too will enjoy ordering and eating their favourite everyday meals at the tap of a button.”
Café Coffee Day chief executive officer Venu Madhan adds, “With this association we aim to take the goodwill and trust earned in the F&B space and combine it with new age reality of virtual restaurants to offer everyday meals that can be delivered to nomadic millennials at home or at work in a convenient manner. Uber Eats’s strength and expertise in the business of home delivery will ensure delight to millions of aspiring youngsters who have moved away from their homes with great quality products from Café Coffee Day’s virtual restaurants every day across the country.”
Virtual restaurants are digital-only eateries that allow business owners to explore new culinary options and reach a wider audience by using the space in their existing kitchen. Virtual restaurants allow partners to test new opportunities in today’s dynamic market in a nimble manner.
Uber Eats is currently present in 37 cities in India with a strong presence in tier 2 cities. In the last 3 months, the number of orders on the app has grown 6 times and Uber Eats is adding 100 new restaurants to its platform everyday. Café Coffee Day currently has a network of 1742 cafes across 246 cities in India.
Uber Eats started in 2014 as a small delivery pilot in Los Angeles and launched as a separate application in Toronto in December 2015. Since then, it has grown incredibly fast, and is now a stand-alone app available in 350+ cities around the globe. In India, Uber Eats was first launched in Mumbai in May 2017.
Brands
IndiGo names William Walsh CEO
Former IATA chief to take charge in August after Elbers exit, Bhatia steers interim
India’s biggest airline has moved fast and gone global. InterGlobe Aviation, which operates IndiGo, has tapped aviation heavyweight William Walsh as chief executive officer, subject to regulatory approvals, marking a sharp pivot as the carrier eyes its next burst of expansion.
Walsh, currently director general at the International Air Transport Association, will step down on July 31, 2026, and is expected to take charge by August 3. The appointment comes barely three weeks after Pieter Elbers exited the corner office, with Rahul Bhatia holding the fort in the interim.
The choice signals intent. Walsh brings decades of cockpit-to-boardroom experience, having led British Airways and later International Airlines Group, the parent of Aer Lingus, Iberia and Vueling. His tenure across carriers has been defined by hard resets, restructurings and cross-border consolidation—skills IndiGo may need as competition intensifies and scale becomes decisive.
Vikram Singh Mehta, chairman and non-executive independent director of IndiGo, said Walsh’s experience in managing large-scale airline operations and navigating complex market dynamics makes him well-suited to lead IndiGo in an increasingly competitive global aviation environment, adding that the appointment marks a new chapter as the airline scales in one of the world’s fastest-growing markets.
Rahul Bhatia said Walsh’s global perspective, operational expertise and customer-focused approach would be critical as IndiGo enters its next phase of expansion.
Walsh, widely regarded as one of the industry’s most influential figures, will oversee overall management and strategic direction, with a mandate spanning operational performance, network expansion, commercial strategy and customer experience. He is expected to work closely with the board and leadership team to sharpen IndiGo’s growth trajectory.
Walsh said IndiGo has a strong foundation and is well-positioned to capitalise on the evolving aviation landscape, adding that he looks forward to fostering a culture of excellence, innovation and sustainable value creation across the organisation.
A new captain, a bigger runway—and a market that rewards scale. IndiGo is lining up for its next take-off.
