At the launch of ramen restaurant Naru’s limited-edition sneaker collaboration with Comet in late 2025, founder and chef Kavan Kuttappa wasn’t behind the kitchen pass. Instead, he was handing out popcorn flavoured with togarashi butter to people queuing outside the Bengaluru sneaker store for shoes inspired by the city’s popular eight-seater ramen restaurant. The sneakers featured a chopstick detail, a take on the all-black team uniforms.

Restaurant merchandise, from branded mugs and T-shirts to tableware and pantry products, isn’t new. International coffee chain Starbucks, for example, has been popular for its location mug series for decades. Home-grown brand Blue Tokai started selling brewing equipment within a few years of their launch in 2011. The idea was simple: sell something functional that also serves as a souvenir.

For a new generation of independent restaurants, merchandise is something for diners to wear, use and proudly display in their everyday lives. “All the hours spent on design and collaboration were worth it because it became a natural extension of our brand,” says Kuttapa.

Economics rarely drives these collaborations. “We have never looked at merchandise or collaborations as a revenue stream. That’s not the objective,” says Yash Bhanage, co-founder of Mumbai-based Hunger Inc Hospitality. “People increasingly want to take a small piece of the dining experience with them—a keepsake that reminds them of a memorable meal, a favourite restaurant or simply how a place made them feel.”

Long before The Bombay Canteen launched its own merchandise, diners would request to buy the staff T-shirts, especially one featuring the word “Bro” in Hindi. This led to a limited-edition collaboration with Mumbai-based streetwear label Crepdog Crew in 2025. Veronica’s, a popular sandwich shop in Bandra, Mumbai, followed with a ₹6,499 limited-edition sneaker designed with Comet. The collection sold out over its launch weekend.

At Supa San, an izakaya in Mumbai, the staff T-shirts inspired by manga and streetwear culture went on sale after guests repeatedly asked for them. Designed by Zeeshan Ali, founder of Mizuchi Store, the tees are often referred to by food critics as one of the restaurant’s most memorable details.

These collaborations work both ways. “People may be drawn to the design or the limited editions, but it often sparks curiosity about the restaurant itself,” says Bhanage.

SYMBOLS OF TASTE

Equally valuable is the opportunity to introduce two distinct communities to each other. “The best restaurants have become symbols of taste and not just places to eat,” says Comet co-founder Utkarsh Gupta, who says their restaurant collaborations go through the same rigorous design process as any other release. The Veronica’s sneaker featured a cheese-dripping back tab, a take on its signature sandwiches, while Naru incorporated a chopstick and subtle Ajitama and Narutomaki motifs. “Those are the details people who love these brands connect with instantly,” says Gupta.

Bengaluru’s 23rd Street Pizza was among the first to have a dedicated merchandise section from its inception in 2024. “Building merch into our initial interior design plans allowed us to weave that lifestyle identity into our DNA,” shares founder Vijay Shekhar. It plans periodic drops of T-shirts and caps, each limited to 100 pieces.

“With food, we obsess over flavour, texture and storytelling. With products, we think about how something feels in your hand and how it ages with use,” says chef Amninder Sandhu. At her restaurant, Kikli in New Delhi, she celebrates everyday rituals and objects of Punjabi homes that are often overlooked.

“Whether it is the kadewala brass glass your grandmother served lassi in, the roti baskets or the pickle jar that sat on the dining table for years, we realised that these everyday objects held as much emotion as the food itself. Extending Kikli beyond the meal felt like a natural way of allowing those memories and rituals to travel home with our guests,” explains Sandhu.

For Kolkata’s Sienna Cafe, the journey has been different. It began life in 2015 as an art store for the work of artisans from Santiniketan. As the food business grew, retail remained central to the experience. Today, guests can buy the mugs they are served coffee in, or the heirloom chine kamini rice used in the restaurant’s signature golabhaat bowls.

“The overall experience matters, and these little add-ons separate a good time from a great experience. For our guests, it’s nice to be able to pick up the crockery you ate on, or even the rice you really liked,” says co-head chef and partner Avinandan Kundu.

DESIGN FIRST

For design-led brands, the products themselves become another canvas. Over the years, Jaipur-based patisserie Dzurt has created ceramic coffee cups, serving platters and even scented candles inspired by its signature desserts, Mango Dolly and Apple Cinnamon. Its latest tote bag features Dzurt’s familiar green stripes. “We went through several rounds of exploration before arriving at the final design featuring our signature stripes,” says chef-founder Tejasvi Chandela.

At Public:Supply in Delhi’s Hauz Khas, merchandise has been sold since the café opened in June. Mumbai-based design company Homework Studio created graphics inspired by everyday morning rituals—coffee cups, moka pots, forks and stopwatches. Its latest ₹2,800 limited-edition T-shirt features a dove carrying an olive branch against bold colour blocks. “We wanted to create something that’s own-able and distinct. So it was a conscious choice not to use faces, bodies or generic wellness iconography in the artwork,” says founder Aayush Gulati.

As restaurants increasingly become part of our everyday lives, collaborations across food, fashion and design will become more common. But the most successful merchandise is not about the object itself. It is about the memory it carries. As Sandhu puts it, “If a simple glass or basket can bring back even a small piece of that feeling, then we’ve done our job.”

Tanu Ganguly is a Gurugram-based journalist and writes about food, dining and culture.

At the launch of ramen restaurant Naru’s limited-edition sneaker collaboration with Comet in late 2025, founder and chef Kavan Kuttappa wasn’t behind the kitchen pass. Instead, he was handing out popcorn flavoured with togarashi butter to people queuing outside the Bengaluru sneaker store for shoes inspired by the city’s popular eight-seater ramen restaurant. The sneakers featured a chopstick detail, a take on the all-black team uniforms.

Restaurant merchandise, from branded mugs and T-shirts to tableware and pantry products, isn’t new. International coffee chain Starbucks, for example, has been popular for its location mug series for decades. Home-grown brand Blue Tokai started selling brewing equipment within a few years of their launch in 2011. The idea was simple: sell something functional that also serves as a souvenir.

For a new generation of independent restaurants, merchandise is something for diners to wear, use and proudly display in their everyday lives. “All the hours spent on design and collaboration were worth it because it became a natural extension of our brand,” says Kuttapa.

Economics rarely drives these collaborations. “We have never looked at merchandise or collaborations as a revenue stream. That’s not the objective,” says Yash Bhanage, co-founder of Mumbai-based Hunger Inc Hospitality. “People increasingly want to take a small piece of the dining experience with them—a keepsake that reminds them of a memorable meal, a favourite restaurant or simply how a place made them feel.”

Long before The Bombay Canteen launched its own merchandise, diners would request to buy the staff T-shirts, especially one featuring the word “Bro” in Hindi. This led to a limited-edition collaboration with Mumbai-based streetwear label Crepdog Crew in 2025. Veronica’s, a popular sandwich shop in Bandra, Mumbai, followed with a ₹6,499 limited-edition sneaker designed with Comet. The collection sold out over its launch weekend.

At Supa San, an izakaya in Mumbai, the staff T-shirts inspired by manga and streetwear culture went on sale after guests repeatedly asked for them. Designed by Zeeshan Ali, founder of Mizuchi Store, the tees are often referred to by food critics as one of the restaurant’s most memorable details.

These collaborations work both ways. “People may be drawn to the design or the limited editions, but it often sparks curiosity about the restaurant itself,” says Bhanage.

SYMBOLS OF TASTE

Equally valuable is the opportunity to introduce two distinct communities to each other. “The best restaurants have become symbols of taste and not just places to eat,” says Comet co-founder Utkarsh Gupta, who says their restaurant collaborations go through the same rigorous design process as any other release. The Veronica’s sneaker featured a cheese-dripping back tab, a take on its signature sandwiches, while Naru incorporated a chopstick and subtle Ajitama and Narutomaki motifs. “Those are the details people who love these brands connect with instantly,” says Gupta.

Bengaluru’s 23rd Street Pizza was among the first to have a dedicated merchandise section from its inception in 2024. “Building merch into our initial interior design plans allowed us to weave that lifestyle identity into our DNA,” shares founder Vijay Shekhar. It plans periodic drops of T-shirts and caps, each limited to 100 pieces.

“With food, we obsess over flavour, texture and storytelling. With products, we think about how something feels in your hand and how it ages with use,” says chef Amninder Sandhu. At her restaurant, Kikli in New Delhi, she celebrates everyday rituals and objects of Punjabi homes that are often overlooked.

“Whether it is the kadewala brass glass your grandmother served lassi in, the roti baskets or the pickle jar that sat on the dining table for years, we realised that these everyday objects held as much emotion as the food itself. Extending Kikli beyond the meal felt like a natural way of allowing those memories and rituals to travel home with our guests,” explains Sandhu.

For Kolkata’s Sienna Cafe, the journey has been different. It began life in 2015 as an art store for the work of artisans from Santiniketan. As the food business grew, retail remained central to the experience. Today, guests can buy the mugs they are served coffee in, or the heirloom chine kamini rice used in the restaurant’s signature golabhaat bowls.

“The overall experience matters, and these little add-ons separate a good time from a great experience. For our guests, it’s nice to be able to pick up the crockery you ate on, or even the rice you really liked,” says co-head chef and partner Avinandan Kundu.

DESIGN FIRST

For design-led brands, the products themselves become another canvas. Over the years, Jaipur-based patisserie Dzurt has created ceramic coffee cups, serving platters and even scented candles inspired by its signature desserts, Mango Dolly and Apple Cinnamon. Its latest tote bag features Dzurt’s familiar green stripes. “We went through several rounds of exploration before arriving at the final design featuring our signature stripes,” says chef-founder Tejasvi Chandela.

At Public:Supply in Delhi’s Hauz Khas, merchandise has been sold since the café opened in June. Mumbai-based design company Homework Studio created graphics inspired by everyday morning rituals—coffee cups, moka pots, forks and stopwatches. Its latest ₹2,800 limited-edition T-shirt features a dove carrying an olive branch against bold colour blocks. “We wanted to create something that’s own-able and distinct. So it was a conscious choice not to use faces, bodies or generic wellness iconography in the artwork,” says founder Aayush Gulati.

As restaurants increasingly become part of our everyday lives, collaborations across food, fashion and design will become more common. But the most successful merchandise is not about the object itself. It is about the memory it carries. As Sandhu puts it, “If a simple glass or basket can bring back even a small piece of that feeling, then we’ve done our job.”

Tanu Ganguly is a Gurugram-based journalist and writes about food, dining and culture.