Indian consumers are increasingly spending on experiences that go beyond conventional dining, seeking multi-sensory, immersive formats where food, sound, scent, and visual design converge — a shift that is pushing premium brands to rethink how they engage their audiences.

Blenders Pride, the Pernod Ricard India brand, brought its 'Reserved Experiences' platform to Kolkata, curating a multi-sensory dining event at which food, music, aroma, and visual installations were presented as a unified performance. The Kolkata edition followed earlier stops in Chandigarh, Gurgaon, and Jaipur, with over 10 activations planned across key markets.

The platform signals a broader shift in how premium consumer brands are responding to changing spending patterns in India. Debasree Dasgupta, CMO of Pernod Ricard India, said consumers are seeking "...more intentional and elevated experiences, ones that go beyond functional and feel truly distinctive." She described the Reserved Experiences series as "...a cultural platform that responds to this shift, translating the depth and complexity of flavour into immersive, multi-sensory expressions."

In a conversation with businessline, Chef Kunal Kapur pointed to rising consumer specificity as the core driver of demand for such formats. "...there was a time when people said, now they're specific — that restaurant, that food, that cuisine, this experience...the more specific you get about dining or gastronomy, the more interest you have," he said. He attributed this shift partly to Indians travelling more, both domestically and internationally, which raises benchmark expectations. "...when you travel outside the country, you know what are the world's best standards...and all that builds up an expectation in the minds of the consumer."

The series also reflects what brand executives describe as a premiumisation trend playing out across Indian consumer categories. Kapur observed that today's affluent diner is more informed than before — about food trends, service standards, and what a specific establishment is known for — making it both easier and more demanding for operators to meet expectations. "...the customer walking in now is more informed about the trends...on the other side, it becomes a little challenging at times because the customer sometimes is too rigid to shift," he said.

Critically, the demand appears consistent across geographies. Despite regional differences in cuisine and culture, brands running these formats report that the appetite for sensory discovery is not city-specific. "...when it comes to flavours, there is a very clear line...ingredients may change, the techniques may change, but at the end of the day, the flavours that come through are something that appeals to all," Kapur said.

The trend also reflects a growing pride in regional Indian cuisine going mainstream. "...we are people who have over the years graduated and started appreciating our own traditional khaana...and we started celebrating our chefs who are innovating as well," he added.

The experience, curated in partnership with Chef Kunal Kapur, was structured around distinct zones — a 360-degree immersive audio-visual environment, a tactile space for sensory exploration, an aroma zone where scent-filled bubbles were used to distinguish flavours, and a live culinary theatre where food plating and music were performed simultaneously before guests. "...flavour, in its truest form, is layered and evolving...we've interpreted flavour beyond the plate — bringing it to life through different forms, so people can engage with it in a far more immersive and unexpected way," Kapur said.

On localisation, Kapur said the Kolkata edition drew on the city's distinct culinary identity — separate, he noted, from the broader cuisine of West Bengal. "...people of Kolkata, they're very open to trying out new flavours, and they're very accepting — whatever they like becomes theirs," he said, adding that the team made deliberate bold flavour pairings for the market.

Published on June 9, 2026