India, Dec. 30 -- Rebel Foods found itself in strange territory this year - having to play catch-up. It was catching up with quick delivery, and its chief rivals Curefoods and Wow! Momo accelerated with expansion and plans for various milestones, including an IPO for Curefoods.

Rebel Foods, pretty much the biggest name for cloud kitchens in India and creator of some of the most notable QSR brands, was on the backfoot for most of the year. But that doesn't mean it was an uneventful year for the Temasek-backed unicorn; one could even say it was a year of recalibration and rethinking set ideas.

The biggest changes came at the leadership level. Cofounder and India CEO Ankush Grover was elevated to global CEO, with Jaydeep Barman transitioni...