< Previouswww.caterermiddleeast.com 08/ News February 2019 Caterer Middle East | February 2019 Almost 11,000 restaurants and cafes now operating in Dubai Stats released by Dubai Department of Economic Development Figures released by the Dubai Department of Eco- nomic Development show that there are 10,914 restau- rants and coffee shops in Dubai as of the end of No- vember 2018. That’s an increase of al- most 100 over the same point in 2017, with 596 restaurants and 427 cafes opening in the period be- tween January and Novem- ber 2018. The statistics also show that there are now 183,579 workers in restaurants and cafes in Dubai, an average of 17 per outlet. Location wise, Bur Dubai has the largest number of restaurants with 5,774, while Deira has 5,097, and Hatta has 43. Joey Ghazal reveals new Maine concept set to open in Dubai, hints at a third coming soon to the Downtown area Maine Street Eatery will open in Studio City next month, Downtown to follow Three years after the opening of the ever-popular The Maine Oyster Bar and Grill in JBR, a second branch is set to open up in Dubai. Maine Street Eatery will open in Studio City next month, with Maine founder Joey Ghazal calling the new branch “more of a cousin than an exact twin” in an announce- ment video on Instagram. He said: “I’ve always had a grander vision for Maine. It’s always been more of a life- style to me than a restaurant. The Maine in Studio City is an opportunity to give the resi- dents of that area more of a casual eatery.” Joey Ghazal looks set to follow up Maine Street Eatery with a third concept soon Dubai has more operating restaurants and cafes than ever While it won’t be a carbon copy of the original concept, Ghazal said that when you walk into the new Maine Street Eatery “you’ll know it’s part of the same family but there will be a lot of new things unique to that space”. The Maine Oyster Bar and Grill has won multiple awards in its three years in Dubai so expectations will be high that the new concept can live up to its predecessor. In a comment under the an- nouncement video, Ghazal also hinted that a Downtown outlet would be next in line “soon” but no further details have been released. The top ten nationali- ties to secure new licenses were: Indian, Pakistani, Egyptian, British, Kuwaiti, Lebanese, Jordanian, Saudi Arabian, Ethiopian, and America, so expect to see more restaurants serving these cuisines appearing in the near future. While a number of clo- sures in recent months had hinted at problems in the Dubai F&B scene, these figures suggest the general health of the industry ap- pears to be positive and plenty of restaurateurs still have faith in opening up new concepts and outlets in the emirate.Levantine restaurant Zefki to open in Dubai on Sheikh Zayed Road Restaurant and bar to open in new Dubai entertainment concept The 60-seater venue is located at Number One Tower Suites Wavehouse combines dining, entertainment, and nightlife at Atlantis, The Palm A new Levantine restaurant is set to open in Dubai’s Number One Tower Suites on Sheikh Zayed Road. Zefki will offer homely dishes from countries including Turkey, Syria, Leba- non, and the UAE in an environment in- spired by Eastern Mediterranean décor and tableware. Traditional food with a modern flair is the mainstay of Zefki’s menu with kabsa, Turkish pides, and even a 1-metre kebab on the menu. Head chef Mohamad Tayeb Derbas brings 16-years of experience working A brand new family-friendly entertain- ment complex is set to open in Atlantis, The Palm on February 1. Wavehouse will combine dining, enter- tainment, and nightlife in a large venue overlooking Aquaventure Waterpark in The Avenues. Amid the bowling and wave riding will be an adults-only bar and family terrace called Wavehouse Bar which will host live bands and DJs playing three times a week. There will also be a Tuesday ladies night and a daily happy hour, all while showing live sport. Wavehouse Restaurant will serve up ev- erything from gourmet burgers and large milkshakes to fresh salads and light bites. Some of its signature dishes will be deep fried Babybel and fi sh fi nger sandwiches, while there will be a wood-fi red oven for fresh pizzas. Wavehouse is the latest venture in F&B concepts in Dubai and he will be mainly working with Mediterranean and Levantine fresh herbs such as zaatar and thyme, along with freshly ground spices like sumac, saffron, and cumin. Derbas said: “Food is considered one of the greatest pleasures in life. It is a significant element in every culture that carries deep traditions and brings peo- ple together. Our goal at Zefki is to bring joy to every single guest dining with us through our food, hospitality, and over- all ambience.” Zefki will open on February 6, 2019. For daily breaking news of the F&B and hospitality industry, visit CatererMiddleEast.com number one in the Caterer Middle East Power List for independents. from Solutions Leisure whose found- ers Paul Evans and Freek Teusink placed News New Openings Caterer Middle East | February 2019 www.caterermiddleeast.com 10/ - China 2700 Richards Road Bellevue, WA 98005 U.S.A. PH: +1(425) 643-1805 FAX: +1(425) 747-4221 - Japan According to the old adage (and my favourite Joni Mitchell song), you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone. Though she may not have been refer- ring to Dubai’s F&B scene, diners in the emirate are known for being freakishly fi ckle. They like going to restaurants when they’re new before dumping them like a bad habit and moving onto the latest fl a- vour of the month. Recently however, concepts have start- ed springing up that use the city’s com- mitment phobic dining culture to their ad- vantage. Enter Inked, a gargantuan blank canvas of a space that can be completely transformed with every activation. The brainchild of Kenza and Patrick Jarjour, the Al Serkal-based venue hosts private events, supper clubs, themed dinners, and has even been made to look like a speciali- ty supermarket. Looking at the movement from a consumer’s point of view, Kenza explained: “There is something undeniably attractive about being part of an ephemeral experience. The fear of missing out that our society is going through is playing to our favour here, as the moment an event is out and shared on social media, there is an increased number of people wanting to join. It might be more attractive in Dubai only because social media is very powerful here but in the rest of the world, everyone shares the same desire to be part of a unique experience that won’t be repeated." As creators, Kenza and Patrick also fi nd ARE SHORT-LIVED EXPERIENCES KEY TO LONG-TERM SUCCESS? the events rewarding. She added: “From our end, it is creatively a lot more inter- esting to work on temporary concepts as it gives us the opportunity to work on diff erent projects throughout the year, to collaborate with diff erent people and con- tinuously challenge ourselves.” Singaporean chef Reif Othman is also a fan of a temporary dining concepts. He helmed The Experience, a 12-seater be- spoke dining space at the H Hotel for two years before leaving last year. Currently a free agent, Othman is hosting a series of pop-up events at homegrown Dubai res- taurants. Explaining his decision he said: “Everybody has started doing chef’s tables and supper clubs. Unfortunately, a lot of people who dine in those places tell me ‘it doesn’t compare to yours Reif’. I have a lot of followers who want to taste my food again. We’re doing it to do want I love to do which is cook. So I think it’ll be nice.” THERE IS SOMETHING UNDENIABLY ATTRACTIVE ABOUT BEING PART OF AN EPHEMERAL EXPERIENCE." The Rise Of Pop-Up Culture in the UAE So far, Othman’s ‘followers’ have en- sured that all of his events have sold out within hours of him posting about them on social media. Yes, consistency is important and peo- ple want to know what to expect when they go to your restaurant but you’ve got to keep it fresh in the kitchen to keep them coming back. If customers stop coming through the door because they think you’ll be around forever, you probably won’t be. Currently the editor of Middle East Beauty, Claudia is the former editor of Caterer Mid- dle East and has written about food, travel and culture for publications such as Etihad Infl ight and Hello! Middle East. Contact her at claudia.debrito@itp.com or follow her on Instagram @claudebrito. Kenza and Patrick Jarjour at inked www.caterermiddleeast.com 12 / Claudia de Brito February 2019 Caterer Middle East | February 2019@BF_MiddleEast French Pavilions GULFOOD 17-21 february 2019 - Dubai World Trade Centre French Culinary Innovations take center stage once again at Gulfood 2019 World Food: Hall Sheikh Saeed Dairy: Hall 1 Meat & Poultry: Hall 3 Beverages: Hall New Za’abeel 6 Business France booth: S1-M27 Miryem OUKAS MESSIDI Head of Communications miryem.oukasmessidi@businessfrance.fr Clémence GORUPPI BEAUJARD French Pavilions Manager clemence.goruppi-beaujard@businessfrance.fr Sophia SALMI Regional Head of AgriFood sophia.salmi@businessfrance.fr WWW.BUSINESSFRANCE.FR Come to taste French flavours during all the show! IN PARTNERSHIP WITH:WATCH THE VIDEO HERE: https://youtu.be/12FdUP4N8oI WATCH THE VIDEO HERE: https://youtu.be/tvo2R0NB6HM Check out Caterer Middle East’s new weekly news series The Dish, where we serve you the main stories of the week gone by. The Caterer Middle East Awards 2019 are coming soon. Relive the magic of last year with the offi cial video of the event. Laduree global president David Holder fl ew into Dubai to unveil a new look for the original Dubai Mall outlet which opened nine years ago. READ IT NOW: www.caterermiddleeast.com/outlets/cafes/79083- laduree-at-dubai-mall-shows-off-new-look Dubai-based restaurant Vietnamese Food- ies has promised to give a full day’s worth of profi ts to its staff to celebrate Lunar New Year. READ IT NOW: www.caterermiddleeast.com/outlets/ restaurants/79106-dubai-restaurant-vietnamese- foodies-to-give-full-days-profi ts-to-staff LADUREE GETS NEW LOOK The French tearoom at Dubai Mall has been updated RESTAURANT STAFF GET PROFITS Vietnamese Foodies employees in the money CATERER ON THE GO! ONLINE ON OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL: TOTAL VIEWS (MINS): 156,733 • ENGAGEMENT: 97LIKES/134 SHARES • NEW SUBSCRIBERS: 56 • AVERAGE VIEW DURATION (MINS): 01:55 (Data: JAN 1, 2019 – JAN 29, 2019) News Social Media Caterer Middle East | February 2019 14/ www.caterermiddleeast.comPublished by and © 2019 ITP MEDIA GROUP FZ-LLC PO Box 500024, Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 (0)4 444 3000 Web: www.itp.com Offi ces in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, London & Mumbai ITP Media Group CEO Ali Akawi Managing Director Alex Reeve Group Editorial Director Greg Wilson Editorial Editor Simon Ritchie Tel: +971 4 444 3550 email: simon.ritchie@itp.com Advertising Sales Manager Nick Clowes Tel: +971 4 444 3115 email: nick.clowes@itp.com International Sales Manager Amanda Stewart GSM: +44 7908 117 333 email: amanda.stewart@itp.com ITP Live General Manager Ahmad Bashour Tel: +971 4 444 3549, email: ahmad.bashour@itp.com Studio Assistant Designer Finny Einstein Photography Senior Photographers Rajesh Raghav, Efraim Evidor, Richard Hall Staff Photographers Lester Apuntar, Aasiya Jagadeesh, Grace Guino, Fritz Asuro, Ajith Narendra Production & Distribution Group Production & Distribution Director Kyle Smith Production Manager Basel Al Kassem Outsource Manager Aamar Shawwa Production Coordinator Mahendra Pawar Senior Image Editor Emmalyn Robles Circulation Head of Circulation Vanessa D'Souza Circulation Executive Loreta Regencia Marketing Director of Awards and Marketing Daniel Fewtrell Events Manager, Business Events Teri Dunstan ITP Group CEO Ali Akawi CFO Toby Jay Spencer-Davies The publishers regret that they cannot accept liability for error or omissions contained in this publication, however caused. The opinions and views contained in this publication are not necessarily those of the publishers. Readers are advised to seek specialist advice before acting on information contained in this publication, which is provided for general use and may not be appropriate for the readers’ particular circumstances. The ownership of trademarks is acknowledged. No part of this publication or any part of the contents thereof may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form without the permission of the publishers in writing. An exemption is hereby granted for extracts used for the purpose of fair review. MEDIA THE BIG EVENT EDITOR’S LETTER Simon Ritchie DATES FOR THE DIARY... As a relative newcomer to the Middle East (apart from a short stint living in Cairo as a child), this is my fi rst experi- ence of Gulfood. While I’ve been part of large exhibitions in the UK at London’s Excel, Birmingham’s NEC, and Glasgow’s SECC, I don’t believe I will have witnessed anything quite on the scale of this. To have so many of the industry’s big players in one place is fantastic for all involved. From a selfi sh point of view I’m delighted to get the chance to reach out to many more of you over the course of the show, so please drop me an email with your stand number and I’ll make sure to pop by. For the industry itself, the fact that Gulfood doesn’t seem to be slowing in growth is a great sign for the region. While there’s a tendency to focus on Dubai, we can’t ignore countries like Saudi Arabia which has amazing potential for the coming years when it comes to F&B, with governmental support improving by the day and a large audience that is more receptive to new ideas than ever. Hopefully more and more companies from KSA can make their mark across the Middle East as a whole, and we can see more concepts from the likes of UAE and Kuwait moving in. The countdown to both the Caterer Middle East Food & Business Conference and also our annual awards is well underway. It was great to sit down with a number of res- taurateurs in the past month and discuss what matters to them and what they feel has to be brought to the attention of a wider audience. There were many interesting points raised at our conference advisory panel which you can read about on page 50 in preparation for the event itself on March 5. And nominations are now open for the Ca- terer Middle East Awards 2019. 16 categories, all of which receive dozens of nominations each year, are awaiting that one special entry from you that will wow us. Whether it’s for yourself, a teammate, or someone you know, if there’s someone out there who deserves recognition for their actions, this is the time to give them it. Highlighting fantastic achievements is the most rewarding part of this job and we abso- lutely love to do it. Not only does it make for an incredible evening with some breath-taking stories of dedication and innovation being told, but it alerts us to the untold stories that make the industry great — and gives us further scope to tell these stories in the future. So please, nominate! Check out page 46 for all the details on how to do so and some tips on ensuring your nominations catch the eye of our expert judging panel. Simon Ritchie, Editor Email: simon.ritchie@itp.com Tel: +971 4 444 3550 Twitter/Instagram: CatererME Facebook: CatererMiddleEast FEBRUARY 17 - FEBRUARY 21 Gulfood Dubai World Trade Centre www.gulfood.com MARCH 5 Caterer Food & Business Conference Grosvenor House Dubai www.caterermiddleeast.com MARCH 26 - MARCH 29 Saudi Food, Hotel & Hospitality Jeddah www.sfhh-arabia.com APRIL 17 Executive Housekeepers Forum Grosvenor House Dubai www.hoteliermiddleeast.com Volume 15 Issue 02 www.caterermiddleeast.com Editor’s Comment /15 February 2019 | Caterer Middle East The location makes The Duck Hook especially stand out in the market. The surrounding green spaces really do make you feel you are in the English countryside matched with an extensive menu that serves great British homemade food, matched with the best craft drink. Team work really does make the dream work. It is all about open communication. My team in operations and Tony’s kitchen team talk to each other throughout service, as well as having daily meetings to discuss all aspects of operations and business. Before we opened we visited a number of restaurants and similar venues at golf club houses for competitive research. This, together with working with our suppliers has allowed us to provide value. What is unique about The Duck Hook and how does it compare to its competitors in the market? How do the front-of-house and back-of-house support each other? How is the pricing strategy justified? It is very family-friendly and casual, but at the same time we have very high standards and we have been very particular with what we have put on the menu. Everything is made in house. The char- acterful country pub tone is evident even down to the menus. It is a very open communication. My team works very closely with David’s team. When we are busy, we let them know as soon as we can so they can manage guests' expectations in terms of waiting times for dishes from the kitchen. We have worked very closely with our budgets and we try to keep our prices as low as possible. It is a competitive market and we are a new restaurant, so we are focused on winning guests, not profi t. OFF THE HOOK HEAD TO HEAD David Meikle, restaurant manager Tony Jardella , executive chef The Duck Hook, the recently opened English-style gastropub at Dubai Hills Golf Club, offers traditional British food. The restaurant manager and head chef tell us how they make it special As a recently opened restaurant it is hard to assess profi tability, but as a team we have built in to our pricing a healthy profi t margin for the business, while ensuring that we remain aff ordable to guests. How will you ensure the outlet is profitable? We are offering discount for golf club members to build our base customers and generally offering good value for money across the menu. What are the biggest challenges you face? What does the future of The Duck Hook look like? The Duck Hook has already built a healthy pool of loyal guests both through the golf course and our initial marketing efforts. However, foot traffic from neighbouring Dubai Hills, which is still in the building phase, is limited . It is pretty exciting. The Duck Hook has a prime position with an open outdoor space that surrounds the restaurant and is perfect for weekend events and major sporting events,. We are literally fi ve minutes from Al Khail Road, but during our initial opening period it has been a huge education process to reiterate how accessible we not only for diners, but also for third party delivery drivers. I am hoping to expand the menu and to play around with dishes based on further guest feedback. We will be introducing specials to ensure that the golfers and our regular guests have something new. Head-to-Head The Duck Hook Caterer Middle East | February 2019 www.caterermiddleeast.com 16/TOP 3 BEVERAGE TRENDS TO KEEP A LOOK OUT FOR Healthy Consumers all over the globe are concerned more and more about their Health and Wellness. According to MINTEL, 40% of US & UK consumers have increased their consumption of healthy foods. They’ve learned how to read back labels and, when it comes to beverages, are in search of all-natural authentic products with ingredients that are perceived to deliver health benefi ts, while having zero or low sugar content, and low calories. In the Middle East, Asia and Africa Health and Wellness trend is emerging too. Health & Wellness globally is forecasted to grow at 3% over the next fi ve years. CAGR between 2017 and 2022 in the MENA region is higher, at 7% over the same period (*Source: Gulfood website, research by Euromonitor International). Partially driven by the consumer increased awareness and partly by the governments. For example, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain had increased tax on carbonated drinks to 50% and energy drinks to 100% in 2017 while South Africa and Sri Lanka have introduced sugar tax. When it comes to foodservice operators, to implement healthy, zero or low sugar and calories, creative and consistent beverage menu is a challenge for many. If a drink recipe contains fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs, it is not easy and often not profi table for an operator due to a storage issue, wastage, fl uctuating quality, and availability during the non-season. At Monin, we always build on consumer trends and foodservice operators’ demands. As a result of this and in line with our commitment to clean label, during the Gulfood we will be proudly introducing our entirely new range of products La Flavour de Monin – natural and authentic concentrated fl avor without any added sugar or sweetener. Monin Le Flavour range will include fruity, herbal, spicy and nutty fl avors that would allow easily to create natural, sugar-free fl avored waters, teas, lemonades, coffees, and cocktails. Veggie Generation Z and Millennials are both shaping up the future of the Food & Beverage industry, breaking the set rules. According to MINTEL, globally 20% of 16-24-year-olds follow a vegan diet. Vegans and vegetarians set the trend for a plant and root vegetable fl avors that spread beyond their diets. As per the Innova Market Insights in 2018 91% of bartenders said they were planning to use vegetable in a cocktail. Pumpkin, ginger, turmeric, carrot, beetroot – are few of the examples. At Gulfood we will be presenting Le Fruit de Monin Beetroot which is ideal for specialty lattes, smoothies, lemonades, and creative cocktails. Wow And again Millennials dictate the rules. Attention-seekers they are looking for Instagramable moments. Their eye drives their choice. With 500 million daily active Instagram users, 72% of them have bought a product they’ve seen on Instagram. Why not captivating them with a magi- cal color changing lemonade? All natural new Le Sirop de Monin Butterfl y Pea will do the trick. Contact details: ocassidy@monin.com | +971 4 452 0600 | Visit us at Gulfood, Zabeel Hall 4, stand Z4-C38 91% OF BARTENDERS SAID THEY WERE PLANNING TO USE VEGETABLE IN A COCKTAIL.” WITH 500 MILLION DAILY ACTIVE INSTAGRAM USERS, 72% OF THEM HAVE BOUGHT A PRODUCT THEY’VE SEEN ON INSTAGRAM. ” Advertorial February 2019 | Caterer Middle East www.caterermiddleeast.com 17/Next >