< PreviousWe are carefully placing ourselves between the fast food Mexican eateries and the upscale ones. We want to always be accessible to the masses and provide the highest quality and fl avours possible. It’s all about being in sync with each other. Both teams need to be working in harmony to function properly just like an engine. When it comes to Luma and I we are both involved in the BOH and FOH making sure that all is to its highest potential. Our prices are justifi ed with the freshest ingredients we can possi- bly get our hands on without costing an arm and a leg. Most people will not realize that most of our items are fl own in from Mexico. What is unique about Maiz Tacos 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? What sets Maiz Tacos apart from a lot of our competition, or eat- eries nearby, is that we are a 100% fresh, hormone and frozen-free concept and that refl ects in the quality of the food and taste. A lot of the consumer feedback is how fresh everything tastes, because it is. Communication is everything. FOH needs to be 100% informed and up to date on menu, recipes, and specials just as much as BOH. Same goes for BOH - they need to be open to all the custom- er feedback shared by FOH and implement the feedback we get. Maiz Tacos is fairly priced compared to competitors. We let the food do the talking. The wallet friendly menu is simple and fresh with high quality ingredients that speak for themselves. Amaizing Tacos Haider Al Assam, co-founder Luma Makhlouf, co-founder The husband and wife team behind Maiz Tacos in JLT tell us how they keep it competitive Word of mouth is our biggest asset in terms of bringing new custom- ers. We are also very active on social media and try and have rela- tionship with our customers being interactive on social platforms. How has Maiz Tacos adapted to bring in new customers in a competitive market? Being able to off er catering solutions has helped a lot in attracting new customers and new demographics that we weren’t able to reach as a truck or a restaurant. What are the biggest challenges you face? What does the future of Maiz Tacos look like? Expensive operating costs in Dubai is by far our biggest chal- lenge. Things are getting more expensive and its very challeng- ing to maintain the quality we want while being able to be a profi table business. We are taking it day by day however we want to be the go-to spot in Dubai for tacos and expand our catering business providing an interactive taqueria experience at the comfort of people’s homes. Still operating like a startup. We invested our own money into Maiz Tacos and did not take on any investments. We are growing organically, which is wonderful — but it is very expensive to oper- ate in Dubai. We want Maiz Tacos in JLT to really kick off and grow its commu- nity and customer base. We want to remain a family business and be as involved as we were on day one of the truck. HEAD TO HEAD Head-to-Head Maiz Tacos Caterer Middle East | December 2019 www.caterermiddleeast.com 10/Enjoy Oriental MONIN Middle East & Indian Subcontinent: +971 4 452 0600v12/ Caterer Middle East | December 2019 Special Report Power 50 2019 www.caterermiddleeast.com/13 December 2019 | Caterer Middle East Special Report It’s been an interest- ing year for F&B in the Middle East. While some have fallen, others have climbed. While some have slowed down, others have went full steam ahead. There’s no doubt it’s been a difficult 12 months for much of the industry, but in adversity true talent alwats finds a way to shine. The Power 50 is Caterer Middle East’s attempt to honour those who have led the way and made others realise that anything is possible. Some of the people in this list have taken big risks and come out the other side smiling, some have com- pletely shaken up the way we think about F&B in the region. Many have consolidated, hunkering down and weather- ing the storm before the prom- ise of Expo and a fresh start in 2020. But even while not moving forward themselves, certain people can have a big impact on the others around them, inspiring them to spread their wings and move the industry on another leap. It’s almost impossible to put a number on the amount of influence a certain person has in the industry — but we’ve tried to do it anyway. And size isn’t everything. Someone with a restaurant empire may have had less effect on the world around them than a blog- ger with little more than an iPhone and sheer force of will. We try to judge everyone on their own merits. Congratulations to those who made the list, and to those watching on, these are the people we think you should keep an eye on. Power 50 2019 www.caterermiddleeast.com The who’s who of the Middle East’s F&B industrySpecial Report Power 50 2019 Caterer Middle East | December 2019 www.caterermiddleeast.com 14/ Independent s As well as establishing Bull & Roo as the de facto café creators of choice for Dubai, Tom Arnel has spent 2019 trying to encourage his fellow restaurateurs and chefs to come together to help elevate the city’s F&B offering. By opening Common Grounds in both JLT and DIFC in 2019, Arnel continued with his company’s never-ending expan- sion, but still found the time to launch Eat DXB, a movement aimed at raising the profile of the industry as a whole. It brought together many of the region’s top chefs with a sell-out dinner and expert talks on important issues such as sustainability and the future of F&B in the Middle East. Arnel is determined to use his position in Dubai’s F&B scene for good and is at the forefront of sourcing products from local suppliers and farms, as well as ensuring Bull & Roo venues are heading towards be- ing single-use plastic free and rewarding places to work for its more than 250 staff. 2020 could be the biggest year yet for Arnel with two new ventures on a scale not yet done before by Bull & Roo in the pipeline. Watch this space. Tom Arnel FOUNDER AND MANAGING DIRECTOR, BULL & ROO Australian NUMBERS GAME... 1 6 YEARS IN THE COMPANY 15 YEARS IN THE F&B INDUSTRYPower 50 2019 www.caterermiddleeast.com Special Report /15 December 2019 | Caterer Middle East Independent s Paul Evans and Freek Teusink topped the independents section of the Power 50 last year, and 2019 has been another huge suc- cess for Solutions Leisure. It has opened family entertainment venue Wavehouse at Atlantis, The Palm, setting what they believe will be a prec- edent in the region that had yet to fully tap into the family market. It also opened District at the Rixos Premium JBR, and expanded its brands Asia Asia and Lock, Stock & Barrel internationally with three venues open- ing in Kazan in Russia, and another two planned for Moscow. Evans and Teusink say that for the com- ing year they are aiming to maximise any opportunities that come from Expo 2020, and ensure that the estimated 25 million visitors coming to Dubai are shown the homegrown brands that they have created. With ambitious plans to grow Lock, Stock & Barrel to 20 concepts around the globe, plus a total of 15 Solutions Leisure concepts in the UAE including something special in the pipeline with Atlantis, The Palm, it looks like we could have another big year ahead. Paul Evans and Freek Teusink MANAGING DIRECTOR AND CREATIVE DIRECTOR, SOLUTIONS LEISURE British and Dutch NUMBERS GAME... 2 18 YEARS IN THE F&B INDUSTRY 8 YEARS IN THE MIDDLE EASTSpecial Report Power 50 2019 Caterer Middle East | December 2019 www.caterermiddleeast.com 16/ Independent s It’s been another year of expansion for Sunset Hospitality Group with Mood Rooftop Lounge opening in Dubai, Sweet Chick opening in the UK, and confirmation worldwide hit SushiSamba will also be brought to the UAE by the company. Antonio Gonzalez plans to increase that further in 2020 with Black Taps opening in Saudi Arabia and Iraq, Ammos and Azure Beach Club both seeing second openings in the UAE, and a total of 15 new openings by the end of the year. In his short time at the company, Spencer Ayers has re- placed Emma Banks as managing director, overseen the transition of JRG Dubai to become Sarood Hospitality, and doubled the new brand’s portfolio through an operational merger with Meraas. That brought the likes of Lima and Toro + KO into the fold, and eight new outlets are planned for the coming year including another The Noodle House at Nakheel Mall. We are also seeing wide scale refurbishment of Sarood’s legacy brands including Pai Thai as they aim to reinvigorate already suc- cessful concepts. Antonio Gonzalez 3 CEO, SUNSET HOSPITALITY GROUP Spanish We’ve all watched MasterChef on TV, but now, thanks to Duncan Fraser-Smith, we can dine in a restaurant inspired by the show. MasterChef, the TV Experience opened in Dubai this year, the 13th brand under Th e First Group’s F&B umbrella in the region, and a concept that was more than three years in the making for Fraser-Smith. With global viewers of the show numbering 300 million, it’s more than just a typical restaurant opening, and is part of Fraser-Smith’s plan to bring ‘eatertainment’ to the region’s consumers. Duncan Fraser-Smith 4 VICE PRESIDENT, TFG FOOD AND BEVERAGE Australian Spencer Ayers MANAGING DIRECTOR, SAROOD HOSPITALITY British 5Power 50 2019 www.caterermiddleeast.com Special Report /17 December 2019 | Caterer Middle East Independent s 2019 was the year that saw popu- lar Dubai concept The Maine Oyster Bar & Grill get its first expansion with the opening of The Maine Street Eatery in Studio One Hotel – but Joey Ghazal is not stop- ping there. Born in Montreal but raised in Dubai, Ghazal is determined to put his adopted home on the map and a third The Maine is coming to the soon to open ME by Melia Hotel in the Opus by Zaha Hadid building. Ghazal is integral to everything that goes into making Maine, Maine. Brand creation, menu development, recruitment, and train- ing are all handled or overseen personally. 2020 will see The Maine go interna- tional with a London outlet due to open in September, and with Ghazal highlighting the ease at which it can exported to other markets, expect it to hit even more coun- tries in the coming years. You’re as likely to find Ghazal in Esquire and Ahlan as you are in Caterer Middle East, with the ‘gastropreneur’ making a name for himself as an all-round taste- maker in the region. Joey Ghazal FOUNDER AND MANAGING PARTNER, THE MAINE NEW ENGLAND BRASSERIE COMPANY Canadian NUMBERS GAME... 6 30 YEARS IN THE MIDDLE EAST 10 YEARS AT THE COMPANYSpecial Report Power 50 2019 Caterer Middle East | December 2019 www.caterermiddleeast.com 18/ Independent s Gates Hospitality reached double figures for F&B outlets operating in the Middle East in 2019, as Verve Bar and Brasserie and Stoke House expanded its portfolio. Founder Naim Maadad is one of the most outspoken figures in the industry, but has backed it up with continued suc- cess, particularly in partnership with British chef duo Nick Alvis and Scott Price. Maadad is aiming to make Gates a bigger player in Europe and Australia in the coming years, but also has three confirmed con- cepts in the pipeline for the Middle East by 2021. DIFC is the epicentre of fine dining in the UAE and The Tashas Group is now a part of that with the successful opening of Avli by tashas. Sitting alongside the intimate and breathtaking Galaxy Bar, Natasha Sideris has continued her 100% hit rate since bring- ing the tashas brand over from South Africa. While Dubai is the group’s adopted home and international expansion will be driven from here, Sideris hopes to have Avli, Flamingo Room, and Galaxy Bar in the likes of London, New York, and Los Angeles. Naim Maadad 7 CHIEF EXECUTIVE AND FOUNDER, GATES HOSPITALITY Australian It started as a modern Indian restaurant, not something totaly uncommon in Dubai, but Tresind has grown into much, much more than that. Bhupender Nath’s love for food is evident in the elevated cuisine offered by Tresind, and in particular by Tresind Studio, the intimate chef’s table experience which has taken the brand’s reputation to new heights his year. 2019 also saw Passion F&B expand away from the Tresind brand with the launch of A Capella global tapas bar at The Pointe on Palm Jumeirah in Dubai. Bhupender Nath 8 FOUNDER AND CEO, PASSION F&B Indian Natasha Sideris FOUNDER & MANAGING DIRECTOR, THE TASHAS GROUP South African 9Power 50 2019 www.caterermiddleeast.com Special Report /19 December 2019 | Caterer Middle East Independent s Omar Saideh put Orange Hospital- ity on the map in Dubai with the multi-award-winning Il Borro Tuscan Bistro, and 2019 saw it follow that success up with the launch of Amalfi Coast-inspired seafood restaurant Alici on Bluewaters Island. As someone who visits a lot of fine- dining restaurants, Saideh felt he knew what Dubai was missing when he launched Il Borro and the litany of awards it has received since would confirm his ideas. With its stunning location at Turtle Lagoon at Jumeirah Al Naseem and top class food, it has become one of Dubai's fine-dining jewels. Th e Jordanian doesn’t rush into new openings, instead preferring to ensure that his current venues are operating at a consistently high standard, but now plans to expand Il Borro into London’s Mayfair district, and is looking at opening a third Asian concept in Dubai ahead of Expo 2020. Saideh aims high, telling Caterer Middle East he wants Orange Hospitality to become "the most recognised hospitality group worldwide that offers quality restau- rant concepts one success at a time". Omar Saideh FOUNDER, ORANGE HOSPITALITY Jordanian NUMBERS GAME... 10 5 YEARS IN THE F&B INDUSTRY 24 YEARS IN THE MIDDLE EASTNext >