< PreviousThe future of hotel F&B caterermiddleeast.com October 2020 40 A panel of ve industry experts tackled the subject at The GM Debate powered by Hotelier Middle East What does the future of hotel F&B look like? PO WERED BYThe future of hotel F&B 41 October 2020 caterermiddleeast.comThe future of hotel F&B caterermiddleeast.com October 2020 42 It’s all change in the F&B industry, as the spectre of Covid-19 continues to hang over the world’s restaurants and bars. But how big will its effect be on hotel F&B, and just what does the future hold for tourism destinations that in Dubai in particular have long held multiple different restaurant concepts? That was one of the topics broached at The GM Debate powered by Hotelier Middle East. Being held virtually for the rst time, the event brought together industry leading panellists for the event hosted by our sister magazine. Caterer Middle East editor Simon Ritchie hosted the session which featured ve of the biggest names in F&B. Emma Banks, Hilton’s VP F&B strategy & development, EMEA, Michael Ellis, chief culinary of cer at Jumeirah Group, Lynne Bellinger, director of F&B development at Marriott International, Omar Souab, GM at So tel Dubai The Obelisk and Naim Maadad, chief executive and founder of Gates Hospitality all came together for a lively discussion which covered everything from external operators to celebrity chefs, with a healthy discussion on discount culture also prompted by the watching audience in the chat. Bellinger started the session with some insight into how Marriott had adapted its restaurants during the pandemic. Having been forced to withdraw its buffets entirely at the onset of the outbreak, Bellinger said that the size of hotels and the sheer number of guests to serve means they have had to bring them back, albeit with new safety measures in place. It’s also been time to rethink the strategy in terms of how many restaurants they would reopen, and what they would look to add in the future, with “quality over quantity” the overriding aspect, said Bellinger. “There is a lot of competition coming outside of hotels, particularly with liquor licences being available for non-hotel based restaurants,” she added. Souab also tried to nd the positives in the pandemic, with his brand new hotel’s launch in Dubai’s Wa area postponed by six months. “We regrouped and looked at how to turn this into an opportunity,” he said. “If Caption here please you gain time in opening a hotel it gives you more time to get prepared and put in the place the right product, the right services. The So tel Dubai The Obelisk is going to be a agship hotel, the biggest So tel in the Middle East and Africa, and I saw that an opportunity to regroup and ne tune the methods.” In the face of troubling closures and delays in the hotel world, Maadad was quick to sing the praises of Gates Hospitality, saying “unlike my hotelier colleagues, we’ve been busy, we haven’t been downsizing”. In fact, said Maadad, “the lack of travel ability has actually helped my business to accelerate. For July and August, like for like between ’19 and ’20, we’re 30% ahead of last year.” “The lack of travel has helped my business to accelerate” Michael EllisThe future of hotel F&B 43 October 2020 caterermiddleeast.com He did, however, note a sound of caution, saying the market is still “very fragile and will continue to be fragile for the next 12 months”. Instead of opening untested, new concepts, Maadad said that customers are looking for restaurants they “are familiar with, that are value for money, a place they call home in the neighbourhood that’s within their reach and within their budget”. While Maadad was keen to see independent operators like himself given more opportunity to work in hotel F&B spaces, Banks said that her team of corporate consultants at Hilton were more than capable of creating their own concepts all over the world. “It’s about having a team that truly believes in the magic and the soul of F&B experiences for our guests and owners. It’s about studying the property, the market gap analysis, creating clearly de ned concepts, not bland, one-size ts all, and most important ensuring that we support the properties to recruit the right people. “I’m quite proud to say that we’ve got a team that knows how to run F&B. We also believe in local, authentic, sustainable F&B.” Banks added that Hilton was always willing to work with world renowned chefs, such as its current partnerships with Heinz Beck, Jason Atherton, and Gordon Ramsay, and hinted at “eye watering” brands that are joining the portfolio soon — and promised an exclusive to Caterer when it happens. While he may be personal friends with many celebrity chefs from his time as international director of the Michelin Guide, Ellis isn’t looking to bring them into Jumeirah right now. Instead he said he wants “great chefs that, if possible, have Michelin-starred experience.” He explained: “That’s because they have the rigout and the knowledge of products and techniques that come with good dining, or at least the types of experiences that we’re trying to deliver.” The bene t of that, said Ellis, is not just with the quality of food they produce, but has a domino effect on the chefs below them. “By using the chefs that have the training and the experience and the know-how, they’re training the chefs under them, so we almost have our own internal training academy where we have younger chefs coming on and training with these very experienced chefs and raising their skill set. So we found that concentrating on very talented chefs tends to oat all boats higher,” said Ellis. Marriott, which has the likes of three Michelin-starred Massimo Bottura and one-starred Akira Back operating outlets at W The Palm — Dubai, is not averse to celebrity af liations, but Bellinger did admit there can be a bit of a “stigma” due to some who simply put their name on the door and then have little input, leaving them to close ignominiously. “I know some owners don’t want to know when it comes to celebrity chefs due to some of the bigger ones who just don’t get involved enough,” she said. “But we’re dealing with some of the really cool Michelin-starred chefs and their skills will bring that restaurant level and quality up,” she said. As the discussion came to a close, the panellists agreed that some of the region’s homegrown talent should be given the opportunity to step up and showcase their skills, with both Hilton and Marriott further indicating their intention to give them a platform. Omar SouabLynne Bellinger Emma BanksNaim Maadadcaterermiddleeast.com October 2020 44 CHEEKY TIKI Polynesian potions have been popular since the post-war period. We’ve picked a few perfect pick-me-ups to please your patrons Ingredients: Lemon juice Pineapple juice Passionfruit Mai Tai concentrate Gin 151 rum stinger Method: 1. Add all the ingredients except the stinger in a shaker. 2. Flash blend with crushed ice and pour into the signature Koana Puffer mug. 3. Top with mint leaves and place the stinger, which is encased in the dropper. Koana Puffer Marion Sheridan Venue manager, Trader Vic’s JBR “Keeping with the Trader Vic’s tradition of each venue having its own signature cocktail, Trader Vic’s JBR created Koana Puffer inspired by the fugu puffer sh hence the rum ‘stinger’ to give that extra bite. It’s an extremely well balanced tropical cocktail that’s created to suit everyone’s palate due to its fruity base and alluring appearance.” MIX MASTERSPartner content 45 October 2020 caterermiddleeast.com Totem Miodrag Nikolic, Head bartender, Mama Zonia “Totem was forged as a potion to bond your inner animal spirit, guiding you through layers of avours to reach that fully refreshing satisfaction.” Ingredients: Giffard Passion Fruit Syrup Passion fruit & mandarin puree Fresh lemon juice Half passion fruit flesh Method: 1. Mix all ingredients with crushed ice and top up with soda.caterermiddleeast.com October 2020 46 Mountain Tiki Aneesh Antony Restaurant and bar manager, Publique “The drink is inspired by the Himalayan Tibetan singing bowl, where the monk offers the prayer with sacred incense and meditates through smoke and water. At Publique we took the element of smoke and the meditation ritual to give a unique drinking experience to our guests.” Ingredients: 45ml tequila 10ml spiced rum 5ml St. Germain elderflower liquor 15ml elderflower syrup 15ml passionfruit syrup 15ml pineapple juice 10ml lime juice Method: 1. Place all ingredients in a cocktail shaker, add ice and shake. 2. Add oak smoke using a smoke gun.47 October 2020 caterermiddleeast.com MMI ne wine category manager Beans Boughton has become the UAE’s rst resident Master of Wine, becoming one of only 409 worldwide and one of just a handful in the Middle East and Africa. Master of Wine is regarded as the most distinguished wine quali cation in the world and is issued by The Institute of Masters of Wine in the United Kingdom. To achieve this accolade, Boughton had to prove his understanding of all aspects of wine and pass multiple blind tastings and theory papers, a s well as submitting a research paper on ‘Examining the impact of market visits by winery principals on brand performance in the premium on-trade channel in Dubai’, As Master of Wine, Boughton will now use his knowledge to help MMI’s trade and private customers with advice and recommendations and work across all areas within the wine industry including winemakers, oenologists, shippers, retailers, and writers. In his role, Boughton is responsible for ne wine category management across the Dubai On-Trade, Le Clos, MMI Retail, airline and travel retail, and MMI’s international markets. His role also involves managing the ranges and winery relationships for Burgundy, Rhône, Loire, Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. MMI ne wine manager becomes UAE’s rst resident Master of Wine Beans Boughton has become one of only 409 people with the quali cation worldwide Smart Acres, the UAE’s latest addition to the hydroponic vertical farming industry, has successfully launched and is now producing a line of nutrient-dense greens for UAE residents and the F&B industry alike. The AgriTech farm launched with a series of tours attended by high-pro le individuals, from government of cials to ambassadors, allowing for a glimpse into the state-of-the-art modules. The highly-anticipated launch of the farm was accompanied by the UAE Ambassador of Korea, Kwon Yong- Woo, and the UAE’s Minister of State for Food Security, Mariam Al Mheiri, who were taken on a tour through the farming containers and given a rst- hand experience of Smart Acres; the technology used, the cultivation process of the variety of greens grown. These visits came in line with the company’s collaboration with n.thing, a Korean-based technology company that designed the farm modules using an award-winning IoT-based technology system to grow and monitor their greens, a system that not only consumes less resources but generates ultra-high quality crops. The tours have allowed for key individuals from both countries to witness the growth of Smart Acres. Director of Smart Acres, Sean Lee, said: “The future of our food security rests in all of our hands and we are excited to be cultivating sustainable produce alongside the region’s many other vertical farms.” Smart Acres vertical farm of cially launches in the UAE The UAE’s Minister of State for Food Security was given a tour of the farm NEWScaterermiddleeast.com October 2020 48 NEWS Following from the launch of its New York-inspired ice cream, The Brooklyn Creamery has followed that up by introducing a new range of low-calorie ice lollies to the UAE. The Fruit Pops comes in two avour options, ve citrus fruits and ve wild berries, with each lolly only 41 caloies. Chief innovation of cer Vasco Valencia de Sousa said: “Our latest offering from The Brooklyn Creamery is perfect for those glorious days on the UAE’s beautiful beaches. They go great as a treat at children’s parties, but we have already seen how much adults love them too. As with all our range, our Fruit Pops are healthy, so you can indulge your sweet tooth without guilt. As everyone knows, fruit and berries are packed with vitamins, antioxidants, energy and avour. It’s a win-win.” Each of the lollies is entirely vegan and contains 50 percent fruit in the citrus variety and 65 percent fruit in the berry version, tting in with the ongoing trend for healthy snack options as seen in both the UAE and Saudi Arabia. The new treat is available exclusively through Deliveroo for now, but will soon be available in the freezers of UAE stores and cafes. Regularly touted as one of Dubai’s hidden gems, Asian- inspired restaurant 3Fils and its sister-outlet Brix Desserts are expanding its home delivery range with a new ice cream box. Part of the At Home collection, the newly launched ice cream box features two of 3Fils signature avours: African Powerhouse, made from Ghanaian, single-origin dark chocolate Nyangbo 68%, and tiny chunks of cake, and Madagascar Vanilla, made with fresh vanilla beans. To let customers get creative, the ice creams are accompanied with a selection of toppings including chocolate shards, biscuit crumble, fresh berries, and caramelised chocolate sand. You can then nish your dessert with the choice of two sauces, butterscotch and chocolate chilli. The take home boxes also come with a stainless steel ice cream scoop, and eight spoons and cups for AED295. It comes as restaurants continue to make more of an effort to tap into the at home market, with consumer con dence in dining out still not returning to pre- pandemic levels, and with the constant confusion over dine-in regulations, it’s likely to be a growing market. 3Fils had previously launched a wagyu burger box containing all the ingredients to make six dishes. The Brooklyn Creamery launches low-calorie ice lollies in UAE It follows the introduction of its healthy ice cream 3Fils and Brix Desserts bring ice cream to customers’ homes The Dubai outlets are expanding their At Home collectionFOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT WWW.COMMERCIALINTERIORDESIGN.COM/cid-AWARDS OR CONTACT ONE OF OUR TEAM TODAy For sponsorship enquiries: rebecca lockwood Sales director Tel: +971 4 444 3268 Email: rebecca.lockwood@itp.com For NOMINATION enquiries: JANE O'NEILL EDITOR Tel: +971 4 444 3626 Email: jane.oneill@itp.com For event enquiries: daniel Fewtrell Director of Awards & Marketing Tel: +971 4 444 3684 Email: daniel.fewtrell@itp.com For Table sales enquiries: anthony chandran table sales executive Tel: +971 4 444 3685 Email: anthony.chandran@itp.com silver SPONSOR category SPONSORs Social media SPONSOR WEDNESDAY 25th November jw marriott marquis hotel dubai table bookings are now open PRESENTED BY GOLD SPONSORS #CIDAWARDS FIT-OUT PARTNERNext >