Lebanese diners prefer eating in standalone outlets, as hotel dining is ‘boring’, said Maroun Chedid, corporate executive chef at Medi Resto.
“Hotels are boring, they are never challenging, they are never vibrant, they do not change, they are always standard and go by the book whereas with standalone restaurants you are doing creativity and the best food, the best meal, the best presentation, and it is something different,” he said.
Speaking exclusively to Caterer magazine, Chedid — who is also head of culinary art at Beirut’s Saint Joseph University — revealed said that standalone restaurants were far more popular in Lebanon’s capital city than hotel F&B outlets.
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“People in Beirut prefer standalone restaurants, and hotels find it hard to bring people in to eat. Most of the F&B scene is standalone; even weddings, which used to be held in hotels, are not so much anymore. People are fed up with them,” he added.
Feb 22, 2011 , United Arab Emirates
I have to say that the word boring does come to mind in relation to hotel restaurants although it is most unjust to generalise as there are or may be very notable exceptions. The interesting question, (if the hypothesis is true!), why? Is it anything to do with scale and ownership? Didn't Nouv...
Feb 21, 2011 , United Arab Emirates
Hi Chedid, Strange to hear these remarks from a Chef, that Hotel restaurants are boring. I would rather say standalone restaurants are boring since they don't have top management behind them and are being run based on thoughts by single person or a group of some people. Hotel restaurants follow...