Social media 'disconnect' in F&B sector

 The Middle Eastern F&B sector is not moving quickly enough to keep up with the way people are using social media today and is missing out on related revenue according to Stefan Breg, chief worrier of food and beverage creative agency Tribes.

“We sense there is a disconnect between the restaurant sector and the connectivity we get from Twitter and Facebook,” said Breg. “There is a huge opportunity for restaurants to enhance their communication with guests before, during and after dining. Technophobes may find it daunting but someone's going to make a lot of money by using this technology to enhance the restaurant experience”

GM of Le Meridien Al Aqah in Fujairah, Patrick Antaki, agreed that there is still a long way to go for social media and the F&B sector. “We definitely haven’t maximised utilisation yet,” he admitted. “However at Le Meridien Al Aqah we are very active online, for example we make sure every comment on the customer travel review website, Tripadvisor, gets a comment. Especially if there is a complaint then we ask the guest to get in touch directly so we can deal with it.”

Nevertheless Antaki said that although  Le Meridien Al Aqah has a very strong programme which maintains a flow of email contact with guests before and after their stay at the hotel, there is not yet a programme specific to the F&B outlets: “There is still a long way to go. It’s definitely not reached its peak yet.”

In recognition of the revenue potential that social media can bring to F&B outlets as well as hotels Antaki said that he is currently looking for a full-time member of staff who will be dedicated to overseeing online activity and social media presence at Le Meridien Al Aqah.

Tribes’ Breg cites Dubai-based schwarma concept Wild Peeta, developed by young Emirati brothers Peyman and Mohamed Parham Al Awadi, as an example of an F&B outlet that is making the most of social media.

“’Share’ is probably the most prolific word of our time and at the core of social media’s being,” Mohamed Al-Awadi told PSFK.com. “People are experiencing hyper learning curves and acquiring tremendous exposure through a simple three step process of Learn, Comment, and Pass-It-On. The result is something Wild Peeta calls Social Media Driven Development. It’s accelerated evolution and it’s allowing us to develop in leaps and gain insights that normally would have taken years to acquire.”

However, director of operations for Zuma in Dubai International Financial Centre, Ajaz Shiekh, is doubtful of social media’s ability to generate revenue: “Do I think that social media brings me business? Maybe a percentage of it, but it is more of a communication channel,” he said. “If you take a typical hotel or restaurant, just having a Facebook page is not going to bring clients to them, you have to have the concept right and the food right to get people there in the first place.”

Social media is “not vital” in Ajaz’s opinion: “If you have a solid product then yes it is an amazing communication tool, but I don’t think the tool itself will bring you business.”