Needs no introduction
While the expansion of a brand that is so intimately interlaced with its original environment might seem like a risky strategy, people are more savvy to and accepting of brands as entities in themselves nowadays, according to MacDonald.
“People are far more brand aware now at every level,” he says. “The UAE in particular is small enough that via word of mouth, the press and social media or just from their travels, people are aware of what is going on in the F&B world: they will order a Grey Goose and tonic or a Belverdere and tonic rather than the generic vodka and a mixer, for example.
“Whether it’s in London, Paris or Hong Kong people today know what is going on and will have heard of various brands popping up, so there is an established knowledge base already there.”
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It’s clear that a knowledge base for the Ivy is already firmly planted in Dubai. First announced in January 2011, the Ivy waiting list is already jammed, despite there having been no official marketing investment: “We simply put up a sign at the Rivington Grill and at the Emirates Towers site announcing the imminent arrival of the Ivy, along with an email and phone number and we have had a huge response,” says Kumar. “The brand needs no introduction.”
While this would indicate the beginnings of the exclusive “clubhouse” atmosphere of the London outlet, Fernando Peire is adamant that the restaurant is not cliquey in an elitist way but is more akin to a family.
“Our restaurant is for regulars. Our staff get to know people and their preferences well and that’s what keeps them coming back, and what keeps our staff working for us for 10, 15 years,” says Peire.
“That is why it ends up being exclusive. It can be hard to get a table if you don’t already have some kind of connection with the restaurant because our regulars are always with us. We will only pre-book some of the tables because we want people to be able to drop in spontaneously.”
With the Dubai outlet set to open in June, now is the time to get your name on the list.
Ivy roots
The Ivy’s reputation as a hotspot for the theatrical community is rooted in its heritage – founded in 1917 by owner Abel Glandellini and Maître d’Hôtel Mario Gallati, the actress Alice Delysia inadvertently chose the name for the restaurant when, in response to Glandellini’s apology for the rising restaurant’s building works, she quoted a line from a famous song of the day: “Don’t worry, we will always come to see you, we will cling together like the ivy.” The moniker stuck.
Mario Gallati continued his success when he opened Le Caprice in 1947, which was later re-launched by Caprice Holdings Ltd in 1990, following an extensive refurbishment.
Currently owned by Richard Caring, The Ivy once again boasts its position as one of London’s most popular theatre restaurants.
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