Dubai outlets approved to serve Ramadan takeaway

The Department of Economic Development in Dubai (DED) has accorded permission to deliver food during Ramadan to more than 70% of the restaurants in the emirate, said a senior DED official.

Serving food in public during the fasting period in Ramadan is usually prohibited, but restaurants with prior approval from DED can deliver food as per order any time before iftar, Mesam Al Falasi, the head of the DED branch at Dubai Mall, told Gulf News.

"DED is issuing permission for most of the Dubai restaurants or coffee shops that want to deliver food before iftar throughout Ramadan," the official added.

Al Falasi added: "Any restaurant or coffee shop that serves snacks can apply to DED to get this permission for a AED 5060 fee. And those restaurants that are found violating the rules by delivering food without permission will face heavy penalties for this illegal practice on par with those for operating businesses without licence."

While DED had granted permission to some restaurants last Ramadan to allow them to serve food before iftar, such permission had not been extended to any establishments this year, Al Falasi said.

"We did grant this permission to [a] few restaurants last year after designing certain decoration in the restaurant that would cover the dining area but this didn't work. We received many applications from different restaurants in Dubai offering better decorations, but all have been disapproved," the official added.

Al Falasi clarified, however, that all restaurants in Dubai would have the right to set up their table two hours before iftar.