Top 10 restaurant developers in the Middle East
The 'top 10 restaurant developers' forms part of Caterer Middle East's inaugural round-up of the top 50 F&B professionals, a celebration of the most influential people in the region; the ones who, in the last year, have been stamping their mark on the Middle East’s culinary landscape.
It’s about people, rather than companies, who are driving standards, pushing innovation and implementing best practices, taking the Middle East to new culinary heights.
We’ve taken into consideration the impact of their work on F&B operations and standards, judged on: size, scale, innovation and longevity; how committed they are to industry issues and events; how highly regarded they are in the industry and among their peers; and how they are having a positive influence on the next generation.
With so many heroes to celebrate in this exciting sector, and their talents and contributions so diverse, we have split the round-up into five categories: brand champions; executive chefs; culinarians; industry gurus and development leaders.
Each group of people have been creating excitement, implementing new ideas and strategies, new concepts and ways of thinking, but in very different ways.
The brand champions are a collection of innovative thinkers who have worked hard to develop a homegrown brand, or made a highly regarded international brand succeed in the Middle East. They are dedicated, passionate individuals who, while bringing something new to the region, have excited diners and pushed standards.
Our recognised executive chefs are meticulous managers and inspiring leaders. Looking after large teams with diverse needs and managing complex operations, they are making sure the F&B offerings of corporations remain cutting edge and are of world-class quality.
The culinarians are our chefs who are pushing the boundaries of cuisine. They are inspiring, talented artists whose restaurants are award-winning and have sought-after seats. Their avant-garde menus are the talk of diners across the region, and their restaurant concepts are shaping the region’s eating experience.
Our fourth category, the industry gurus, is full of revered individuals. Passionate about food as well as the region, they have been waving the flag for the Middle East’s culinary scene for years, making sure it is celebrated and talked about across the world. They have shown commitment to the industry and have inspired the next generation, as well as their peers.
Last, but not least, our development leaders are astute business men and women. The huge scale of their operations are making waves in the region, but not only that, they are dedicated to quality and to raising the bar of their corporations’ offerings.
The round-up has been put together by the team of hospitality experts at Caterer Middle East and is subjective. It includes personalities from the restaurant industry, from casual to fine dining, but not QSR.
We hope it will excite, inspire and start debate, and we welcome your thoughts and feedback.
THE TOP 10 RESTAURANT DEVELOPERS IN THE MIDDLE EAST
1 Phil Broad, Managing director,
Jumeirah Restaurants
Clocking in at the top of the restaurant development board is Phil Broad – and with his wealth of experience in brand expansion, this ranking comes as no surprise.
During his three years with Jumeirah Group’s esteemed restaurants division, Broad has set up a clutch of innovative concepts across 14 territories worldwide.
The flagship brand is The Noodle House, the first eatery to launch under the Jumeirah Restaurants umbrella; and as Caterer goes to press, Broad has just signed a key licence agreement to open 27 Noodle House restaurants in the UK.
The group also holds the rights to develop Caprice Holding outlets across the MENA region – including big-name brands such as the Rivington Grill, The Ivy and Le Caprice.
Broad is aiming to open the group’s 150th outlet this year – and thanks to a strong background in F&B expansion, the Brit is perfectly placed to drive things forward.
Previously, he spent two years at Starbucks Coffee Company, opening more than 200 stores across the UK.
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2 Pam Wilby, General Manager,
Grosvenor House Dubai and Le Royal Méridien Beach Resort + Spa
It is Pam Wilby’s mission to introduce world-renowned F&B branded concepts to the UAE’s hospitality industry that has earned her number two spot in this category.
Project managing the launch of Grosvenor House Dubai, she has overseen the opening of the world famous Buddha-Bar, and brought in restaurants courtesy of Michelin and celebrity chefs, Vineet Bhati and Gary Rhodes.
Not keen to rest on her laurels, Wilby gave Le Royal Méridien Beach Resort + Spa the same treatment, and was key in the opening of Maya by Richard Sandoval, and Rhodes’ Twenty10.
More recently in 2011, Wilby oversaw the launch of award-winning Toro Toro and Siddharta Lounge by Buddha-Bar.
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3 Duncan Fraser-Smith,
Director of design - food and beverage MEA at InterContinental Hotels Group
With a whopping 91 hotels in the existing IHG portfolio, and 37 more in the pipeline, Fraser-Smith is responsible for over 300 different F&B outlets across the MEA region. But with a solid background in the industry, he’s gained sufficient experience to manage the hotel group’s outlets and take them to new heights.
Prior to joining IHG, he spent three years in Doha as general manager – hospitality for Qatar Sports City, developing operations for the new venture as part of the successful 2022 World Cup bid.
Over his 20 years in the hospitality industry, Duncan Fraser-Smith has worked in Asia, Australia and the Middle East, developing successful standalone and hotel-based outlets.
His focus now is developing the F&B masterplans for IHG’s recently announced Hotel Indigo, in the King Abdulla Financial District of Riyadh; as well as working closely with operations team for the soon-to-open Crowne Plaza Doha.
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4 Simon Lazarus, Senior area director of F&B,
Hilton Worldwide
This role is not for the faint-hearted: it covers 54 hotels and all their F&B operations, as well as the responsibility for driving strategy at a further 43 properties under development.
This is the portfolio Simon Lazarus has handled with aplomb for the past four years. Born in Montreal and raised in Jamaica, Lazarus graduated from the Culinary Arts and the Hospitality Management programmes at Vancouver Island University.
He went on to refine his kitchen skills and climb the culinary ladder with chef roles at Hilton properties in Zurich, London, the Bahamas and Amsterdam.
In 2006, Lazarus became area director of F&B for Hilton UK and Ireland, overseeing operations in over 75 hotels – and ably equipping himself for the rigours of a role in the Middle East market.
He’s also taken advantage of Hilton University’s in-house training programmes throughout his career, culminating in the completion of the IMD Programme in Switzerland.
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5 Walid Maalouf,
General manager of Hospitality Development Company
General manager and board member of Qatar’s Hospitality Development Comapny, a subsidiary of United Development Company, Walid Maalouf has worked tirelessly to build up the restaurants & bars division.
He’s taken the team from one to 250 people and has sourced, negotiated and closed 10 exclusive regional F&B joint ventures ranging from world-class fine dining to trendy up-casual concepts, including brands from New York, Paris and Lebanon.
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6 Stefan Breg, Chief worrier, Tribe
Restaurant Creators
TRIBE’s head honcho has held roles at Hilton Hotels, InterContinental Hotels Group, Peps and Burger King, before founding F&B strategy house Tribe in 2003. Since then, the Tribe name has gone from strength to
strength, creating and designing close to 300 brands internationally.
In the last year, Stefan and the team at Tribe have created and launched Sublime at Dubai World Trade Centre and the Meylas Emirati concept at the UAE’s 40th National Day celebrations.
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7 Raman Khanna, Director of restaurant
operations, Abu Dhabi National Hotels
Staring his career as a culinary apprentice with Oberoi hotels, Raman Khanna went on to gain experience in New York before moving to Abu Dhabi.
In 2004 he joined the opening team of Emirates Palace as director of catering and banqueting.
After a stint with ALDAR Properties and PJS, Ramen joined ADNH where he is responsible for establishing and growing a new ADNH Restaurants Division.
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8 Daniel During,
Principal and managing director
Daniel During began his long career in hospitality in 1979. After many successful years with Hyatt and Wafi Pyramids in Dubai, he launched Thomas Klein International (TKI) to provide a consultancy service to the growing hospitality, entertainment and leisure sectors.
Since then, During has worked on projects for Le Royal Meridien Abu Dhabi, Four Seasons Riyadh, Mövenpick Hotel Oud Metha Dubai and Wafi City.
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9 Peter Drescher, Vice president F&B
Middle east & Asia, mÖvenpick
Peter Drescher is a man with a passion for the job – and for excellence.
Responsible for the planning and realisation of new restaurant concepts across the MEA region for Mövenpick – as well as handling budgets and analysing financial performances – Drescher focuses the same level of attention on new outlet plans as he does on the importance of training his sizeable team of staff.
Colleagues speak highly of his regular culinary training workshops – a sign of Drescher’s ease with a ‘hands on’ approach.
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10 Ahmed Al Bader,
co-Founder, Epicure Group
Ahmed Khalid Al Bader is a young Kuwaiti who started life’s journey gaining a bachelor’s degree in BS Finance at Suffolk University.
As director and co-founder of the Epicure Group he has strived to bring upscale casual dining concepts to transform Kuwait’s dining scene.
His projects include: Izakaya, a Japanese Eatery; Butcher’s Den, a luxury Grill House; and Prime & Toast, a morning bistro revered for its sustainable ethos.