It’s easy for guests to complain but it’s just as easy to educate them and tackle this problem, insisted a panel expert at yesterday’s Caterer Bars & Nightlife Forum.
Jimmy Barratt, bar manager Zuma, responded to concerns raised by panellists in the session “The Evolution of the UAE’s Nightlife” which surrounded the idea that guest expectations were becoming more demanding.
Markus Thesleff, founder, Okku, explained that expectations were inevitably going to be higher in a place where guests are surrounded by “beautiful five-star hotels”, comparing the scene here in Dubai with that in Las Vegas. “At the moment, Dubai together with Vegas are the hottest property commodities for F&B,” he said.
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Dave Cattanach, operations manager, Irish Village, said one of the demands the outlet regularly came across was the speed of service delivery, perhaps one of the effects the recession had on reducing staff numbers per guest. “In reality, if I can’t get a drink quickly enough in a pub, I’ll leave and go to a bar – in a club it’s different.”
But there were calls to adapt offerings and educate your guest on what will and won’t be included as part of your outlet’s unique offering. Zuma’s Barratt said that “four years of hard work” has seen Zuma’s customers understand what that brand is and align their expectations accordingly.
“It’s easy to complain but it’s easy to surprise and educate them. Four years ago we were very brand oriented, they won’t ask you for vodka and something, they’ll ask you for a certain brand that we weren’t working with because we believed in other products – but they were extremely easy to engage and now I realise and look at the sales of my bar and a good 60% are nice classic drinks, they come for us and they appreciate us – that’s a result of four years of hard work.”
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