Head to head: Maison Mathis

Freshly baked bread and well-trained staff are the hallmarks of Maison Mathis in Arabian Ranches, Dubai

What is unique about Maison Mathis and how does it compare to its competitors?
Vincent Kampers, executive chef: Home-made, freshly baked bread is a rarity in Dubai. We bake our bread in our open bakery, visible for our customers. It’s our signature. When you visit us, you’ll taste fresh ingredients and beautiful dishes that find their roots in Belgian cuisine. The location of our restaurant is in an oasis of green, a relaxing environment for a night out.

Gabriella Hansson-Boe, general manager: The community feel. Our guests become regulars - sometimes returning up to three times per day and really feel ownership of ‘their place’. This is something that is normally hard to create, but we have found it to come quite naturally. Also there is something for everyone from the outside bar to the children’s play area, to visiting the bakery for a casual coffee and pastry.

How do the front-of-house and back-of-house support each other?
Vincent Kampers: We organise meetings and briefings about our experiences at work to connect the two. Communication is key. We also organise cross training for our waitresses and waiters in the kitchen; this is a great tool to establish mutual understanding and to implement a higher standard of service.

Gabriella Hansson-Boe: Regular management meetings and clear communication is part of our philosophy for a healthy working relationship. The front of house team makes sure feedback on food and menu requests are fed back to the kitchen management so it can be acted upon.

How is the pricing strategy justified?
Vincent Kampers: We are always comparing our prices with other businesses in the market to ensure our products are never overpriced. We highly value a good price versus quality ratio. Besides our own bakery, we have our own patisserie. Our sweets and cakes are very well priced.

Gabriella Hansson-Boe: Thorough pricing comparisons are made in the Dubai market before launching new menus. We want to be approachable to our market in all aspects and do as much as we can to offer a value-for-money product. Our bakery is very reasonably priced and is exceptional value for our community.

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How will you ensure the outlet is profitable?
Vincent Kampers: Besides offering good quality products for reasonable prices, we also have interesting promotions. Mom’s Night Out, Saturday Roast and Afternoon High Tea are some projects we recently introduced to attract more clientele.

Gabriella Hansson-Boe: Careful ordering, wastage control and careful staffing. We use staff incentives to offer better service and ensure a good average spend. Most important is to provide a consistent product and personable service.

What are the biggest challenges you face?
Vincent Kampers: My greatest challenge is to preserve the quality of the products that we get delivered by our suppliers. This needs attention to detail and good communication between both parties.

Gabriella Hansson-Boe: With most of our staff from the Asian subcontinent, the task has been to help them understand the European product. We have regular training sessions and check their knowledge with tests; this is an ongoing process.

What does the future of Maison Mathis look like?
Vincent Kampers: Maison Mathis has many possibilities. We’re planning to be not just a restaurant, we want to be more: A delicatessen where you can buy pesto, marinated olives and marmalades; a bakery that delivers; a patisserie that creates artisanal delicacies; and a restaurant where you can wine and dine.

Gabriella Hansson-Boe: The next step is to develop our bakery to more of a delicatessen where you can buy cheese, preserves, and other food items. You should be able to have dinner here and buy your breakfast on the way home. Delivering our experience to the doors of our community will be our next goal.