Growing Pains
According to Gillgren, the growing competition means existing outlets need to invest more in training and maintaining standards in order to compete efficiently.
Maddad added: “I call it growing pains — where the city was and where the city is, it’s evolved in its own way. It’s our responsibility to enforce certain things like consistency — having brands come in from abroad and setting up shop in Dubai. I have a certain expectation from a brand promise… I welcome brands coming into the market but we have our own culture here.”
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Toko general manager Ghazi Azzabi emphasised the importance of local and home-grown brands, claiming that it’s important to adapt to the local culture and the structure of the Dubai market, citing the success of Reform Social & Grill and Tom & Serg as examples.
“We may bring certain things from abroad, but 25% of those have had to adapt to local culture, customer preferences and the structure of how Dubai works. The future is promising but for Dubai, from a strategic perspective, to become a city on the map, it needs to have its home-grown brands,” he asserted.
Gillgren countered Azzabi’s opinion on the need to adapt to local cultures explaining that “the dilution of the brands franchised here can be very tough sometimes. It can be tough to do that adjustment. The more international you become, the more you have to think about the concept and stick to it”.
Similarly, with more international brands setting up shop in key cities in the region, panellists agreed it was time that international certification bodies and competitions took notice of Dubai, a move that would also motivate bartenders to enhance their skills.
InterContinental Dubai Marina F&B manager Julien Coron said: “Now that I think we are at an international level, I think we need to have an international guide to measure our performance.”
Mint Leaf of London assistant manager — beverage Paul Bradley added: “The problem is the international competitions have monopolised the market whereas the smaller competitions are more easier to get into. We then have more competitions not necessarily as intense, but it gives experience to the bartenders.”
Behind the scenes, training was just as important a factor. Azzabi also spoke at length about the need to develop soft skills among bar staff and not just their beverage skills, explaining: “Soft skills are extremely important for the business which is customising the relationship management to an individual level for each customer that walks through the door. And this will vary depending on where the customer is from. It is important to have a team that is capable of handling that. You only have one chance to make a good impression, and that’s the first one.”
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