Chronic challenges afflict F&B industry

The current shortage of qualified staff and a lack of consistently reliable suppliers are the biggest challenges facing the food sector in the Middle East at present, chefs have claimed.

"Due to the flourishing hospitality industry in Dubai, one of the challenges that I have faced is the quality of kitchen staff," said Angsana Hotel & Suites Dubai executive chef Shankar Paramasivam.

He added that a lack of established culinary schools in Dubai was causing a void in the pool of suitable recruits.

"Then there's the other 's'-word - suppliers," added Hilton Dubai Jumeirah executive chef Steven Benson-Flower.

"Food items are often limited or unavailable, so we have to constantly review our menus."

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"We often face inconsistent supplies of food items as many suppliers do not keep sufficient stocks," confirmed Beach Rotana's executive chef Ernst Frank.

"In general [the dishes that are most difficult to source ingredients for] would be the dishes that are not common to this region.

"We do a lot of food festivals and quite often it takes us a while to get all the ingredients together," said Frank.

Equipment supply and maintenance issues were also a major concern according to InterContinental Hotels Group Dubai Festival City executive chef Geoff Haviland.

"[We have] several open-plan kitchens and the operational equipment plays a major part in the restaurant, so if any of these show-kitchen items break down, it has a more dramatic effect on the guest experience than if it occurred in a closed kitchen."