Khoury says the restaurant area seats 190 people but could have seated many more: “We have space for a minimum of 300 people sitting but we spread out the tables. Play is like a social club and when people go to restaurants they don’t like people next to them to be in on their conversation. Here they feel more relaxed — our aim is to make sure that people feel at home when they come here.
“We are a very friendly team and all the team training is geared towards creating a very friendly atmosphere.”
With regards to Play's team, Petrus says that one or two people were brought in from other countries but mainly management looked closer to home.
“We recruited quite a few that had worked with us before and it’s quite a young management team because I wanted a team I could develop — to give them the chance for to be promoted from within. A lot of people start work and there’s no real progression, so we wanted to create an environment where no matter which level you come in at, there’s room for progression.”
Asked about their backgrounds and experience, he reveals: “Our staff come from a myriad of environments, from restaurant to lounge to late night venues, because Play is so multifaceted and we needed to have different characters and skillsets to make the place work.”
Training the team has been an integral part of getting Play ready to launch and Petrus says he has high expectations of his staff members in terms of their ability to deliver a high-end guest experience.
“There are restaurants where after the chef has spent a massive amount of time preparing a dish, the waiter simply puts it down. For us, the waiters need to know the ingredients and details of the dish as well as the chefs do, so that the menu and product knowledge is there.
“There are a lot of people who sit down at dinner and want to ask questions and at least then our waiters can speak about it. Reif spends a lot of time on the food so he wants it to get to the table with the same love he uses to prepare it. There needs to be a love of the product and a total understanding [of the concept and cuisine],” Petrus says.
Reif is, of course, Reif Othman, ex-regional executive chef of Zuma Restaurants for Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Istanbul, who also oversaw Miami and Hong Kong operations.
Asked what attracted him to leave a well-established brand for a start-up venture, he reveals: “I can do whatever I want here and I can try new things. I can do what the market likes — that’s my main focus — and spread my wings.
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