“Everyone is more about simplicity than going to five-star restaurants these days. No fuss and really good food that has not been messed with or is pretending to be something it’s not. Transparency and simplicity is what’s really going on right now, and that’s what we’ve always been about.”
On the topic of volumes when comparing retail sales, office sales, and catering and events, Al Jayouchi says it is important that the business maintains balance: “Whenever we see a percentage dominating, we try to even it out — if we are too dependent on retail sales, for example, we will push events.”
The company’s business model has evolved over the past decade as it has grown to incorporate Croft and Al Jayouchi’s ambitions. “In the beginning we started off by supplying gas stations and then we evolved into office sales before going into into Spinneys, followed by Waitrose. The first restaurant we opened was 1762 in DIFC. Events and catering has grown organically. [Overall] we have mainly grown through word of mouth rather than advertising,” Croft shares.
Appetite started with four sandwiches and four salads; now it offers about 72 items. “It’s interesting to see how the dishes have evolved over that time. People started asking for pastries, meals and desserts, and we always listen to the market. I don’t know if you ever stop looking for new ideas and listening to what people want,” says Al Jayouchi, who credits his wife with being the brains behind the food.
Croft introduces new products quarterly, with a nod to the seasons, and takes the approach of complementing, rather than overhauling, the existing menu. “People have their favourites and when we remove items we receive emails asking what happened,” she notes.
The business has received franchising interest from people wanting to export the concept, but Al Jayouchi says he is wary of jumping into unfamiliar markets. Perhaps that could change though as he observes a growing curiosity in the Dubai F&B scene.
“Exporting concepts from Dubai to Europe is becoming more interesting and you’re going to see a lot more home-grown products expanding in this way in the coming 10 to 15 years. Dubai is very innovative and there are a lot of good people here making the most of opportunities. Europe is saturated in terms of creativity and you can see a lot of people coming here [from Europe], seeing niche concepts that are unavailable there,” he foresees.
On the ease of doing business in the UAE, he believes it is straightforward if you know what you’re doing. “Ten years in, we still face hurdles but you don’t come up against a wall [with no flexibility]. It is expensive but where isn’t? It would cost more in Europe. You just need to talk to the right people and have the right questions,” he reasons.
Croft concurs, stating: “Dubai is amazing if you have entrepreneurial spirit, a good idea and you see a gap in the market. It’s definitely fun but it’s been a lot of hard work. Nothing comes easy so you need to have a strong work ethic — F&B is hard work.”
With plans to “slowly but surely” branch out into Abu Dhabi, and the probability of more Dubai outlets in the future, it doesn't seem like the hard work will be easing anytime soon, but, as Al Jayouchi notes with out time drawing to a close: “This is the nature of the business.”
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