04. Joey Ghazal
Canadian/Lebanese
Founder & Managing Partner, The MAINE Oyster Bar & Grill
Ghazal has developed dozens of popular restaurant and bar concepts across two continents. In 2015, the gastropreneur founded the Maine Oyster Bar & Grill at The DoubleTree Hilton JBR. He is now developing more Maine New England brasseries in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, scheduled for 2018. Ghazal’s company FighterBrands launched Barbary Deli + Cocktail Club at TRYP by Wyndham in Barsha Heights, transforming an undesirable location into a landmark dining experience. Ghazal is keen on tipping the market towards mid-sized, affordable home-grown concepts, placing importance on value and detail.
Ghazal wants to encourage hotel owners to create smaller leasable outlets to encourage younger entrepreneurs to open their own F&B ventures.
In 2018, Ghazal looks forward to growing the licensed premium casual brasserie category in the UAE and to tip the regional market towards mid-market and value-driven propositions. He aims to continue encouraging more young entrepreneurs to create home-grown concepts of their own in a market that is currently flooded with high-end international franchises and celebrity chef imports.
NUMBERS GAME...
Number of years in the F&B industry: 18
Staff: 120
Number of years working in the Middle East: 06
Coming soon: The Maine Abu Dhabi opening January 2018, The Maine Brasserie, Business Bay, Dubai in September 2018
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