Creating a destination
Speaking about operators and giving entrepreneurs a chance in the F&B space, Broad asserted that the industry needs to figure out how to get “entrepreneurial flair back into the market”. He continued: “I work in Kuwait and the entrepreneurial flair is still there. They can create great brands and build them in areas that you think are downmarket. They go in there and create this new area to go to — where would you do that in Dubai? There’s no space and it’s too expensive to do.”
Figjam head of F&B operations Danio Von Lutterotti agreed with Broad and added that the entry barrier is too high.
Banks pointed out that the last example of what Broad is referring to happened in Dubai’s Al Quoz district. “To your point, the last natural entrepreneurial hub was Al Quoz. It happened organically, and now the big developers have seen it and tried to do it,” she said.
There are opportunities, only if entrepreneurs looked harder, asserted Ghazal, who firmly stated that it’s possible to find gaps in the market, with areas that are still under-serviced. In agreement with him was The First Group director of global food & beverage Duncan Fraser-Smith, who commented that concept creators are not being ‘forced’ to pay AED600 per square foot. There are, he claimed, spaces out there to be utilised, showcasing the inventiveness of the Media One Hotel team, which has leased out space to Q43, which converts its carpark into a house-party venue, and other such initiatives. “There are ways to boost the industry and create new concepts and ideas,” added Fraser-Smith.
Banks circled back to the point about developers and said these organisations are doing their bit to create what she terms “Destination Dubai”. She continued: “They are building Destination Dubai, and it’s very successful from a development point of view. The issue is just that there are not enough people to fill them all for every unit in these developments to be successful.”
Maadad agreed, but countered: “We should be part of that process, and we should be supported, because while we are small players, we are helping to put the destination on the map. I don’t think that’s being acknowledged.”
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