Dubai Mall is one example of the food court phenomenon, seeing a boost for independent F&B outlets in a traditionally hotel-dominated region. Dubai Mall is one example of the food court phenomenon, seeing a boost for independent F&B outlets in a traditionally hotel-dominated region.


“It is often a last resort for many young men and women, who only enter the industry as a temporary arrangement until they find a ‘real’ job.

“We try our best to invest in our employees through training and proper career development paths, which keeps most of our staff members motivated to excel and move up in the ranks.”

Meanwhile Al Tayer Trends’ Holroyd said although newcomer Caffe Nero had not faced any particular challenges pertaining to brand response, he appreciated that “in the current environment, customers are more discerning about where they spend their money”.

“As a result, the emphasis now, more than ever, is on value-for-money and a strong quality offering,” he said.

“The team’s endeavour at all times is to ensure that the entire customer experience at Caffe Nero is a very pleasant one; ensuring that our coffee is made perfectly every time and that our food is fresh and made to our exacting standards.”

It seems that things are looking bright for independent operators, with companies remaining upbeat, taking a positive attitude towards expansion and spreading that attitude across the market.

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But what does the future hold for the aggressively-expanding independent names?

Casper & Gambini's Maalouf says the brand will “grow more, in more locations and more countries”.

“Our mission is to expand our unique all-day restaurant-café concepts worldwide,” he revealed.

“As a holding company, we will grow within the F&B industry with more unique and successful concepts.”

L’aroma’s Montassir said the Egyptian brand would “strive to stay one step ahead of its competitors” in future.

“Moving forward, we will continue to invest in our food offering, in order to customise it to the needs of our customers.

“We have several new initiatives in the food area that we are hoping to launch in the near future,” he added.

Al Tayer Trends’ Holroyd said Caffe Nero would continue to expand to KSA and other GCC markets in the near future.

“Caffe Nero plans to open at least 50 stores across the GCC over the next five years,” he revealed.

“Ensuring good customer experience will continue to be our priority, but menu innovation and encouraging home-grown musical talent are some extra elements that you can expect from Caffe Nero.”

There is clearly a lot to look out for from these operators — and many more besides.

And it is this kind of forward-thinking and proactive attitude that will raise the Middle East F&B market up sooner rather than later.