No longer can outlets offer a ‘buy one, get one free’ deal and watch the punters pour in; times have changed and today customers are demanding serious value add-ons from their dining-out experience
The Middle East has become synonymous with offering a huge range of dining options for hungry consumers — but until recently, it was really all about the meal.
Now, that is all changing thanks to a growing number of ‘value-added’ F&B concepts that are making an appearance.
Ranging from glittering cabaret performances like Cirque de Soleil to themed restaurants offering live music, consumers are frequently being offered more than just the meal.
The recent Dubai Summer Surprises shopping festival saw Dubai Festival Centre bring one of the world’s most famous venues to the UAE — The Spiegel Tent.
The resulting show, House of Illusions, offered an evening of magic, surprises, comedy and live music for the whole family, served up along with a three-course meal.
According to Henry Dyer, managing director of show caterers Dish Catering and Events, the combination of the meal and show provided “a point of difference”.
“It added value and made it an entire evening,” he explained.
But taking on such a project is not for the faint-hearted, said Dyer.
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“The show was devised and directed by a guy called Derek Scott, who’s worked around the world in the entertainment industry. Derek had a plan in his mind of where in the performance he wanted food breaks to be.
“We spent two weeks just getting the timings right — cues, waiters walking in and out, Madonna-style head-sets, getting the food in and out at the right time. The amount of preparation that went into it was huge,” he said.
Another notable value-added F&B concept to hit the region in recent months was Dinner in the Sky, whereby up to 22 diners can enjoy a meal at a table suspended from a crane at a height of around 50 metres, with the chef, waiter and entertainer in the centre of the structure.
German firm Mindset Media came across the concept, invented by Belgian David Ghysels, back in 2005, and introduced the innovative experience to the Middle East last year.
The group’s Middle East chief executive Mazen Maskati explained: “Mindset Media Bahrain was created and in 2008 we teamed up with our Dubai partner Sean Keith at Event Horizon to bring this wonderful concept to the local market.
“Spring 2009 has been very successful for us, with our operation in Dubai,” he added.
“At the moment, we operate at The Walk, JBR. But from October 2009, we will start the world’s first permanent restaurant of its kind and will be located at the Habtoor Grand Resort and Spa on the beachfront. It’s a fabulous location that allows our guests to have a full view of the city and another spectacular view of the beachfront.”
Another inventive new concept to hit the region is L’atelier des Chefs — a cooking school where customers can be taught to cook a meal, then eat it.
The group’s chief executive and founder Nicholas Bergerault said the concept was “tailor-made for those who wanted to acquire culinary skills, impress their fellow diners and to be their own chef in the kitchen”.
“More than a cooking school, L’atelier des Chefs highlights cuisine as a lifestyle, where the concept relies on three core values: learning, sharing and eating,” he added.
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