Nick Hancock, bar development manager — licensed division for Emirates Leisure Retail (ELR), talks us through the new look of a long-time favourite on the Dubai bar scene: Left Bank at Madinat Jumeirah.
Tell us about the recent refurbishment of Left Bank, Madinat Jumeirah.
| Advertisement |
Left Bank has basically undergone a complete facelift.
The objective was to stick to our tag line of ‘Lounge Bar Dining’, retaining the character and feel that made it such a success over the years. So we have kept much of the original design but renewed the furniture, floors, ceiling and bar — essentially giving it a welcoming and fresh new face.
The main modifications include the incorporation of several booth seating sections, the extension of the bar to provide more service points and a refit of the entire bar equipment and stainless steel work stations. You’ll also notice a number of new wall mounted features.
Why did you decide to revamp this outlet?
After five very busy years, the venue has taken a bit of a beating and it deserved a fresh face for all its hard work!
We’ve opened four other Left Banks during that period, all with their own features, so we’ve incorporated elements of the more recent ones to keep the contemporary brand standard.
What ambience are you aiming to create with the new look?
The idea is to keep Left Bank, Madinat Jumeirah as an exceptional place to go out in the evening, to drink Dubai’s finest selection of cocktails with friends and to enjoy award-winning food, all within a modern and stylish environment.
As I mentioned, we wanted to keep the character and feel that was there before but with a fresh face — this was important, as it had to remain suitably in-place within the Madinat itself.
How much of an impact did the refurbishment have on business?
We managed to complete the entire refit within 12 days over Ramadan, reopening in time for the Eid break.
The work has enabled us to create extra covers inside the venue, with the incorporation of the booth seating and the move to less bulky furniture. Since opening in 2004 the number of covers has been the biggest issue for us, with the furniture limiting the number of people we could seat at any one time.
Given the current economic climate, do you think it is a wise decision for outlet operators to use this lull to refurbish their outlets?
Absolutely! There are so many new bars, restaurants and clubs opening up this year in the UAE so for us, having a venue that was five years old, we would have been a little naïve to think we could compete with all this new competition without restyling what had effectively become a worn concept.
Early indications are that the refurb has been a considerable success, with volumes returning to 2007 levels over the past month. So we’re pretty pleased!
Search our database of more than 2,700 industry companies
