The Address Dubai Mall: a dining destination?

 Following the opening of The Address Dubai mall, Caterer Middle East speaks to the property‘s F&B director Domenico Iannone about the outlets, who they are targeted at and why there are no challenges on to horizon

What appealed to you about joining The Address Dubai Mall project?

This is my fourth year in the Middle East; I spent over three years in Oman, and prior to that I was in London for a long time, prior to that in Switzerland and Italy. So I’ve been around for a while!

The big appeal regarding this project was the fact that it wasn’t a company which was up-and-running yet, so you had to do everything from scratch: to work on policies and procedures, on standards, to build up the brand and be part of a company that’s growing.

When I joined we had one-and-a-half hotels and now, a year down the line, we have five. And to be a part of building that is a great honour.

We are the ones who have laid the foundations for this brand.

How did this opening compare to others you’ve been involved with?

I have done one major pre-opening before in Oman, at Shangri-La’s Barr Al Jissah Resort and Spa; that was 780 rooms and 18 food and beverage outlets.

But this one was far greater by comparison, because we had the opportunity to start from scratch. We had the opportunity to build our OS&E from scratch, decide what style of service, what style of outlets we wanted. We could do whatever — it was an F&B director’s dream! It’s alike being a painter — you have a blank canvas and it’s up to you and your imagination as to how things will turn out.

That doesn’t happen with established brands; the corporate office will even choose your crockery.

So it was great to be so ‘hands-on’ — being so involved means that you invest a lot of yourself in the project and it becomes very close to your heart.

Cabana (The Address Dubai Mall’s pool-side lounge) versus Calabar (The Address Downtown’s pool-side lounge): what differentiates these propositions?

They are actually two very different offerings; they might look slightly similar, but they have different focuses.

Then focus in Cabana is much less on the venue, as it is in Calabar. It’s on the food, the service, the drinks; we’re really aiming to sell many more drinks that they do in Calabar.

I love Calabar, it’s a great venue, but they’re less about cocktails and more about wines and spirits and so on.

We want to create a very different ambience, with the DJ, the barbeques, the themes night; and along with the beverage offering and the service, that’s what will make it very different.

It’s a relaxed place where people can go to be comfortable, and will trust the bartenders to make them a decent cocktail.

Who exactly will you be targeting as your customer base — mainly shoppers?

We’re trying to appeal to a broad variety of clientele.

We have five outlets here, and they will allow us to attract different crowds. And even in the same outlet, we have the flexibility to accommodate different kinds of people.

So people who come here for the dining experience, not just shoppers and in-house guests.
 

What do you anticipate will be the biggest challenge for your F&B team, going forward?

At this stage, I’m far too positive to see any challenges!

We have just opened, we have a great team — and I try to tell them that and thank them for their efforts on a daily basis. It’s when staff feel appreciated that they give more back.

Let’s just say there are no challenges as such; just opportunities.