Taste of France

In light of trading conditions in Dubai this year, several hotels have boldly repositioned their signature restaurants. The culinary experts at Park Hyatt Dubai reveal the reasoning behind Traiteur’s relaunch as a French brasserie

Prior to relaunching on October 1, 2009 as a French brasserie, Traiteur at Park Hyatt Dubai was a “modern European restaurant with French influences”, according to the hotel’s director of food and beverage Michael Allegria.

Now, with a “passionate and open-minded” French chef heading up the outlet, the focus is much more on providing French cuisine in a French atmosphere, rather than merely drawing upon some elements of the country’s cuisine.

With 12 years’ experience working in French restaurants for various French chefs, new chef de cuisine Franck Detrait describes his menu as “revisited traditional”.

To explain exactly what this means — and to find out why lowering prices was an important part of the relaunch strategy — Hotelier Middle East caught the hotel’s culinary team in action.

Franck Detrait
Chef de cuisine Traiteur

What influences from your 12 years’ experience did you draw upon in creating the new menu at Traiteur?

My 12 years’ experience allows me to have a strong basis [for menu creation]. The Traiteur menu is a combination of all the French courses that I have attended, where I learnt how to prepare a variety of cuisine from diverse backgrounds.

Were there any particular ingredients that were hard to source?

I had to bring with me from France some products like the “jasmin essence” to constitute one of my main dishes, however, everything is easy to find in Dubai — it is just a question of the time it takes for delivery.

You describe your cuisine as “revisited traditional”. What does this mean?

I inspire myself through French traditional backgrounds and different sources, and then I try to mix the tastes to discover a perfect harmony between the ingredients — for example, “micuit” smoked salmon with the mango and passion fruit condiments.

And how have you translated your knowledge of French cuisine and French brasseries into creating the appropriate ambience at Traiteur?

Thanks to my background and experience, I have developed a “savoir faire” from the Parisian’s most famous places that enables me, with some facility, to reconstruct the same spirit and atmosphere at Traiteur.

This is your first role outside of France; how does working as a chef in Dubai differ from working as a chef in France?

Indeed, it is different because I deal with multicultural staff in Dubai, to whom I need to introduce the French ethics in cooking. However, I am very pleased with my team — they wish to learn from me and are very motivated by this new challenge.

How many people are there on your team and as a young chef, what is your approach to team management?

I have 12 people in my brigade from the commis to the sous chef. I have had the opportunity to manage different teams throughout my previous jobs and I applied these skills with this new adventure in Traiteur.

How would you say consumers have responded to the relaunch of Traiteur over the past month?

I have been in this position for one month and so far I have received good comments and feedback from the clients. In saying that, I am open-minded to all criticism I receive as it permits me to better satisfy the client’s needs and expectations.

Where would you like to see Traiteur in 12 months time?

Traiteur restaurant will be the place to be seen on the Dubai dining calendar. I see Traiteur as a classy and stylish restaurant with a French soul, good French cuisine and with an open kitchen that enables me to share my passion with my clients.

Please outline your career background?

I began my journey in F&B with my enrollment at Johnson & Wales University, which is one of the top schools in culinary arts and hospitality management in the US. After working a few years in New York with another international hotel brand, I began my career with Hyatt Hotels for the opening and re-branding of The Stanhope Hotel — a Park Hyatt hotel in New York. After working with Hyatt Hotels in cities such as Miami, Shanghai and Seoul, I began my current assignment at Park Hyatt Dubai.

How would you define Traiteur prior to the relaunch?

[It was] a modern European restaurant with French influences.

Why did you take the decision to reposition the outlet?

We saw there was an opportunity for Traiteur to establish itself in a new market segment that had a strong growth potential within Dubai.

The physical appearance of the restaurant did not change: did you find it challenging to do a relaunch without a physical revamp?

The design and ambiance of Traiteur is still very unique and, after four years, very impressive in comparison to our competitors, so we decided to make minor changes regarding the table top and style of service.

What else did you find challenging during the relaunch?

Four years in Dubai is a very long time in the life of a restaurant and managing our guests’ perceptions is our biggest challenge.

How many covers did Traiteur take from October 1 to November 1?

Through the positive response of our new chef and French brasserie concept, we have enjoyed a substantial growth from the beginning of the year to date.

Do you feel that without a celebrity chef restaurant, it is hard for upscale luxury properties like Park Hyatt to compete when it comes to fine dining?

Our direction for Traiteur has never been to compete with the celebrity chef market. The restaurant should stand alone on reputation through the excellent skills and knowledge of the chef, through good quality and through the fresh ingredients used and its good service.

What is your view of fine dining restaurants in Dubai generally?

Over the past two to three years, more and more fine dining restaurants have begun to appear.

We believe our restaurants offer the best value-for-money experience in Dubai with regards to food, service and ambiance. The label of “fine dining” is not essential to being a successful restaurant and often time limits the range of guests which patronise your restaurant.

And what is your view of French restaurants in Dubai?

There is a strong presence in the fine dining segment, but there is great opportunity for growth in the mid-range market, where we believe we can carve out a nice niche.

What is the outlook from your perspective for the hotel F&B industry in 2010?

I believe that we will have a better idea once the fourth quarter of 2009 comes to a close, but our direction in the New Year remains similar to 2009, and that is to offer our guests a second-to-none dining experience at great value for money.

Please can you briefly outline your career background?

I have been in my current role for the past two years. Prior to this, I spent 15 years working in Michelin-star restaurants in Germany and France.

As executive chef, what considerations do you take into account when deciding to relaunch a restaurant?

Key points to consider are:
• Modification of the menu; must be simple to read and to understand
• Being very focused on the quality of the produce
• Maintaining a strong customer focus with existing guests and targeting new and repeat guests
• Offering value for money

Why is it so important to have a French chef for a French brasserie?

It gives a great atmosphere if a French chef in his restaurant approaches your table and recommends particular dishes or the menu of the day. French dining in modern surrounds is quite unique in Dubai.

How has the price point of the restaurant changed with the relaunch?

Due to the new direction of the restaurant from Modern European to French Brasserie, the menu and the products have changed, which I would say is approximately a 20% reduction on the fine dining concept that Traiteur used to be.

Do you think that the trend for consumers to look for better value for money when dining out is now here to stay?

The value for money we are offering in this kind of atmosphere will definitely attract our regular guests and encourage them to visit more often, and it should appeal to a new customer base. Traiteur will be their new favorite French brasserie restaurant in the region.

How will the repositioning of Traiteur help boost Park Hyatt Dubai’s reputation in Dubai’s dining scene?

With the Traiteur brunch, we have already created a unique dining experience and client base in Dubai. I hope the reputation of the brunch will help us in establishing Traiteur brasserie as a great option to join for dinner as well.

Across your food and beverage outlets, how have you strived to keep food costs down in 2009?

We have maintained the high standards, no compromise on quality. We obviously have adjusted the volume of food in accordance to hotel occupancy and restaurant reservations.

What initiatives have you introduced across outlets to drive revenue and increase covers?

Initiatives include:
• Café Arabesque: buffets nights on a Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (AED 169 (US $46) for food and soft beverages)
• Various brunch deals offered in all of the outlets.
• Themed nights at The Terrace.
We work with our partners to drive traffic by offering value-adds, such as special offers for MMI guests, discounts for Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club members in the outlets, special offers in partnership with credit card companies, our loyalty programme Dine In by Hyatt, and special packages for guests.

What are your plans for boosting business in 2010?

[I would like Park Hyatt] to be always a favourite dining destination for all people who are loving great and authentic food at reasonable prices.