When it comes to restaurants in Dubai there is no shortage of dining options. Whether you crave haute cuisine or pub grub, or anything in between, the emirate has it all.
Even during the pandemic the sector continued to expand.
In February 2019 there were 11,813 restaurants in Dubai, but by January this year that number had swelled to more than 20,000, according to Dubai Municipality.
Fashions change fast and turnover in the industry is high, as new food trends are quickly introduced to the market.
Last year, 1,303 new food establishments opened in Dubai – that boils down to a rate of 3.5 eateries per day.
But what does it take to open and run a successful restaurant?
The National spoke to food and beverage experts for their tips on how to open a successful restaurant in Dubai.
1. Constantly re-engineering menus
Dubai's residents are fickle, and the restaurant market reflects the constant hunger for new trends.
Gabrielle Mather, chief executive and founder of UAE food consultancy Restaurant Secrets, said menus must be re-engineered every three to six months if they are to stay relevant.
"To draw inspiration from all over the world – restaurant owners need to get the right talent on board, including Michelin-starred chefs and creative mixologists," Ms Mather said.
Naim Maadad, the founder of Gates Hospitality and owner of restaurants such as Reform Social and Grill and folly by Nick and Scott, said it is important to stay focused on what your restaurant offers to the market.
"An effective method to keeping your brands popular is to have regular activations and collaborations. It's also essential to have smart social media, good marketing and media strategy management."
A food and beverage consultant can help to develop crowd-drawing dishes and signature menus, although as the owner of several restaurants, Mr Maadad has his own professional team.
2. Budget for staff training
Staff turnover in restaurants is high and managers frequently poach the best people from each other.
To keep up standards, restaurateurs need to constantly train their people.
Not factoring these costs into your budget can leave you with a serious problem, Ms Mather said.
Staffing costs are particularly high in the UAE where employers are responsible for visas, health care, accommodation and even transport to the workplace.
Mr Maadad, who runs several restaurants in Dubai and Australia and the Six Senses Zighy Bay resort in Oman, said restaurateurs need to incentivise their staff to stay loyal.
"You need to ensure you're fair, and treat your staff equally. Empathy is important, as is development and training," he said.
"We create career progression plans for our staff, and we make sure everyone feels like they're part of the team."
3. Take waste management seriously
The UAE is one of the worst countries in the world when it comes to per capita waste generation.
About 38 per cent of the food prepared every day in Dubai goes in the bin, and in past years this figure jumped to about 60 per cent during Ramadan, according to Dubai Carbon.
Decomposing food emits methane gas, which is reportedly 25 times more damaging to the environment than CO2.
Food waste is also bad for the bottom line, but an experienced team will ensure no dirham is wasted, Mr Maadad said.
"If you hire professionals, they will believe in your brand, and feel a sense of belonging. What's more, they'll consistently enforce your standards effectively and efficiently."
Too many restaurants do not have waste management systems in place, Ms Mather said.
A strong handle on inventory control is necessary to ensure expensive steak does not end up in the rubbish.
Experienced restaurateurs use a just-in-time inventory system that enables chefs to receive goods as close as possible to when they are actually needed – a must-have in the current unpredictable market.
4. Invest in Instagram marketing
There is a reason that the words 'Dubai' and 'Instagram' go hand in hand – that is because marketing on the platform is more effective in the emirate than almost anywhere else in the world.
A restaurant's social media account is crucial to positioning the brand and communicating with customers, and needs to be taken seriously, Ms Mather said.
"This is why budgeting for a social media expert with the relevant skills is of serious importance," she said.
"Invest in a good quality camera for those high-definition shots and start building top-notch content.
"A lot of consumers decide on where to dine while scrolling through their feed so make sure you stand out."
5. Choose your kitchen and contractors very, very carefully
Any restaurateur planning to open a high-quality restaurant on schedule needs to prepare to pay a premium, Ms Mather said.
"As with any project, shaving money off costs by going with a cheaper contractor will only cost more in the long run", she said.
Delayed openings are not uncommon in Dubai, but hold-ups can be avoided by tendering out the build contract and asking for references.
Restaurant owners should make sure they check their contractor's previous work, because the fit-out of food and beverage units can be very different from other projects.
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
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Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
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Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
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Available: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Teaching your child to save
Pre-school (three - five years)
You can’t yet talk about investing or borrowing, but introduce a “classic” money bank and start putting gifts and allowances away. When the child wants a specific toy, have them save for it and help them track their progress.
Early childhood (six - eight years)
Replace the money bank with three jars labelled ‘saving’, ‘spending’ and ‘sharing’. Have the child divide their allowance into the three jars each week and explain their choices in splitting their pocket money. A guide could be 25 per cent saving, 50 per cent spending, 25 per cent for charity and gift-giving.
Middle childhood (nine - 11 years)
Open a bank savings account and help your child establish a budget and set a savings goal. Introduce the notion of ‘paying yourself first’ by putting away savings as soon as your allowance is paid.
Young teens (12 - 14 years)
Change your child’s allowance from weekly to monthly and help them pinpoint long-range goals such as a trip, so they can start longer-term saving and find new ways to increase their saving.
Teenage (15 - 18 years)
Discuss mutual expectations about university costs and identify what they can help fund and set goals. Don’t pay for everything, so they can experience the pride of contributing.
Young adulthood (19 - 22 years)
Discuss post-graduation plans and future life goals, quantify expenses such as first apartment, work wardrobe, holidays and help them continue to save towards these goals.
* JP Morgan Private Bank
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Gothia Cup 2025
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1,942 teams
116 pitches
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What is dialysis?
Dialysis is a way of cleaning your blood when your kidneys fail and can no longer do the job.
It gets rid of your body's wastes, extra salt and water, and helps to control your blood pressure. The main cause of kidney failure is diabetes and hypertension.
There are two kinds of dialysis — haemodialysis and peritoneal.
In haemodialysis, blood is pumped out of your body to an artificial kidney machine that filter your blood and returns it to your body by tubes.
In peritoneal dialysis, the inside lining of your own belly acts as a natural filter. Wastes are taken out by means of a cleansing fluid which is washed in and out of your belly in cycles.
It isn’t an option for everyone but if eligible, can be done at home by the patient or caregiver. This, as opposed to home haemodialysis, is covered by insurance in the UAE.
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies direct from Dubai to Rio de Janeiro from Dh7,000 return including taxes. Avianca fliles from Rio to Cusco via Lima from $399 (Dhxx) return including taxes.
The trip
From US$1,830 per deluxe cabin, twin share, for the one-night Spirit of the Water itinerary and US$4,630 per deluxe cabin for the Peruvian Highlands itinerary, inclusive of meals, and beverages. Surcharges apply for some excursions.
RESULT
Bournemouth 0 Southampton 3 (Djenepo (37', Redmond 45' 1, 59')
Man of the match Nathan Redmond (Southampton)
Racecard
6.35pm: American Business Council – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
7.10pm: British Business Group – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,200m
7.45pm: CCI France UAE – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,400m
8.20pm: Czech Business Council – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh105,000 (D) 1,400m
8.55pm: Netherlands Business Council – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,600m
9.30pm: Indian Business and Professional Council – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,200m
Company Profile
Company name: NutriCal
Started: 2019
Founder: Soniya Ashar
Based: Dubai
Industry: Food Technology
Initial investment: Self-funded undisclosed amount
Future plan: Looking to raise fresh capital and expand in Saudi Arabia
Total Clients: Over 50
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
Match info
Liverpool 4
Salah (19'), Mane (45 2', 53'), Sturridge (87')
West Ham United 0
The cost of Covid testing around the world
Egypt
Dh514 for citizens; Dh865 for tourists
Information can be found through VFS Global.
Jordan
Dh212
Centres include the Speciality Hospital, which now offers drive-through testing.
Cambodia
Dh478
Travel tests are managed by the Ministry of Health and National Institute of Public Health.
Zanzibar
AED 295
Zanzibar Public Health Emergency Operations Centre, located within the Lumumba Secondary School compound.
Abu Dhabi
Dh85
Abu Dhabi’s Seha has test centres throughout the UAE.
UK
From Dh400
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F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Company profile
Date started: December 24, 2018
Founders: Omer Gurel, chief executive and co-founder and Edebali Sener, co-founder and chief technology officer
Based: Dubai Media City
Number of employees: 42 (34 in Dubai and a tech team of eight in Ankara, Turkey)
Sector: ConsumerTech and FinTech
Cashflow: Almost $1 million a year
Funding: Series A funding of $2.5m with Series B plans for May 2020
Essentials
The flights
Etihad (etihad.ae) and flydubai (flydubai.com) fly direct to Baku three times a week from Dh1,250 return, including taxes.
The stay
A seven-night “Fundamental Detox” programme at the Chenot Palace (chenotpalace.com/en) costs from €3,000 (Dh13,197) per person, including taxes, accommodation, 3 medical consultations, 2 nutritional consultations, a detox diet, a body composition analysis, a bio-energetic check-up, four Chenot bio-energetic treatments, six Chenot energetic massages, six hydro-aromatherapy treatments, six phyto-mud treatments, six hydro-jet treatments and access to the gym, indoor pool, sauna and steam room. Additional tests and treatments cost extra.
AUSTRALIA SQUADS
ODI squad: Aaron Finch (captain), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa
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PROFILE BOX:
Company/date started: 2015
Founder/CEO: Rami Salman, Rishav Jalan, Ayush Chordia
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Technology, Sales, Voice, Artificial Intelligence
Size: (employees/revenue) 10/ 100,000 downloads
Stage: 1 ($800,000)
Investors: Eight first-round investors including, Beco Capital, 500 Startups, Dubai Silicon Oasis, Hala Fadel, Odin Financial Services, Dubai Angel Investors, Womena, Arzan VC
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
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