caterer middle east - may 2010

Serving the region’s catering professionals May 2010 • Vol 06 • Issue 05

An ITP Business Publication | Licensed by Dubai Media City

Safe service

How is the region’s love of seafood affecting depleted global stocks?

Assessing the current status of local food safety standards

Fishy business

How hot new properties plan to get their teeth

into the F&B market

How hot new properties plan to get their teeth

HOTELS WITH BITE

Dubai 215x285.indd 1Dubai 215x285.indd 1 25-02-2010 11:02:1425-02-2010 11:02:14

ReviewsCrockery

Caterer Middle East March 2009 www.hosteliermiddleeast.com1

www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/f&b

ContentsVolume 6 Issue 05

May 2010 Caterer Middle East 01

05 NewsIndustry debates importance of language skills; franchise experts call for consisten-cy; chefs assess changing dietary habits14 Expert insightRivington Grill’s Chris Lester gets nostal-gic about comfort food from the past18 Mystery shopperEthos Consultancy reveals the true stan-dard of customer service at UAE outlets and offers advice on how to better your business20 RoundtableF&B professionals discuss the region’s progress in the battle for food safety28 Hotels with biteWhy new properties are using F&B to get their teeth into a tough market

34 Outlet showcaseThe strategy behind famed US brand Caramel’s recent launch in Dubai36 Taste of ArabiaThe growing global popularity of Arabic cuisine has got local chefs striving to maintain traditional tastes44 Show offA sneaky peek at some of the top products making an appearance at this year’s Hotel Show48 Product showcaseThe best and brightest new F&B items, from bubbly beverages to sushi stylers56 Last biteCheck out the Caterer gallery of the past month’s most exciting F&B events

28

ContentsMay 2010

34

Cover story

36

56

20

For the latest news and stories go to www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/f&b

44

48

Web contentswww.hoteliermiddleeast.com/f&b

Caterer Middle East May 2010 www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/f&b02

Online

For the latest news and stories go to www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/f&b

How to cook wasabi prawns

On camera

On a recent trip to Dubai to assist with the menu revamp for the Noodle House brand, menus, Singaporean celebrity chef Sam Leong shared his take on the classic recipe for Wasabi Prawns with Caterer Middle East.

EXCLUSIVE: BinHendi to launch original F&B outletsUAE giant BinHendi Enterprises is to expand its home-grown F&B concept portfolio with the launch of three new original brands. The group’s president, Mohi-Din BinHendi, confirmed: “One is called Takashi, one is Cakes and Bakes and one is a café concept, but we haven’t finalised the name for that one.” Mr. BinHendi also revealed that the group was on the verge of franchising its own Japengo Café brand “regionally, locally and internationally”.

Losing local identityAre western imports over-shadowing local brands?

Editor’s pick

Most popular

Foodie news in pictures

The next big F&B trends hitting the region

Video: How to cook wok-fried seafood noodles

1.2.3.

Features

An eating education Get in trainingThe ups and downs of staff training in the F&B world

Nando’s to open unique design Dubai Marina outlet

Volcanic ash impacts Middle East food deliveries

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The online home of

Why educating consumers is a sure-fire recipe for success

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News May 2010


experience at a previous property, where I sat with people who literally could not speak a word of Eng-lish, and someone else had to fill in their forms.

“Even if someone has the attitude and the skill, if they cannot speak the language it hampers their development in a certain way, and that’s not healthy for them,” she continued.

“I think the answer is to hire specifically who you want for the results you want.”

According to Naji Esta, director of F&B at Inter-Continental Abu Dhabi, fake resumes are another ongoing challenge.

“We do get a lot of fake CVs; similarly there are cases where someone will get their relative who speaks English to do the phone interview — then when they arrive you find they cannot speak the language,” he admitted.

Fairmont’s Van Reenen said hiring should come down to “more than what can be put on a piece of paper”.

“A CV might look good, but if you’re hiring for F&B, you need to meet them in person to assess their skills,” she said.

Should language skills be thedeciding factor in F&B hiring?Has ‘attitude over experience’ recruitment been overlooking basic skills?

At a grass roots level, F&B recruitment has tradi-tionally focused on finding people with the right attitude — but in the face of ongoing debates about the region’s service standards, experts have sug-gested language skills should be more of a focus.

Speaking at a recent Caterer Middle East round-table, Yas Island Rotana director of F&B Rinaldo Boscaro explained: “We run English courses in the hotel for new staff, but it takes time because they are classroom-style lessons. And some people will pick it up well, while others don’t.

“Certainly there is a commitment on the part of the student, and they love the idea of learning English — but from a professional side, we are not a school: we have a business to run.”

Boscaro added that limited language skills could also make working life difficult for the employee.

“Sometimes a member of staff will deal with a guest, they’ll pronounce something wrong, or not understand the guest’s accent, then the guest gets upset and might complain,” he said. “A new member of staff could easily be quite intimidated by that experience.”

Boscaro suggested the recruitment process should give greater weight to an applicant’s language skills.

“During my time in the industry, I’ve seen people go on recruitment trips and then been given a CV with a comment scribbled at the bottom saying ‘great smile, will be great for this and this’ — nothing about ability, experience or education,” he observed.

“Then I will inherit that person to train them. If they’ve been hired without even basic English skills, it’s not their fault — but if they cannot communicate with a customer, a great smile’s not going to help matters.”

Fairmont Bab Al Bahr F&B trainer Sandra van Reenen agreed: “Sometimes I don’t think it’s fair to bring someone on to the team who really struggles with the language. I say that from

P6 Maintain your chainSustaining brand standards must be the focus for new franchises

P6 Highlighting healthChefs say the region’s unhealthy dietary habits are due for a change

P6 Online opinionsAn insight into how the region’s kitchens maintain food safety standards

P7 Regional RhodesRenowned chef Gary Rhodes on ambitions for further regional expansion

P7 Stand and deliverSuppliers on the chal-lenges of meeting buyer demands in the region

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Story of the month

Yas Island Rotana’s Rinaldo Boscaro.

NewsMay 2010


Franchisers must focus on consistencyExpert operators advise budding franchisees to focus on maintaining original standards of the brand

Operators looking to franchise their F&B brands further afield must focus on striking a balance between standardisation and character, experts have advised.

Thomas Klein Group managing partner Daniel During emphasised this balance ap-plied to product as well as service standards.

“A lot of franchised concepts start well then try cutting costs, thereby affecting the end-product; this must stop,” he insisted.

Mohi-Din BinHendi, president of estab-lished franchise operator BinHendi Enter-prises, agreed: “It’s very important to keep standards high as far as food is concerned.

“Alain Ducasse once told me ‘there is no trick to good food — you just have to buy

Unhealthy habits set to slim down?The region’s chefs have

emphasised the need for healthier consumer eating habits in the Middle East.

Commenting on the UAE’s status as the country with the third highest diabetes rate in the world, Renaissance Dubai Hotel director of F&B Andreas Kurfürst explained: “The prevalence here is still on sugary or heavy foods, laden with butter or ghee. Obesity is also a problem.

“I think because the Middle Eastern countries are still young in comparison with western cultures (which they are copying

in many ways), the eating culture is still lagging be-hind western knowledge and eating habits,” he asserted.

“Fortunately, this is slowly changing; with more aware-ness and education, it will turn around, but this will take time.”

Fouad Melhem, general manager of Al Diar Siji Ho-tel and Siji Hotel Apart-ments, Fujairah, pointed out

that although traditional Middle East diets had been very healthy, featur-ing a lot of grains, grilled fish and vegetables, the

speedy glo-balisation of certain areas had a significant impact.

“If we

talk about the Gulf, there is a large number of expatri-ates here who have brought different eating habits with them,” he noted.

“This, plus the fast-paced modernisation of this part of the region, have created significant changes in food consumption trends.

“Plus the availability of ‘junk food’ has seen a large percentage of the population consuming processed foods.

“However there is a new trend coming through,” Melhem continued. “Due to increasing awareness about health and well-being, people are becoming inter-ested in quality produce and improving eating habits.

“The question now is, which group is bigger and which is growing faster.”

BinHendi Enterprises’ Mohi-Din BinHendi.

We are HACCP certified.

We are ISO certified.

We use MenuSafe.

We are in the process of obtaining accreditation.

We use our own in-house health and safety guidelines.

52%

14%

4%

What health & safety measures are practised in your outlet kitchens?

the best ingredients’. In the food business, whatever the style of offering, you should never cut corners with cheaper materials.”

BinHendi added that market research was also key to a successful franchise roll-out.

Ultimately, he continued, giving the con-sumer what they want while “consistently maintaining the offering” across all future franchises should be the central focus.

More Café and Intelligent Foods manag-ing partner Marijke Lap suggested: “Ensure you do not deviate from your original con-cept by putting emphasis on training.

“You need to create an atmosphere where the franchise outlets are run 100% similar to the first right from the start.”

Renaissance’s Andreas Kurfürst.

14%

16%

News

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Making Rhodes into the Middle EastCelebrity chef Gary Rhodes has revealed he may soon look to ex-pand his Middle East restaurant empire outside Dubai.

In an exclusive interview with Caterer Middle East, Rhodes commented: “Would I like to spread further afield? Of course I would; we’ll have to wait and see how things go.

“I have to say though, Dubai has really whet my appetite. Who wouldn’t want to live out here? It’s got wonderful people, it’s warm, it’s welcoming — just about everyone I bump into here has a great spirit, and I love this country.”

The renowned British chef ’s second restaurant in Dubai, Rhodes Twenty10 — a steak-house concept “with a new twist” — is slated to open at Le Royal Méridien near Dubai Marina this summer.

Suppliers focus on delivery detailsAfter a volcanic ash cloud halted flights — and food imports — last month, F&B suppliers will be more aware than ever that their own operations must run

In brief

of-stock’ situation — something which seems to be rather com-mon in this part of the world!”

Bakery goods supplier Aramtec’s food service manager, Hossam Shabayk, added that it was essential for suppliers in the region to stay on their toes and be able to deal with any problems instantly.

“The challenges facing sup-pliers in the Middle East range from the heat in summer to lack of storage space in hotels to the highly competitive mar-ket we live in,” he pointed out.

“To overcome these problems you have to keep on top of things, be extremely efficient regarding deliveries, and ensure that you maintain the correct conditions in transport and stor-age facilities.”Heidi Chef’s Manuel-Yves Eckert.

flawlessly, so as to be prepared for any natural delays.

Heidi Chef Solutions general manager Manuel-Yves Eckert Eckert noted: “The long lead-times from overseas sometimes make it difficult for suppliers in this region to respond instantly to spontaneous demands.

“We make sure we plan our supply chain and stock level in the best possible way, to ensure we are not faced with an ‘out-

Rhodes: expanding regional presence?

8

May 2010

News analysis


The Middle East has traditionally harvested plenty from the sea, making fish and shellfish a popular part of modern diets.

But today, overfishing and lack of knowledge — or in some cases a blatant disregard for environmental protection — have brought many regional favourites to the brink of extinction.

Emirates Wildlife Society in association with WWF (EWS—WWF) is a national (UAE) environmental non-governmental or-ganisation that has been active in the UAE since 2001 with the aim of conserving natural heritage and pro-moting sustainable lifestyles.

EWS—WWF conservation officer Nessrine Alzahl-awi explained: “Overfishing is a global problem, with about 80% of the world’s fish stocks being fully ex-ploited, overexploited, depleted or recovering from depletion, according to the UN’s Food and Agricul-ture Organization (FAO).

“But this is also a local problem: stock assess-ment show that eight important commercial species are being taken out well beyond sustainable levels: hamour, kingfish, zuraidi, shaari, fersh, yemah, qabit and safi arabi,” she said.

Okku Luxury Japanese Restaurant and Lounge corporate chef Ryu Sato Gardiner noted: “Bluefin tuna is the most obvious, but some seabass and cod varieties are also being depleted, depending on the type and origin.”

Seafood supplier Royal Culimer’s general manager, Jeroen Tol-

Sustainable seafoodToday, overfishing has brought numerous sea species to the brink of extinction. So how are Middle East chefs and suppliers dealing with increasing limitations when serving seafood?

“I think the onus really has to be placed on

the governments rather than the

restaurants”

lenaar, added that shark, grouper and even some crustaceans were on the verge of disappearing.

“Unfortunately it will only get worse if we don’t change our hab-its,” he warned.

According to Colin Clague, executive chef at Zuma Dubai, sea-food prices have risen in the Middle East, as is the case elsewhere.

“Wild caught fish has become very expensive, especially the top quality variety that we use, but our customers obvi-ously want the quality that we provide and pay accord-ingly,” he said.

Corrado Pani, Italian chef at Ritz-Carlton Dubai, noted that sea urchins and abalone were also becom-ing increasingly expensive.

“The consumer demand has dropped from 2008, when business was still booming,” he commented. “People are wiser now about importing pricey items — they don’t want to risk losing the money or wast-ing the product if it doesn’t sell.”

Of course, a lot of what is put on menus depends on what is available in the market. Seafood supplier Royal Culimer’s Tollenaar emphasised that the firm did not deal with “irrespon-sible fishermen”.

“We are partnered with the WWF and train fishermen and pro-vide them with circle hooks, which reduce the bycatch by almost 80% compared to normal J hooks,” he explained.

“And some items, like bluefin tuna, we don’t offer. Instead we

May 2010News analysis

May 2010 Caterer Middle East 9www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/f&b

offer ‘Superfrozen’ yellowfin tuna. With regards to shrimps, van-namei was placed on the Red List last year, so we now deliver this shrimp with Global Gap certificate.”

According to Thushan Don, head chef of Aquara at Dubai Ma-rina Yacht Club (DMYC), the industry has not yet seen the full impact of depleted stocks.

“The government here has been very strict over the past few years on fishing quotas,” he said.

“But I suspect tuna will become very scarce in future, as the Asian governments are not imposing any restrictions.”

So the industry is obviously aware of the overfishing problem — but what im-pact is it having on daily operations?

Okku has switched from bluefin to yellowfin tuna, which reportedly caused some issues to start with as there wasn’t a reliable supply chain available in the region.

“But by working closely with suppliers and the Japanese markets, we have now been able to overcome this problem,” stated Gardiner.

Zuma’s Clague concurred: “I use sub-stantially more yellowtail tuna than I ever have, all of which is either line-

“Variety is the spice of life! Our experience has shown

that chefs enjoy the challenge of cooking with new

varieties of local fi sh, and we believe there is an

increasingly eco-conscious clientele out there that will

get ‘hooked’ on the idea of sustainable fi sh dishes.

“Any restaurant stands to gain from adding sustainable

alternatives to their menus and showcasing their role as a

responsible member of the community.

“Our campaign is always on the look out for chefs and

restaurants and caterers, and we encourage all to get on

board and help safeguard fi sh resources and promote

sustainable living.”

For more information, visit: www.choosewisely.ae

EWS—WWF’s advice to outlets:

caught or farmed. I have also taken the monkfish and Chilean sea bass dishes off the menu since they appeared on the endangered seafood list.”

These are fantastic examples of how chefs and purchasers can make difference regarding what consumers choose to eat and what distributors choose to supply— but DMYC’s Don is still concerned that some have yet to realise the severity of the situation.

“I know of certain fish farms where there are no quotas or limits to what people can fish and this is very scary as one day the region will wake up to a big problem,” he asserted.

Zuma’s Clague added: “I’m sure people with a conscience check where their seafood comes from, but so many people cannot afford the wild-caught, line-caught variety, so I’m afraid there will always be a market for the less-than-reputable suppliers.

“I think the onus really has to be placed on the governments rather than the restaurants,” he added.

Royal Culimer’s Tollenaar said he felt change was just a matter of time. “Peo-ple will have to adapt; you can’t reduce the food costs of items which are on the brink of extinction, especially when ex-

cellent, sustainable alternatives are available. It’s a mind set pur-chasers must get into,” he insisted.

According to EWS—WWF’s Alzahlawi, the main challenge the organisation faces with regards to educating seafood suppliers and buyers is the high consumer demand for overfished species, com-bined with a lack of knowledge about what is happening.

“The iconic status of fish such as hamour, kingfish and shaari, along with their widespread availability, gives the impression that the stock is healthy,” she commented.

“Unfortunately, this does not reflect the reality of the situation, as in fact the stocks of hamour and other species in the same family have seen an overall decline of about 87% between 1979 and 2003.”

However Alzahlawi said she remained optimistic, and that as awareness increased across the supply chain, more people would become aware of the issue and more sustainable alternative prod-ucts would come online.

Comparing farmed to wild-caught fish, DMYC’s Don claimed the farmed variety was generally “more fatty and of a milkier fla-vour due to lack of exercise”, adding that some of the top fish farms could extend up to a kilometre square.

“You can’t beat a product grown in its natural environment though,” he admitted. “Wild fish will always have a superior fla-vour and texture.”

Royal Culimer’s Tollenaar said the difference in taste between decent farmed and wild fish was one “only very few people would

The classic miso-marinated black cod at Zuma.


News analysisMay 2010


The terrace of Aquara restaurant at Dubai Marina Yacht Club.

notice” — but that texture was a big give-away. “Wild fish or shrimps have to work for a living and are muscled, and you can tell that’s missing in the farmed varieties,” he asserted.

Ritz-Carlton’s Pani expanded: “The difference between eating a farmed chicken, fed with poultry feed, compared to a chicken which has been left to run free in the wild is absolutely different in taste, constancy and texture.

“It’s the same for fish; being raised in a big tank and fed pow-dered food versus living wild in the sea has a big impact on the texture and flavour of the fish.”

According to Okku’s Gardiner, the main issue is bigger than simple taste: “It’s the parasites that exist in some colo-nies of farmed fish, especially salmon, as well as the effects of these farms on local estuaries and fish populations,” he said.

Zuma’s Clague agreed: “Many farmed prawn ponds are so full of chemicals that they cannot be used again after a few years because of over-pollution.

“Obviously I wouldn’t touch those, but as with anything you get what you pay for, and quality seafood will always be on the expensive side.”

But Okku’s Gardiner said he remained

confident Middle East chefs could find an answer to sourcing qual-ity sustainable supplies.

“There is a hybrid solution, which exists in other parts of the world but not here yet, where there are wild farms and fish are reared in sustainable yet natural habitats,” he explained.

“We’ve been trying to source these products for a few months but to no avail so far; stocks are limited and the local market place very small, hence the reason suppliers are not keen to explore this yet.”

But according to EWS—WWF’s Alzahlawi, the seafood market is changing worldwide. “We are witnessing a rise in the demand for cer-

tified, sustainable, eco-friendly products, such as those certified by the Marine Stewardship Council,” she explained.

“The seafood market here will no doubt follow the same trend, as more consumers become aware of the impact of overfishing on species and on the en-vironment, and as suppliers and buyers become aware of the uncertainty associ-ated with relying on overfished species that are facing the threat of depletion.”

As Royal Culimer’s Tollenaar com-mented, the market will eventually have no choice but to adapt: “When these fish no longer exist, no other option is left.”

Yes; restaurants should stop encouraging

the demand for endangered species.

Even if the taste isn’t as good, rare

seafood should only be allowed on

menus if sustainably sourced.

No; this is how the cycle goes. Wild

stocks will replenish themselves.

Should endangered fi sh such as bluefi n tuna be taken off restaurant menus entirely?

73%

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Editor’s commentVolume 6 Issue 05

May 2010 Caterer Middle East 13To subscribe please visit www.itp.com/subscriptions

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Last month saw the region’s F&B industry professionals — along with the rest of the world — buzzing with news of the flight bans to and from northern Europe.

Aviation authorities across northern Europe were forced to close their airspace when an ash cloud from Iceland’s volca-nic eruption started shifting across Europe.

The impact of the ban on the F&B industry was of course that food imports ground to a halt, with no fresh deliveries from the affected region for over a week.

However what it also did, if you’ll excuse the pun, was to ‘smoke out’ those sup-plier companies without decent contingency plans and methods for organising their delayed deliveries efficiently and with minimum fuss once the flights situation had been resolved.

Obviously the ban itself was no one’s fault; it was a natural disaster, something which had to run its course, and so I gather supplier-chef relations remained very civilised for the duration.

F&B distributors united with their customers in a show of solidarity, suggesting alternative options wherever possible, while the region’s chefs — not a group known for their patience when it comes to the late delivery of essential supplies — drew on their creative resources to revise menus where necessary and make the best of what was available.

But the aftermath of this episode, when the massive global backlog not only com-prised hoardes of passengers but also mounds of goods for export, highlighted how vital it is for F&B manufacturers and distributors to have an efficient supply chain system in place.

Those firms with their finger on the pulse (and transportation and manpower at the ready) were the first in line to bring the temporarily-scarce European products back to the Middle East market.

Those who were not prepared for this missed a trick, not only to drive revenue but also to show their customers they could be relied upon.

Firms who were on the ball and promptly resumed normal service after the incident have basically proved to purchasers that they believe in efficiency, good planning, and top customer care.

These are the companies that will continue to flourish as the Middle East market-place becomes increasingly competitive, while lesser firms fall by the wayside.

Smoking them out

Lucy Taylor, Editor

Comment F&B column


F&B column

If you’re wondering where food trends are heading, your best bet is to look back.

In pretty much any walk of life, fashions go in cycles. The old greats always seem to find their way back on top — whether it’s a rebirth of the mini cooper, the Fiat 500, bell-bottom jeans, big sunglasses, or even Adidas classic wear.

The best ‘favourites’ have a knack for com-ing back round and getting in favour again; and to be honest, food is no different.

Where does this idea of comfort food come from? Perhaps it’s remembering those days as a child when your mum was cooking and you could smell your favourite dish coming from the kitchen, making your mouth water.

Or perhaps it was those dark days at school, where the infamous ‘School Dinners’ were brightened up by ever-so-good jam rolly polly, steamed lemon pudding, rice pudding or bananas and custard.

Perhaps the ‘comfort food’ idea grew from those special occasions when, for a treat,

Comfort food and nostalgic nosh. Why is itthat consumers around the world are turning back to memory-laden dishes from the past?

LesterChris

Chris Lester is the corporate chef for Caprice Hold-

ings. For more information on the group’s fi rst Middle

East venture, Rivington Grill, please visit:

www.rivingtongrill.ae:

you would visit a restaurant — and encoun-tered something wonderful for the first time, such as a prawn cocktail, a chicken pie, or a real steak.

What about when you were jumping off the school bus with your mates, all cramming into the local chippy for a fix of salt-and-vinegar drenched portions of chips, wrapped in newspaper (otherwise it’s just not the same!) with lashings of ketchup?

Hungry yet? It really can’t get any more simple than

that: it doesn’t matter where this food nos-talgia comes from — it’s personal, real and highly evocative.

And that’s why it doesn’t matter what changes in the world: the classics always find their way back.

Since opening Rivington Grill, we’ve found the most popular dishes are the classics: items such as prawn cocktail, steak tartar, Welsh rarebit, game faggots, chicken and mushroom or fish pie, and not forgetting of

course the ever-popular fish and chips — with delicious sticky toffee pudding coming in as the top dessert of choice.

All these dishes have put a smile on many a guest’s face, combined with a moment where their eyes glaze over as they fondly re-member a previous encounter with the dish.

That has to be the best moment for a chef: when they catch a glimpse of the delight on a guest’s face as they savour the smell of the plate in front of them.

What surprises me the most is that these dishes have been around for so long. Why have they not been a bigger part of our lives in this part of the world?

It could be down to everyone’s busy and hectic lifestyle, or the fact that dining out is so popular (and so varied).

But remember, comfort food needn’t be complicated — in fact, simplicity is the key.

Use the best ingredients you can and treat the dish with the respect it deserves.

That doesn’t necessarily mean it has to be the most expensive meal ever.

Take Wagyu beef for example, which ev-eryone raved about five years ago as the best thing since sliced bread.

We may have all tried it and enjoyed it, but to be very honest, give me a good Angus rib eye and it will knock the socks of the same cut of Wagyu any day.

Really, comfort food is what you make it: it’s the stuff that, for no apparent reason, puts a big smile on your face and a memory of another time in your mind.

So try a bit of nostalgic cooking and see where it takes you!

A classic dish associated with happy memories can enhance a person’s eating experience.

of cleaning products. You relied on our world-class innovation and service to make

the most challenging needs. You looked to our leadership in making a cleaner, healthier future for the world.

Now, we’re simplifying our name under one powerful brand—Diversey—to better

As Diversey, you can continue to expect us to deliver very best products, services and partnership. And you can count on us to do even more to deliver real, sustainable value.

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CommentDesigner column


I recently received an email from someone looking to launch a chain of restaurants, start-ing in Dubai but spreading worldwide. (This is a laudable business objective and I receive similar proposals fairly often — but so far I can’t think of any that have succeeded.)

I replied to the email with a few specific questions, intended to reveal whether the sender understood just how much consulta-tion would be needed to fulfil their objectives.

As a result of these in-depth queries, my correspondent became indignant and let me know they had appointed someone else.

A few weeks later, I was copied in on a circular email from the same person with a questionnaire containing a list of new brand names. The intention was to get feedback on a name for the new concept.

The names listed were hopeless, but the main issue is that surveys like this are next to useless, since they depend on personal tastes.

To roll out a new brand quickly and suc-cessfully, the offer has to be unconventional

What’s in a name? Be careful when choosing a brand name; it will colour customer impressions

and edgy — but consumers may not know what they want from a totally new offering.

People might react against edgy ideas in a survey, then gravitate towards them in practice. As inventor of the car Henry Ford said: “If we had asked the people what they wanted, they’d have said faster horses.”

So what’s the best way to choose a new brand name?

There’s more science to choosing names than you’d think, so there are rules you can follow; the key is to set aside enough time.

Branding expert Wally Olins is probably the world’s foremost expert on the subject. Here are some comments from him on nam-ing a business:

“Like symbols, names are emotive. Creat-ing and introducing a new name is difficult and complex for the following reasons:

“First, names have no real life or mean-ing until they are put into a context, so it is extremely difficult for the people going through the process to appreciate the power of the name until after the event.

“Second, individual preferences and feel-ings are very important.

“Third, a very large number of names are already registered and is it difficult to find ‘free’ names.”

Here are a few more criteria to help you.A name should:

1. Be easy to read and pronounce, prefer-ably in any language. Will most people be able to spell it after hearing it spoken? Will they be able to pronounce it after seeing it written? A name shouldn’t turn into a spell-ing test or make people feel ignorant.

2. Have no disagreeable associations. 3. Be suitable for use as your outlets diversify into different activities. If that’s something you’re anticipating doing.4. If possible, relate to the offer. The last two can be mutually exclusive; McDonald’s is a name that does not relate to the outlet’s activity, Pizza Hut does. Both are sucessful.5. Be registerable, or at least protectable. This is complex and can be slow. Specialist lawyers will check the name register for a fee. Many multinational organisations have banks of already protected names and if you inadvertently use one, they may have the legal right to stop you and take your profits. 6. Not date.7. Be idiosyncratic. 8. Be something with which a power-ful visual style can be associated. If your designer needs to add a lot of graphic frills to explain what your outlet does then I’d sug-gest you start over — or get another designer. 9. Have charisma. Ugly doesn’t sell!

Very few names will fit all these criteria but you’ll find if you keep them short and they trip off the tongue nicely, you’re on the right track.

Anyone can come up with the right name but it may take time. The skill is in resisting the temptation to let time pressure force a poor choice early.

If you do conduct a survey, make sure you ask people to judge the name against the cri-teria and not on personal taste. Chances are, if your friends like it, it’s too conventional.

Nigel Witham is an international designer and long-standing member of the Chartered Society of Design-ers. You can follow him on Facebook by searching for Nigel Witham Designer.

WithamNigel

Having trouble settling on a name for your brand?

#1

www.mgk.ae

Mystery shopperThe Palm Jumeirah

Caterer Middle East May 201018

Service spyThis month, Ethos Consultancy’s team of mystery shoppers visited the iconic Palm Jumeirah to see whether service at the shoreline restaurants lived up to the location’s luxurious reputation

Each mystery shopper is instructed to look out for the following:

Appearance• Sales and service• Overall experience•

The expert analysis:This month, our mystery shoppers visited all five restaurants along The Palm Jumei-rah’s stretch of shoreline apartments.

We received great feedback from our shoppers regarding location, premises and restaurant atmosphere — however, in comparison to our last four Service Spy reports, this month’s overall scores were unfortunately quite poor, leaving a fair bit of room for improvement.

Having said that, this month’s winner, Barça Club held up standards extremely well and deserves hearty congratulations, scoring 71% overall.

Staff were attentive, well briefed on the menu and able to make suggestions to our shoppers based on their needs or special requests. All feedback complimented the presentation and quality of food served.

THE WHAT:Caterer Middle East has partnered up with customer service experts Ethos Consul-tancy to highlight F&B service standards at outlets across the UAE. Each month, we’ll reveal mystery shoppers’ assessments of four different F&B outlets, to explore what these venues are doing right and what could be improved.

THE WHY:This isn’t about catching F&B outlets with their trousers down: by measuring performance and providing expert advice on areas for improvement, we want to help better these operations — and the industry in general.

THE HOW:Ethos Consultancy’s trained mystery shoppers are given a specifi c selection of outlets. Each shopper visits their assigned restaurant and dines as usual. Within 24 hours of every experience, each shopper fi lls out an online report, providing Ethos consultants with the information they require to offer constructive advice.

This month: The Palm Jumeirah

Cabana wasn’t far behind, with 69% — although one of our shoppers was not greeted on arrival and had to seat them-selves. Food quality was consistently high, although one spy expressed disappoint-ment in relation to food presentation. The restaurant’s atmosphere was praised, with shoppers enjoying the music playing softly in the background.

Asian-themed Veda scored 65%, loosing quite a few points in all categories. An in-correct dish was served followed shortly af-ter by another dish which was not cooked to the customer’s liking. Fair enough, accidents happen — but no apology was offered for either of these shortfalls, which left our shopper extremely unimpressed.

On a more positive note, some restaurant staff deserve to be commended for their friendly attitude and ability to engage in conversation with customers. Effort was also made to explain any specials on offer.

Australian outlet Bidi Bondi has scope to improve on its score of 58%.

Our shoppers were pleased with the at-mosphere, but not satisfied with the qual-

The chosen locations were:• Barça Club, Shoreline Apartments — 71%

• Cabana — 69%

• Veda, Shoreline Apartments — 65%

• Bidi Bondi, Shoreline Apartments — 58%

• Gusto, Shoreline Apartments — 47%

Premises Sales & Service

Was your table clean and properly set with condi-ment racks and utensils when you were seated?

Were staff wearing name tags?

Did the server intro-duce him/herself?

Did the employee suggest any start-ers or appetisers?

Visit 1 Visit 2 Visit 1 Visit 2 Visit 1 Visit 2 Visit 1 Visit 2

Barça Club Yes Yes No No No No No No

Cabana Yes Yes No No No No No No

Veda No No No No No No No No

Bidi Bondi Yes No No No No No No No

Gusto Yes No Yes Yes No No No No

Mystery shopperThe Palm Jumeirah

19May 2010 Caterer Middle East

ABOUT ETHOS CONSULTANCYOriginating in the UK in 1995, Ethos Consultancy

relocated to Dubai in 2003, where a team of fi ve

has grown to 50 — with an Abu Dhabi offi ce

opening in 2008. Our consultants have come

from some of the most mature customer service

markets in the world, ensuring experience and

best practice in everything we do.

Ethos prides itself on being at the forefront of on-

line customer service solutions and was awarded

Most Innovative Small Business in the UAE at the

2008 Lloyds TSB Small Business Awards.

Through years of experience, Ethos has devel-

oped a variety of services to help clients un-

derstand how their business is performing. Our

solutions include mystery shopping, satisfaction

surveys and a range of benchmarking services.

Once clients have a clear understanding of how

they are performing, we help them improve via

training, consulting and implementation of The

International Customer Service Standard.

0

20

40

60

80

100

Barça Club

89% 10

0%59

% 93%

94%

95%

51% 83

%

50%72

%68

%

63% 70

%92

%

41%

26%

65%

81% 88

%

69%

Cabana Veda Bidi Bondi Gusto

Food and Beverage QualityPremises Sales and Service Overall Experience

ity of food in some instances. The staff ’s attitude was marked as cold and mechani-cal, and one shopper reported that both pool tables were out of service.

Last place goes to Gusto with 47%. Again, restaurant atmosphere scored well, but sales and service let this restaurant down. Staff were again marked as cold and mechanical, while in some cases service was much too slow.

On the plus side, all staff were wearing name badges — Gusto was the only restau-rant who scored top points for this!

What could have been better?• All five of these restaurants have a

magical setting so it’s a shame the level of customer service provided does not match the surroundings. Inconsistent service is a major concern, and one which can mean the staff have different knowledge, compe-tency and attitude levels. But each of these restaurants have their own strengths and weaknesses which, if correctly measured and identified, could be improved and aligned via training in necessary areas. An employee engagement survey would be a productive use of time, as would a customer satisfaction survey and some performance-based incentive programmes.

• Complaint management and service recovery training may also benefit a few

of these restaurants. Empowering staff to handle dissatisfied customers is extremely important but all-too-often overlooked, as most initial training tends to be product- and sales-focused.

Food & Beverage Quality Overall Experience

Did the manager visit your table or ask to be of assistance during your visit?

How satisfi ed were you with the presentation and food quality of your main course?

How satisfi ed were you with the atmosphere in the restaurant?

Overall, how likely would you be to recommend this outlet?

Visit 1 Visit 2 Visit 1 Visit 2 Visit 1 Visit 2 Visit 1 Visit 2

Yes No manager present Very satisfi ed Very satisfi ed Very satisfi ed Satisfi ed Likely Very likely

No No manager present Satisfi ed Neither satisfi ed nor dissatisfi ed

Very satisfi ed Satisfi ed Very likely Likely

No No manager present Satisfi ed Dissatisfi ed Very satisfi ed Satisfi ed Likely Highly unlikely

No manager present No manager present Neither satisfi ed nor dissatisfi ed

Neither satisfi ed nor dissatisfi ed

Satisfi ed Satisfi ed Likely Likely

No No manager present Satisfi ed Satisfi ed Very satisfi ed Neither satisfi ed nor dissatisfi ed

Likely Unlikely

RoundtableFood safety

Safeservice


www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/f&b20 Caterer Middle East May 201020

Roundtable Food safety

To what degree do you think the UAE has achieved food safety today?Uwe Micheel: We’re on the way; most four-and five-star hotels are certified now. The big change is that 10 years ago, if I had a big event involving outside catering, I’d be worried about standards. Now, nothing will happen as long as you follow proceedures correctly.

The next step is targeting free-standing restaurants. Some are operating fantastically — generally the ones connected to larger chains which have good production facilities — but when you look at some of the outlets, I still wouldn’t eat there.

Bobby Thulasi: From a government perspective, the volume of F&B business going on here is so high, it’s difficult to control.

At an industry level, we feel companies should be responsible for what they’re doing, but we help them to achieve that standard by supporting them with programmes. If you look at the launch of the Food Safety Management System, that was one way of making each organisation responsible; we also brought in HACCP for four- and five-star hotels and manufacturers, and now we are implementing programmes like MenuSafe that can be used for the smaller outlets.

Food safety plays a major part in thesuccess of F&B business, demandingconstant effort from all involved; so howis the comparitively young UAE marketfaring? Industry professionals met up atDeira’s JW Marriott Dubai to find out

21May 2010 Caterer Middle East www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/f&b

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TAKING PART...

While I think it’s important to encompass the low-budget res-taurants as well, you have to consider the culture of some of these places: in most cases, hygiene isn’t a priority.

So we need to let operators know that although ignoring food safety may save money now, they will end up paying later by harm-ing someone’s health or via reputation damage. We will be launch-ing campaigns over the next few months to help these businesses understand what it means to be food safe and what the benefits are.

At the other end of the spectrum, we’re also in the process of tying up with the other emirates to formulate policies to ensure our sup-pliers and incoming products are controlled at the source.

Another major objective is to be able to quantify the success of food safety here. That is not possible at this point in time, but we’re working on it.

Kevin Wills: One really good thing about the Municipality’s ap-proach to food safety is that, in many places I’ve been around the world, you feel like when you have an inspection it’s you against them. That gets people thinking ‘What do we hide? What do we not do? What do we change?’ So the fact that Dubai Municipality is actually working with us, on the same side, means it’s an educational process, not just an inspect-and-punish system. That transparency really helps everyone and accelerates the process of corrective action.

Russell Impiazzi: In general I don’t think the top end of the market has many issues; the biggest problem facing the UAE now is that of the lower-ranking outlets.

Micheel: And private homes: how many housewives will keep a rice dish for a few hours, then put it in the fridge and warm it up the next day? People think you can’t get sick from rice, but it’s actually one of the most dangerous dishes for food poisoning. Plus nowadays, people are not as resistant to germs as they used to be.

Loraine Hughes: The thing is that food safety issues and conse-quently standards keep on changing; the goal we’re heading towards keeps moving further away.

Micheel: Exactly; what was good enough yesterday is not good enough today.

What options are available for restau-

rants outside big hotel chains, with regards to food safety programmes?

Impiazzi: We’re using MenuSafe, which is fantastic because it gives

keeps m

Micheel: Exactly; what was

rchainsafe

Imwh

control to the chef, not the hygiene officer. The guys in the kitchen are in absolute control of what goes in there.

It can also be geared towards specific menus, so although the programme runs on the same basics, the particulars gear down to each dish — which is great, because an Asian restaurant is going to be different to an Italian restaurant, for example. Plus the training covers every level of staff, which I believe is the way forward.

Antonio Bautista: My view is that training is number one; that is where I think most people fail miserably. We like to think we don’t. Accountability at the chef level is key, because the safety officer can only be in so many places at one time. The chef is the person

22 Caterer Middle East May 2010

• Loraine Hughes, technical manager, Food Point — Emirates Flight Catering

“We manufacture and supply to hotels and of course Emirates Airlines. I

oversee the standards and specifi cations section, integrated management

systems, quality assurance and our on-site laboratory.”

• Bobby Krishna Thulasi, senior food studies and surveys offi cer,

Food Control Department, Dubai Municipality

“Our main job is to make new policies in terms of food safety and hygiene,

as well as overseeing inspection programmes and updates regarding

international regulations.”

• Uwe Micheel, director of kitchens, Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Deira Creek

“I’ve worked here for 17 years, so I have seen food safety move from when

they cleaned fi sh at the local market by rubbing them in the sand, right up to

where we are today.”

• Kevin Wills, F&B director, JW Marriott Dubai

“Food safety is now twice as good as it was and half as good as it should

be. I’ve seen quite a bit of change in a very short time though.”

• Muhammad Qamar, area director of hygiene and sanitation — Dubai

and Northern Emirates, Al Bustan Rotana, Dubai

“Today all of our four- and fi ve-star hotels in the region are HACCP-certifi ed.

Now we are working for an integrated management system.”

• Russell Impiazzi, executive chef, WAFI Food and Beverage

“We have 17 food-producing kitchens and I agree that progress is being

made and we are moving in the right direction.”

• Antonio Bautista, president, Gourmet Gulf

“I think discussions such as this are a great opportunity to air concerns and

share food safety information.”


who can really drive all those on-site checks and raise the red flag if some-thing is wrong.

Muhammad Qamar:Looking at the issue of small

businesses, when we talk about achieving food safety in the

region, we cannot get there without this major section of the industry on board.

Admittedly it will be very challenging for the legislators and the administration bodies to maintain a balance between all these F&B operators of different levels, but I think once that happens, the whole food safety level of the region will improve greatly.

Micheel: But we’re talking about a region where, just a few years ago, meat was delivered on an open truck and a supplier’s ware-house was just a building with a load of boxes on the floor and ro-dents running about. The supplier side has seen huge improvement; it’s one of the biggest achievements to date.

Hughes: It’s a question of resources though, because those of us here

THE MAKERS OF THE ORIGINAL SWISS ARMY KNIFE I WWW.VICTORINOX.COM

Victorinox goes HACCP

buabou

i

Gourmet Gulf’s Bautista and Wafi ’s Impiazzi.


Caterer Middle East May 2010 www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/f&b

today are fairly big organisations, with quality assurance teams — but the little guy doesn’t have that; he won’t check his suppliers out.

Wills: But four- and five-star hotels are in a position to put pressure on all the warehouses, and that can change things for everybody.

Micheel: The problem is that following food safety of-ten comes down to budgets. If the initiative is not sup-ported from the top, by whoever’s holding the purse strings, there’s not a lot the little guy can do. And often, smaller businesses just can’t afford the costs.

Impiazzi: That’s where MenuSafe comes in, because it’s a fraction of the price. I did some research into HACCP and it cost thousands of dirhams. I think po-tentially some areas are overcomplicated, which makes it more expensive, whereas MenuSafe breaks things down so it’s a much simpler system to initiate.

Bautista: We have an internal programme which is not HACCP, be-cause I agree that is over-complicated, and you get some consultant overcharging you to do something which is really common sense.

Our food safety officer focuses on making sure that the ‘owner of

[L-R] Antonio Bautista, Russell Impiazzi, Muhammad Qamar, Kevin Wills, Uwe Micheel, Bobby Thulasi and Loraine Hughes.

the restaurant’, as I call the guy who is there in the outlet every day, can take accountability and follow the simple steps. As long as you follow sensible rules, you’re fine. But I think it does come down to training too, because some people don’t understand basic stuff like cross contamination, or that food can’t be left outside, or that shelf lives must be respected, even though it’s common sense.

Impiazzi: Well a lot of our staff are from areas where they didn’t have the education that we had.

Bautista: That’s why it comes down to training.

Impiazzi: But they also have to un-derstand and believe in any manage-ment system you use. You have to sell it to your staff, so they appreci-ate why it’s necessary.

Micheel: The team has to understand, from the lowest commis upwards, that they are responsible; it’s not that they can

“People think they can’t get sick from rice, but it’s actually one of the most

dangerous dishes”

ucation that we

comes

o have to un-n any manage-You have tothey appreci-



pass the buck to the GM or the chef — everyone contributes to making operations safe. You could even call it empowerment.

Qamar: Everyone has a certain role to play regarding food safety — even the guests. Sometimes we have

customers who put us in an awkward position; for instance, a guest who orders room service, doesn’t eat it all, then eight hours later asks us to reheat it, then gets upset when we cannot do that. The same thing can happen in the restaurant, when people ask for a doggy bag. So it is very important that the guests are also aware of food safety limitations.

Hughes: I agree one of the biggest challenges can be the culture staff are coming from though. Some people may have been brought up somewhere without running water and are not used to washing their hands, for example. And they come here and don’t understand why certain things are done in a different way.

Micheel: In one way I agree with what you’re saying, but have you ever stood for half an hour in the bathroom of a five-star hotel? Because I think if you actually check how many of these people in designer suits from priveleged backgrounds come out of the toilet and do not wash their hands, you’d be surprised!

Thulasi: Exactly; everyone would agree that hand-washing is neces-sary after you leave the bathroom, but research shows that only 20% of people actually do it!

However secondary research shows that when you are noticed by someone else, if someone else is in the bathroom, for instance, your tendency to wash your hands increases by 60%.

This is down to an ‘organisations culture’. When you step into

Radisson’s Micheel, Dubai Municipality’s Thulasi and Food Point’s Hughes.

pthe cmaev

Qat


Others call it Design. We call it Sophisticated.

Introduces

Launching at

18-20 MAY 2010 STAND A200 HALL 3

DUBAI WORLD TRADE CENTER

an organisation, whether you are trained or not, you will know and pick up what the ‘correct’ thing to do is by observing other people.

That highlights the importance of having a ‘food safety culture’. A team effort really encourages people to do things. It should start with the general manager and go down to the very last employee; that is how a business succeeds.

Bautista: Leading from the top is vital. There has to be positive rein-forcement from the highest level, otherwise people don’t buy into it.

Micheel: You’ve got to have everyone on board — and that includes financial people, who might wonder what the return on such investment is.

Thulasi: It’s not about what you spend, but what you’re going to lose if you don’t have a system in place. Some of the biggest names in the world have been destroyed by bad press as a result of food scandals.

But it’s difficult for smaller businesses. That is why we are launching a new programme, Person In Charge, where Dubai Municipality requests that every operation has a person in charge at the outlet who is linked to the license, who will liaise with us and have accountability.

So we’re hoping that programme will improve relations, then we will take it to the next level with management systems.

Micheel: Good — because it cannot be that you only have safe food if you have enough money. This is what it comes down to, at the moment: if you have enough money, you can afford to eat in a good restaurant and your food is safe; if you cannot, tough luck. This can-not happen; everyone has the right to eat safe food.

Marriott’s Wills and Radisson’s Micheel.

Industry insightHotel F&B


Hotel F&B

The classic image of a ‘hotel restaurant’ has undergone a major revamp over the past decade; today’s glitzy, modish offerings are a far cry from the drab diners and lonely

lounges traditionally associated with hotel outlets.Nowadays, F&B can be a make-or-break factor for hotel guests —

and as a result, new properties entering the competitive Middle East market are looking to express and differentiate themselves through their food and beverage portfolios.

Mövenpick Hotel Jumeirah Beach’s director of F&B, Simone Stanco, asserts: “Today hotels are not about rooms — there is much more emphasis on extras, like the restaurants and the quality of food and service they offer. The outlets have a big impact on the customer’s experience in the hotel.”

In fact, a good hotel is “only as good as its food and beverage department”, according to Kempinski Nile Hotel Cairo’s director of F&B, Raoul Duclos.

The region’s hottest new propertiesexplain how an ambitious portfolio of F&B offerings will help them gettheir teeth into a decent market share

Hotels with

biteAt another recently-opened Middle East property, the Radisson

Blu Hotel, Abu Dhabi Yas Island, executive assistant manager in charge of F&B Tim Van Veen notes that F&B is “the second highest contributing department in a hotel”.

“Without food and beverage, the property would not be as attrac-

• Sumhuram — international all-day dining restaurant

• Mirbat Arabi Café — café with an authentic local theme

• Al Dana Seafood Restaurant — a fi sh market concept

• The Cove English Pub — relaxed sports bar

• Havana Cigar Lounge — smoking lounge for quality Cuban cigars

• The Wharf Pool Bar — pool-side snack bar

Salalah Marriott Resort





• The Falls — lobby-lounge café

• West Beach Bistro — gastro-bar

serving Provençale cuisine

• The Talk Restaurant — three outlets

combined, featuring live cooking sta-

tions and outdoor area

Mövenpick Hotel Jumeirah Beach

“Organisation, patience, dedication and innovation

are the key for success. Learn the local culture, adapt

yourself and never judge, but stick to your objectives

and your positioning. And fi nally, never give up: the

rewards are worth all the effort.”

Raoul Duclos, director of F&B, Kempinski Nile Hotel Cairo

“Know the market you are operating in, inside-out.

Find the niche areas to really build and galvanize

a brand around. Also, recruitment and training are

essential, as no matter how good the product offering

is, it is the delivery and experience that will ensure

repeat guests and high covers.”

Bastian Breuer, director of F&B, Fairmont Bab Al Bahr

“Put on your running shoes then kiss your family and

friends goodbye for sometime, because you are in for

a long ride!”

Tim Van Veen, executive assistant manager of F&B,

Radisson Blu Hotel, Abu Dhabi Yas Island

What advice would you offer an F&B director embarking upon a new property launch?

tive to guests coming into this region and would find it difficult to succeed,” he says — an idea supported by Salalah Marriott Resort director of operations Hesham Dawood.

“Many tourists come to this region with the idea of experiencing its cuisine — and that’s in addition to the majority who come for leisure trips, where the food and beverage is also a big part of the experi-ence,” Dawood explains.

But faced with so many options — and so many competitors — how does a property decide which culinary route to take for each outlet?

On Yas Island, developing company Al-dar lent a hand, assigning specific themes to each hotel on the island to ensure there would be no cross-over.

“It is a very positive structure that helps attract numerous guests from across Abu Dhabi,” claims Radisson’s Van Veen.

“But we do also have contemporary Italian restaurant Filini at the hotel, which is a restaurant brand created by

The Talk.

West Beach Bistro.

Simone Stanco in The Talk.



• Dine Restaurant — live-cooked international-style cuisine

• Mai Café Lounge — pool-side chill-out spot

• Relax@12 Rooftop — bar offering sushi and exotic bites

• W xyz — a ‘fresh and funky’ bar concept, adjoined by the hotel’s

communal lounge, re:mix

Aloft Abu Dhabi

the Rezidor Group. The concept has proven very successful world-wide, but our Filini outlet is the brand’s first exposure in the UAE.”

At the new Mövenpick Jumeirah Beach, the pre-opening F&B team kicked things off by focusing on main outlet The Talk, then built up other complementary concepts around it, explains Stanco.

“We started with The Talk, which is really three outlets in one, so it was a big project; then we moved on to the West Beach Bistro.

“That was originally going to be a pub, but by looking at the draw-ings and the direction the design was taking, we could see there was a contemporary flavour that wasn’t really pub-like.

“You have to be flexible during the development process so you don’t end up with an out-of-place offering,” he notes.

“So we started looking at other options — potentially inviting a managing company to take on the space, or a link-up with a celebrity chef. Finally we came up with the gastro-bar idea. This is pretty new here, and we wanted that fresh new concept, because this is a contemporary hotel.

“There’s a lot of the same old restaurants in Dubai, a lot of fine

dining; I think this idea is a bit more lively and attractive to the market we’re gearing ourselves towards,” Stanco explains.

Fairmont Bab Al Bahr director of F&B Bastian Breuer adds that striking a harmonious balance between all the in-house offerings will appeal to guests. “Essentially we focused on concepts that complemented and would not directly compete with each other,” he explains. “Plus it was very important that each restaurant concept was easily identifiable for the guest.”

Giving the clients what they want is of course vital, notes Marriott’s Dawood. “We started our F&B development by studying the market and the surrounding concepts around the hotel,” he explains.

“We also conducted some surveys with our guests and clients to establish preferred themes and concepts.”

Kempinski’s Duclos adds: “You have to ensure offerings will also attract the local clientele. Each outlet should answer either a gap in the market or an opportunity to deliver the brand message.”

As these projects demonstrate, F&B is taken extremely seriously by today’s hospitality groups operating in the region — but that could

The terrace at Mai Café.The re:mix lounge, adjoining

bar W xyz.

Relax@12.

Relax@12.

Hotel F&BIndustry insight

well be down to the fact that, unlike many other restaurant hotspots around the world, the majority of outlets frequented by tourists are located within hotels, due to local alcohol licensing laws.

Aloft Abu Dhabi’s executive chef in charge of F&B, Todd James Hunter, notes: “The benefits of operating a restaurant as part of a hotel override the difficulties, primarily due to the major factor of alcohol licensing laws.

“In addition, having a marketing team already in place in the hotel also contributes to the success of the outlets.

“The only real difficulty is making sure the hotel has a sufficiently diverse range of outlets so it can meet all guests’ needs and prevent them from going elsewhere to eat,” he points out.

• Filini — contemporary Italian bar and restaurant

• Zeeba — restaurant offering authentic Persian cuisine, opening soon

• Assymetri — all-day-dining restaurant

• Fast Track Lobby Bar — café area with internet access

The Radisson Blu Hotel, Abu Dhabi Yas Island

Assymetri.

The Filini terrace.



However Fairmont’s Breuer highlights the other side of the coin: “In a hotel you capture not only residents in the city but also in-house guests, and by that nature higher occupancy equals more covers. That’s a benefit you don’t see in stand-alone outlets,” he comments.

Of course there are a few challenges to operating what is practically an indepen-dent business within a larger operation, as Kempinski’s Duclos points out.

“Unfortunately, many hotel compa-nies consider F&B just another part of the guest services and don’t give it as much attention as they put into, say, the rooms,” he claims.

Radisson’s Van Veen adds that hotel res-taurants are often viewed as over-priced.

In addition to these issues, there is the pressure of running multiple outlets si-multaneously, to equally high standards.

Perhaps these combined pressures are partly responsible for the increasing number of hotels tying up with inde-pendent brands, whether through joint ventures or management contracts.

At Fairmont Bab Al Bahr, Breuer says the team was “ecstatic” to welcome two

• Elements — all-day dining offering

• Poolside — al fresco snack bar

• Al Naba’a Lounge — lobby lounge

• The Chocolate Gallery — café offering

chocolate creations and beverages

• Chameleon — chic nightspot offering

an array of cocktails

• Frankie’s — Italian restaurant and col-

laboration between Frankie Dettori

and Marco Pierre White

• Marco Pierre White Steakhouse and

Grill — eponymous grill outlet from the

Michelin-starred chef

• Cedar Lounge — Lebanese restaurant

and bar, opening soon

Fairmont Bab Al Bahr

“Be aware of the local market and competitions;

know your potential guests; hire and train staff in

timely manner; do your homework with regards to

marketing and advertising your outlets; understand

the importance of entertainment as part of the F&B

experience; and hire a good chef, because it’s the fi rst

impression that counts come opening time.”

Hesham Dawood, director of operations,

Salalah Marriott Resort

“Concentrate on the outlet concept and maintain

a steady pace with regards to the development of

the standard operating procedures. Atmosphere,

ambience and the experience is what the guests are

looking for.”

Todd James Hunter, executive chef in charge of F&B,

Aloft Abu Dhabi

“Make sure you do proper market research and

analyse where the demand is; make sure your team

fully understands the concept and what they are

representing; and be fair with the pricing!”

Simone Stanco, director of F&B,

Mövenpick Hotel Jumeirah Beach

What advice would you offer an F&B director embarking upon a new property launch?

Marco Pierre White Steakhouse and Grill.

Frankie’s.

Elements.



• Chocolate Lounge — serving up classic cocoa-based treats

• The Blue Restaurant and Grill — focusing on simple, fresh food

• Osmanly — traditional and contemporary Ottoman cuisine

• Embassy Club — lounge offering exclusive service

• Shishawy — shisha lounge

• Floor 10 — ‘destination fl oor’ with elegant fi ne-dining outlet and jazz bar

• The Roof — refreshing pool bar

Kempinski Nile Hotel Cairo

established brands to the hotel. “Thanks to our ownership structure (Rmal Hospitality), we brought on board two renowned concepts: Frankie’s and the Marco Pierre White Steakhouse and Grill,” he says.

Mövenpick’s Stanco agrees that joint ventures are a good idea if you find the right partner. “You can share expertise and add value to the property, and of course you’re sharing the risk as well,” he notes.

Marriott ’s Dawood adds that a recognisable chef, brand or specific concept is easy for the guests to recognise, which often acts as a major draw, while Radisson’s Van Veen believes such partnerships are set to increase.

“In future there will be a lot of independent brands that will tie up with hotels, because many brands will want to be here with a licensed outlet,” he reasons.

“Furthermore, well-known brands are recognisable and familiar, so they are assured footfall — which helps the hotel to ride on the positive perception of a good brand name.”

Whether hotels go for partnerships with celebrity chefs, offer man-agement contracts to independent brands or continue to develop and run their own in-house concepts, one thing is certain: the importance placed upon F&B operations is only going to increase.

And for any hotel group that is serious about succeeding in this market in future, that’s the way it should be.

Floor 10.

Osmanly.

Outlet showcaseCaramel


“Low amber lighting, dark wood and plush seating throughout keep the space inviting and comfortable. The word Caramel

conjures up images of warm colours, seduction and taste, which we try to reflect through our design and décor.”

Designdetails


Outlet showcaseCaramel


Seeking out the hottest new F&B outlets,Caterer Middle East reveals the innovativeconcepts and operation strategies securingthe success of the region’s new launches

Inside outletsThe glitz and glamour of Las Vegas has arrived in Dubai, in the shape of renowned US restaurant brand Caramel’s new outlet.

Spread across 10,000 square feet with an elegant interior, an outside terrace and nine private cabanas, this is the latest addition to the Caramel portfolio — a brand started in Las Vegas at the Bellagio Resort, and one of 15 brands managed by The Light Group.

The Group’s director of operations, Jim Moaddab, explains: “A city of quality like Dubai deserves the sort of hospitality our venues are known for in the US.

“Also, its location at DIFC, which is well known internationally for its world-class standards of innovation, dynamism and design, serves as the ideal launch pad for our expansion outside the States.”

Transferring a successful concept from such a different market could easily have presented difficulties, but thanks to the group’s forward-thinking approach and dedicated market research, the transition went smoothly, says Moaddab.

“We had to look at the local market to make sure that everything from the food to the décor would appeal to the tastes of the residents and visitors to the city,” he noted. “But the values and atmosphere of the city sit well with us, as we are a progressive group always seeking to deliver something new to our guests.”

In Las Vegas, the Caramel Bar and Lounge is an established celeb-rity haunt — a reputation its Dubai counterpart will aim to emulate, targeting a clientele of VIPs, socialites and young professionals.

But Moaddab insists he is undaunted by the challenge of living up to the original. “Our strategy is to continually assess what we are offering and how we are performing, to ensure we provide consistent quality in terms of service, special events, food and entertainment,” he explains. “All of this will help build and maintain a loyal cus-tomer base long after the initial opening boom.”

“It’s all about attention to detail, from decoration to food to entertainment. You want to provide the best you can to make your venue stand out and by offering exceptional service.”


Ingredient focusArabic cuisine

As consumers from around the world embrace the time-honoured flavours of Arabic cuisine, Middle East chefs are leading the charge in ensuring

authentic dishes and traditional values are upheld

Arabian knights

Arabic cuisine has influenced chefs for centuries, and today the popular fare is enjoyed around the world.

But here in the Middle East, where it all started, chefs have a particular pride in creating and serving up truly traditional local dishes.

The number of regionally-themed restaurants has grown in line with the region’s status as a tourism hotspot, and today boasts numerous Arabic outlets.

At Crowne Plaza Yas Island, the Barouk restaurant serves authentic Lebanese cuisine.

“The food we serve represents real Lebanese culture and is carefully selected by our team of Lebanese chefs,” explains the property’s executive chef Danny Kattar.

Mataam Alsharq, located at the Qasr Al Sharq hotel in Jed-dah, serves up Middle Eastern cuisine in an intimate Arabic setting, while Diwan L’auberge restaurant at Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi offers traditional Lebanese dishes with live entertainment in an elegant setting.

Meanwhile Min Zaman Restaurant at the Al Ain Rotana features belly-dancer performances every evening.

+SPEED

A modern twist on a sweet treat, with

pistachio and apricot fl avours adding

an Arabic twist to this light maroon.

“This was created for us by a

French pastry chef in line with a

local theme,” explains Chef Middle

East product development manager

Bruce Woolner.

Chef Middle East

Tel: +971 4 347 3455

Email: [email protected]

Web: www.chefmiddleeast.com

Candide Pistachio Apricot Macaroon

they are simple to prepare; most are based on a combination of herbs, spices and marinated meats,” he says.

But even though this might sound easy, for a dish to be truly authentic it requires precisely the right simple ingredi-ents, reveals Crowne Plaza’s Kattar.

“It is very important to check that each individual ingredi-ent is suitable for the particular dish.

“For example, loubieh bil zeit (a dish with green beans) needs a certain type of bean called badriyeh, that is available in Lebanon. It is this specific type of bean that gives the real taste to this dish,” he explains.

“Similarly, for a proper tabouleh, it is very important that the parsley is soft and fresh and that the correct olive oil is used in order to get the desired flavour.”

Seasonings and spices also play a big role in the ingredients list at Arabic outlets.

Diwan L’auberge director Zakaria Charaf explains that “seasonings such as paprika, summak, cumin and cardamom are used to enhance the intrinsic flavour of the food and ingredients”, but notes: “These elements are essential, but not the base of the dish.”

Such elements are regularly brought into play in traditional Arabic cooking, to enhance a fairly simple dish.

Min Zaman’s Hashem comments: “Different season-ings and spices can give a completely different flavour to the same base, thus giving you more room to create a variety of dishes using the same meats.”

While Arabic cuisine may not be particularly difficult to prepare in itself, Mataam Alsharq’s Al Haj says that



Crowne Plaza’s Danny Kattar.

the growing popularity of this food around the world has brought new challenges.

“There is nothing inherently challenging about Arabic cui-sine, but nowadays, it is enjoyed by a variety of people across the world with varying tastes and tolerances.

“We have to be creative and adapt the dish to suit different palettes, while also preserving the original flavour and stay-ing true to the original concept,” he explains.

And that’s not the only danger, warns Min Zaman’s Hash-em: “With the ever-expanding customer base, most chefs tend to create Arabic cuisine with a western twist — thus diluting the original taste of the traditional cuisine.”

According to chefs, Arabic outlets are wide-spread in the region, suggesting past calls for greater representation of traditional fare have been heeded.

Crowne Plaza’s Kattar notes that many hotels in the UAE now feature an Arabic restaurant in their portfolio, while numerous standalone restaurants can also be found serving up authentic food.

But Diwan L’auberge’s Charaf points out that certain coun-tries are more strongly represented than others under the generic ‘Arabic food’ banner.

“Arabic cuisine is a big label and it includes a lot of sub-

Mataam Alsharq at Qasr Al Sharq, Jeddah. Mataam Alsharq’s Mohammed Al Haj.

“All mezze is very popular, but guests do not come to a Lebanese restau-

rant for one specifi c dish: they come for the whole experience expecting

fl avour and freshness from a variety of dishes.”

Danny Kattar, executive chef, Crowne Plaza Yas Island

“Hummus is undoubtedly our most popular dish — it is simple, traditional,

easy to prepare and serves as a good indicator of the quality of fare at the

restaurant. As it is universally enjoyed, it should be done just right, as a

less-than-perfect hummus can ruin the rest of the dining experience.”

Mohammed Al Haj, sous chef, Mataam Alsharq, Qasr Al Sharq

“Our popular signature platters are hamour fi llet and the mixed grill.”

Zakaria Charaf, director, Diwan L’auberge, Emirates Palace

“For us it’s our Lebanese mixed grill, because it is served together with a

special sauce created in our kitchens, which is unique to Min Zaman.”

Jamal Hashem, chef, Min Zaman Restaurant, Al Ain Rotana

What are your best-selling dishes?


cuisines. One of those is Lebanese, which seems to be the most widely represented,” he observes.

Lebanese fare is definitely recognisable in the majority of Arabic cuisine, while some other national cuisines — such as Emirati — maintain a significantly lower profile.

On a recent visit to Dubai, Michelin-starred chef Vineet Bhatia said he felt an Emirati restaurant was the one element missing from the UAE’s F&B portfolio.

“I would love to see something focusing on Emirati cuisine launched,” he told Caterer Middle East.

“It has a lot of similarities to Indian food, which can of course be done at a high level — and I’m sure there are people who can cook great Emirati food and would be willing to take it to that level.

“The initiative has to come right from the top — from an Emirati chef, ideally,” he continued.

“I think such a venture could be extremely successful and a great source of pride.”

Whether one of the region’s few Emirati chefs will take up this gauntlet and open a dedicated restaurant for local UAE fare remains to be seen.

Nevertheless, the steadily-growing popularity of Arabic cuisine with consumers around the world means that chefs, suppliers and outlets serving up traditional regional food will continue to flourish.

Pickled vegetables are a traditional

and popular accompaniment to

many Arabic meals.

“The range of pickles we sell onto

the market is from Kesbeke,” says

Chef Middle East product develop-

ment manager Bruce Woolner.

“The range is of good quality, in

taste and acidity. The pickles still

have a bite to them, rather than being

soggy and limp.”

Chef Middle East

Tel: +971 4 347 3455

Email: [email protected]

Web: www.chefmiddleeast.com

Pickles

The Middle Eastern dish hummus has become hugely popular all over the world.

T H E D I G I TA L H O M E F O R H O S P I TA L I T Y P R O F E S S I O N A L S I N T H E M I D D L E E A S T

| BREAKING NEWS| EXPERT COMMENT & ANALYSIS| INTERVIEWS OF LEADING INDUSTRY NAMES

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FOR ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES, PLEASE CONTACT:D i a r m u i d O ’ M a l l e yPublishing DirectorTel: +971 4 210 8568E-mail: [email protected]

ITP BUSINESS PUBLISHING CO. LTD.Al Hilal Building

PO Box 500024, Dubai, United Arab EmiratesTel: +971 4 210 8000, Fax: +971 4 210 8080,

Email: [email protected], www.itp.com/subscriptions

S a r a h W o r t hCommercial DirectorTel: +971 4 210 8595E-mail: [email protected]


Supplier newsMay 2010


Horeca celebrates three years of qualityUAE firm once again receives certification regarding the application of its HACCP system

Horeca Trade LLC has been certified for the third consecutive year on its applica-tion of an HACCP system in line with CAC/RCP, 0HSAS 18001 and ISO 9001.

The firm’s quality assurance executive, Selin Alance, commented: “Our first au-dit success left us happy, of course, and the achievement felt really good.

“Sustaining the achievement for a second year felt even better. Now, the pride, gratitude and joy of consistently maintaining this achievement for the third year are beyond words.”

To ensure product quality, Horeca en-sures that all of its suppliers meet a set of criteria before their names are added to the firm’s Approved Supplier List, explained Alance.

Furthermore, as part of its Integrated Management System, the firm constantly conducts surveys among customers and employees, Alance went on to say — and attributed this approach as a major fac-

Supplier news

Horeca Trade’s Selin Alance said the fi rm was delighted with its achievement.

Keeping the industry well-oiledTulsidas Lalchand has taken the first step in its gourmet line expansion strategy for 2010, with the introduction of new oil additions to the La Tourangelle range.

The oils come in fifteen different flavours ranging from White Truffle to Pistachio, with the brand’s best sellers currently stocked in Spinney’s outlets.

Tulsidas Lalchand marketing manager Punit Bhatia said: “Spinney’s has been very supportive. We have also started supplying to a few five-star properties after the chefs tried and tasted these oils.

“Chefs who are looking for new samples can contact us directly and we can happily deliver the samples to them,” he added.

The supplier’s gourmet expansion will Pumpkinseed Oil from La Tourangelle.

Retailer Kalinka Furniture has launched its first outlet in the UAE, with a two-floor showroom on Sheikh Zayed Road.

The showroom features exclusive, cus-tomised furniture as well as functional goods such as televisions, mini-bars, fridges, beds and backlights.

Commenting on the opening, Kalinka Furniture business development man-ager Ibrahim Haddad said: “Kalinka is a new brand and is bringing in new ideas for furniture into the market, so it will take time for customers to get used to our unique offering. But so far we are seeing a lot of positive reactions.”

Kalinka opens new showroom

tor in helping to improve stakeholder satisfaction and loyalty.

Alance added that although being certi-fied was an advantage in business, it was

continue with three new brand launches in the near future.

Tulsidas Lalchand is also planning an online e-commerce website called www.gourmetpoint.com, providing information on new products not yet stocked by retailers.

just one element in Horeca’s constant efforts to excel.

“Our focus is on making each customer interaction a delightful one,” she said.

Gulfood previewOrganiser interview

www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/f&b May 2010 Caterer Middle East 43

The Hotel ShowShow preview

Five fun facts highlighting the unmissable elements of this year’s show for the region’s F&B fraternity

THE HOTEL SHOW 2010

Feedback from visitors indicated a demand for more F&B

equipment and technologies. This led to the launch of the

‘coffee shop & juice bar’: a dedicated area for such products.

The new Associations Day will see

various groups from relevant

sectors meeting up on site.

The Hotel Show sales

director Ray Tinston explained: “This will

help cement our relationship with different

sectors of visitors.”

The Emirates Culinary Guild will hold its

monthly meeting at the venue on May 18.

Presented by industry experts, these discussons will identify

trends, practises and marketing opportunities to help op-

erators achieve targets without

compromising on service.

The crowd-pulling Corporate Catwalk returns for 2010, showcas-

ing hospitality uniform highlights — and once again, the

Student Design Competition will see young designers vie for the

prize of a one-week internship with A Ronai, as well as having

their winning design show-

cased on the catwalk.

COFFEE SHOP & JUICE BAR

ASSOCIATIONS DAY

THE SEVEN STAR CONFERENCE

THE CORPORATE CATWALK

the

cca

rgets without

service.

What makes a loyal restaurant diner?Wednesday 19th May, 4.30-5.30pm

Featuring:• Daniel During, managing partner, Thomas Klein Group

• Guillaume Mantis, restaurant director, Margaux• Lionel Boyce, executive chef, Desert Palm

DON’T MISS

Exciting news for the F&B community:

next year’s instalment of The Hotel

Show will involve a branded

cooking competition for profes-

sional chefs.

“We need to make sure we

offer good reasons for executive chefs

to come and spend time at our event,” explained Tinston.For more information on the show, please visit: www.thehotelshow.com

COOKING COMP ON THE CARDS

9800980083%83%

53%53%

industry professionals visited last year’s

instalment of the show

of visitors in 2009 said they would, or were

likely to, place an order as a result of attending

of visitors last year were looking for new product

ideas and trends

TKG’s Daniel During at last year’s Hotel Show.

Models strut their stuff on the Corporate Catwalk in 2009.

The Hotel ShowProduct showcase


Caterer Middle East reveals the top products to look out for at The Hotel Show 2010

Time to ‘Show’ off

K 40 PlusThe K 40 Plus mini-bar promises top energy efficiency thanks to the use of ecological refrigerant gas R134a, which is CFC free. The units boast a low daily energy consump-tion and are also available with a glass door.

Indel BTel: +39 0541 848711Email: [email protected]: www.indelb.com

LegendThis Jacquard velvet collection draws inspira-tion from the age of glamorous Hollywood movie stars, with art deco styling and sophis-ticated design. Created by the Panaz Design Studio, this sculptured velvet collection is available in 10 sumptuous colours.

Panaz Limited Tel: +44 1282 696 969 Web: www.panaz.co.uk

Following the success of the puff sleeve blouse, a new style introduced this year is the Rouched Sleeve Blouse. Available in classic black or white, this flatter-ing style is semi-fitted with a fabric tie at the back. A RonaiTel: +971 4 341 4409Fax: +971 4 341 4457Email: [email protected]: www.ronai.co.uk

Deco Mobile Buffet SeriesThe Mobile DECO Buffet Station range from SICO is designed by and for chefs.The unit is easily movable, based on six heavy-duty casters, and boasts energy-saving LED lighting plus the latest induction cooking technology.Flexibility of design allows the units to be used in multiple configurations.

Choices General Trading LLC — A division of SICO EuropeTel: +971 4 294 2633Fax: +971 4 294 2644Email: [email protected]

Cristallerie de Montbronn FranceProducing high quality, hand-made lead crystal, this family-run French firm offers a variety of tabletop items as well as decorative pieces and gifts, which adorn palaces around the world — including that of the Saudi Arabian royal family. The crystal-ware is available in a wide range of colours. Cristallerie de Montbronn also operates a bronze and gold crystal-plating operation under the name TZ Decoration.

TZ Decoration & Cristallerie De MontbronnTel: +33 387 963 611Email: [email protected]: www.cristallerie-montbronn.com

Rouched Sleeve Blouses


The Hotel ShowProduct showcase


This firm manufactures textile products such as premium bed linens, towels and blankets.The pictured range of 100% Cotton Terry Towels is made from extra long staple-combed cotton, ensuring a soft feel even after repeated washes,

as well as lending excellent absorbency to the product. KG Denim LimitedTel: +91 4254 304 300 Fax: +91 4254 304 400 Email: [email protected]: www.kgdenim.com

Zenia Home

Petrifi ed Wood Wash Basin

Prologic First

Zenia Home is a UAE-based supplier of outdoor leisure products, offering durable and contemporary al fresco furniture created form materials such as rattan, aluminium and teakwood. The products are available in a wide choice of designs and colours.

This natural-look wooden wash basin comes from Bali-based company In Living Color, which offers a variety of elegant prod-ucts in natural materials such as stone, marble, copper, wood and leather products.

As well as the sink pictured, the company’s petrified wood

range includes custom-made chairs, tables and other items.

Hotel Professional ServicesTel: +65 9 380 8310Email: [email protected]: www.hotelprofessionalser-vices.com

This hospitality IT firm is launching two new products at The Hotel Show.

Pictured is Touché Lite, a specially packaged version of the proven Touché POS. This includes self-installable software, documentation and video guides, touch-screen POS hardware and a receipt printer.

The firm will also showcase WISH Expressat the show — its new PMS technology for professionally managed, limited service hotels.

Hotel Professional ServicesTel: +971 4 336 6345 Fax: +971 4 336 6349Web: www.prologicfirst.com

Shanghai Langel Textile CoShanghai Langel Textile Co Ltd exports bedding linen, table linen and bath linen for the hospitality industry, offering over 200 designs.

Shanghai Langel Textiles Co LtdTel: +86 21 5059 6121Fax: +86 21 5059 6122 Email: [email protected]: www.langel.com.cn

KG Denim Limited

Zenia HomeTel: +971 7 207 6831 Email: [email protected]: www.zeniahome.com

F&B essentials Bakery equipment

www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/f&b46 Caterer Middle East May 2010

Despite tough year for economy, profits are on the rise for bakery goods supplierBread: the recession-proof industry?

Baking Technologies has an-nounced that the firm achieved the same level of turnover dur-ing the first quarter of 2010 as it did during the whole of 2009.

Commenting on this suc-cess, the firm’s chairman Ton Seuren noted: “As we are deal-ing mainly in equipment and plant systems for the baking in-dustry, with bread being a basic ‘must eat’ product even during the recession, we have not seen any negative affect commercial-wise from the downturn.”

The company, which supplies machinery and plant systems for the bakery and food indus-try, increased turnover in 2009 by 25% and, based on the first quarter of 2010, is expecting another successful year. Baking Technologies chairman Ton Seuren.

Maxi Bri Air-o-stem TouchlineRowlett Rutland has intro-duced the Maxi Bri, a four-grid electric convection oven.

The unit employs the latest technology to ensure optimum cooking results and ease of operation. Key

features include a double glazed door, stainless steel outer body, stainless steel oven chamber and an inte-rior light.

The temperature range on the 6KW machine is thermostatically controlled, between 50 and 270 °C,

while the timer can be set from 0-60 minutes.

Four 400mm x 600mm trays are supplied as stan-dard, but extra baguette trays and a stand are also available if required.

Rowlett Rutland LtdTel: +44 1372 453633www.rowlettrutland.co.uk

This combi-oven promises “extreme simplicity in manag-ing preparation processes”.

The touch-screen system manages functions, cooking modes, temperatures and time settings, all through user-friendly icons and images, while a manual mode allows the chef to programme all parameters in advance.

The programmes mode allows up to 1000 recipes to be stored and processed automatically.

Electrolux ProfessionalTel: +39 04 3438 0771Fax: +39 04 3438 0805Web: www.electrolux.com

“We achieved this by continu-ous commitment and support of our clients, even during the crisis, and now our clients show their commitment by placing turnkey equipment and service contracts,” he explained.

According to Seuren, Baking Technologies — a division of Seumaco Middle East — has had most success with its com-pact and modular breadlines from Glimek, freezing and ov-ens equipment, and laminating equipment from Canol.

The company is now plan-ning to invest AED 10 million (US $2.7 million) in a brand new office and technology centre in Jebel Ali Free Zone, where Baking Technologies has its headquarters.

F&B essentials Bakery equipment

Schaerer Coffee Art Plus Because milk inspires the coffee worldSchaerer’s automatic espresso machines encompass everything that is important in today’s demanding world of coffee including professional milk preparation in all its variations – from fully automatic to manual.

www.schaerer.com

SWISS MADE

SPI 280AV Spiral Mixer

Combimat Slim

VMI has launched the SPI 280AV Spiral Mixer with remov-able bowl.

Aiming to fulfil the productivity requirements of large semi-industrial bakeries and supermarkets, the mixers of-fer powerful dough mixing, even suitable for manipulating

frozen and solid dough. A range of six available tools widens

the unit’s capabilities.

Baking Technologies.Tel: +971 4 885 7557Email: [email protected]: www.baking-technologies.com

Leventi has launched its smallest combi oven — the Combimat Slim, available exclusively from Valera.

The oven, which is designed to fit in to even the smallest kitch-ens, comes complete with a full colour ‘Mastermind’ control panel and a memory for 200 programmes, allowing precise programming of time, tempera-ture and humidity.

Valera LtdTel: +44 1708 869 593 Web: www.valera.co.uk

MIWE CubeMIWE has launched ‘The fresh food system MIWE Cube’, a baking system that can be equipped with a wide variety of baking chamber types on a single unified platform.

In addition to this, its indi-vidual modules can be combined in virtually any configuration.

A baking oven is available for MIWE cube, which facilitates

the simultaneous baking of different products such as hard rolls, casseroles, stone-oven bread and Danish-style pastry

Baking Technologies.Tel: +971 4 885 7557Email: [email protected]: www.baking-technologies.com

SupplierProduct showcase


Eurtex products are characterised a wide offer of patterns and fabrics for any atmosphere. In order to achieve greater levels of quality, a con-siderable investment has been made in terms of cutting edge technol-ogy within the firm’s manufacture and quality control departments.

EurtexTel: +34 93 876 06 28Fax: +34 93 876 06 27Email: [email protected]: www.eurtex.cat

Every month Caterer Middle East brings you the best and brightest new F&B products

New products

Darjeeling Nouveau

C&P Liotatis Confectionery Stone Works

Eurtex

Darjeeling tea is grown in north-eastern India, in the foothills of the Himalayas between Nepal, Sikkim and Bhutan. The high altitudes, cool temperatures and distinctive soil yield aromatic tea leaves with a bold flavour.

TWG Tea offers more than 800 single estate fine harvest teas.

TWG Tea CompanyTel: +65 6733 7997 Ext. 123 Email: [email protected]

Family-run confectioner Liotatis Lotier offers snacks ranging from chocolate truffles to unique breadsticks, made with sun-flower seeds and natural flavours including tomato and olive.

C&P Liotatis ConfectioneryTel: +357 9932 1321Web: www.liotatis-lotier.com

The Stone Works range runs from small stone amenities and accessories to a line for building exteriors and interiors.

Produced by In Living Color, the collection includes tiles, slabs, profiles, columns, plinths, friezes, mosaics, wash basins and bathtubs, with stone furniture available in various colours and materials — such

as sandstone, lava stone, marble, travertine, onyx and river stone.

The products are hand carved by artisans to fit precisely with the customer’s requirements.

Hotel Professional ServicesTel: +65 9 380 8310Web: www.hotelprofessionalser-vices.com

Vita-mix XL BlenderThe Vita-Mix XL blender has a 5.6 litre capacity, allowing for up to 42 240ml servings in a single batch.

It has 4.2 peak horsepower motors, high-performance blades, variable speeds and a pulse function. The unit also gives control over consistency.

Vita-Mix CorporationTel: +1 440 782 2450Web: www.vitamix.com


SupplierProduct showcase


German iced tea Tradewinds is now available in the Middle East. The natural peach-flavoured iced tea does not have any artificial substitutes, and is brewed from whole black Ceylon tea leaves.

The tea also contains ad-ditional minerals and other trace elements important for nutrition.

Tradewinds Tea Tel: +49 6026 509 0Fax: +49 6026 509 130Email: [email protected]: www.tradewinds.de

Chocolate Peanut Butter StackThis sweet and salty peanut butter crunch by Sweet Street Desserts features light and creamy milk chocolate and buttery caramel, layered twice on a brownie-cake hybrid and finished with crunchy, honey-roasted peanuts.

Horeca Trade LLCTel: +971 4 340 3330Toll Free: 800 3210Email: [email protected]: www.horecatrade.com

Tradewinds Tea

BartechHoteliers can now opt for a special soft blue door lighting, by choosing to have Bartech’s automatic glass door fitted into their choice of minibar.

With a wide range of automatic

minibars with capacities from 30 to 75 litres, providing different

types of dry sections and three different cooling units, Bartech can fit with any in-room décor.

As a standard feature, Bartech’s software automatically unlocks the minibar when a guest checks in, and even posts all mini-bar charges automatically to the guest folio through an interface with the hotel’s Property Management System.

Bartech Emirates FZE Tel: +39 0422 471512 Email: [email protected] Web: www.bartech.com

Light olive shirts and multistripe apronsNew to the 2010 Simon Jersey catalogue is this range of light olive shirts and blouses. Made from a practical poly-cotton fabric, the modern styles look great teamed with classic black, charcoal or chocolate suiting.

Co-ordinating with the shirts is a new range of light olive multistripe aprons, creating a striking F&B look.

A Ronai Tel: +971 4 341 4409Fax: +971 4 341 4457Email: [email protected]: www.ronai.co.uk

Rice CubeRice Cube is a patented rice mould which can make sushi in seconds without special mats or sticky rice.

The chosen rice combination simply goes into the rice cooker and then into the Rice Cube for stunning presentation in seconds. Rice Cube is made of food safe materials and is 100% recyclable.

Rice Cube Pty Ltd Tel: +61 7 6471 2244Fax: +61 7 6471 2266Web: www.ricecube.net

Distributors & supplies directory

DistributorsDistributors

SuppliersSuppliers

ABC BakingTel: 009714 885 3788Email: [email protected]

Alokozay Distributors Tel: 971 4 8871155 Email: [email protected]

AramtecTel: 971 (4) 3390444Email: [email protected]

BEVERAGES

BoncafeTel: +971 4 2828742Email: [email protected]

Coffee PlanetTel: +971 4 341 5537Email: [email protected]

FrankeTel: +41 6 2787 3607www.franke-cs.com

LavazzaTel: +971 50 5959385Fax: +971 4 3211274Email: [email protected]

Marco BeveragesTel: 01933 666 488Email: [email protected]

MoninTel: +971 50 940 0918Email: [email protected]

Nestlé ProfessionalTel: +971 4 408 8100Email: [email protected]

SchaererTel: +41 318 585111Email: [email protected]

COOKING

ConvothermTel: +49 884 7670Email: [email protected]

Baqer MohebiTel: +971 4 396 9777Email: [email protected](Marketing & distribution of food & non food FMCG, food ingredients & Cuban Cigars)

Country Hill InternationalTel: +971 4 347 0200Email: [email protected]

Emf Emirates Tel: +971 4 2861166 Fax: +971 4 2863080 Email: [email protected]

Fresh Express LLCTel: +971 4 3395354Email: [email protected]

Horeca Trade LlcTel: +971 4 3403330Email: [email protected]

La MarquiseTel: +971 4 343 3478Email: [email protected]

Shura TradingTel: +971 2 6730 565 Email: [email protected]

TSSCTel: +971 4 343 1100Email: [email protected](Catering/kitchen equipment, chocolate/coffee equipment, FMCG, refrigeration)

MKNTel: +49 5 3 318 9207Email: [email protected]

FOODSTUFF

Al DiyafaTel: 009714 369 2888Email: [email protected]

Bakemart LlcTel: +971 4 2675406Email: [email protected]

CSM Deutschland GmbHTel: +49 421 3502 387Email: [email protected]

Giles & PosnerTel: +44 1923 234040Fax: +44 1923 245151 Email: [email protected]

LambwestonTel: +971 50 6447837Email: [email protected]

Nestlé ProfessionalTel: +971 4 408 8100Email: [email protected]

PritchittsTel: 02082907020Email: [email protected]

Tulsidas LalchandTel: +971 4 3533736 Email: [email protected]

HYGIENE

Fujiyama Trading LLCTel: +971 4 2228810Email: [email protected]

Johnson Diversey Gulf FzeTel: +971 4 881 9470www.johnsondiversey.com

MGK/TemptrakTel: 009714 [email protected].

Newell RubbermaidTel: +971 4 292 3444Email: [email protected]

RESTAURANT/HOTEL SUPPLIES

Airstar Space LightingTel: +971 4 8854906Email: [email protected]

Baking Technologies Tel: +971 4 885 7557Email: [email protected]

Churchill China Tel: +44 1782 524371Email: [email protected]

www.churchillchina.com

Dalebrook Supplies LtdTel: 0044 1376 510101Email: [email protected]://www.dalebrookonline.com

Duni ABTel: +46 40 10 62 00Fax: +46 40 39 66 30Email: [email protected]

Impulse EnterprisesTel: 001 954 9579917Email: [email protected]

JSD ProductsTel: +44 1727 841111Email: [email protected] www.jsdproducts.co.uk

ProcurioTel: 009714 334 1040Email: [email protected]

Royal HostTel: +966 2 2522289Email: [email protected]

Villeroy and BochTel: +352 46821208Email: [email protected]

CATERING EQUIPMENT

Electrolux ProfessionalTel: +39 0434380304Email: [email protected]

Koma Middle EastTel: 9714 887 3334Email: [email protected] Robot CoupeTel: 0033 143 988833Email: [email protected]

KNIVES

DickTel: +49 7 153 8170Email: [email protected]

Victorinox AGTel: +41 41 818 12 64Email: [email protected] www.victorinox.com

AppointmentsMay 2010

Caterer Middle East May 2010

Dutch national Bastiaan Artshas joined the team at Radis-son Blu Resort, El Quseir — located by

Egypt’s Red Sea — as the property’s new executive chef.

With almost 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Arts — who is

fluent in Dutch, English and German — kicked off his culinary career in the Nether-lands, which was followed by stints with various prestigious hotel chains around the world, including in Egypt, Oman, Switzerland and Germany.

His most recent role was with The City Stars Hotel, Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt.

Thierry Gallashas joined Le Méridien Abu Dhabi as sous chef for the Le Bistrot French restaurant.

French national Gallas gradu-ated from culinary school in Avignon, France.

He has since accumulated more than 12 years experience at a variety of restaurants in France, the UK and the USA.

Prior to joining Le Méridien Abu Dhabi, Gallas held the role of sous chef at a fine-dining restaurant in Southern France.

A spokesperson for Le Méri-dien Abu Dhabi said: “We wish Thierry lots of success in his new role and welcome him to the Méridien family.”

Horeca Trade has appointed Samer Abou Daher as sales manager. Daher boasts six years of experience

within the Horeca family, build-ing the San Pellegrino brand in the UAE market. His new role involves handling HORECA channels across UAE.

Another recent recruit is the firm’s new marketing execu-tive and graphic designer, Jennifer Gallano. Jennifer is now handling the UAE and Saudi Arabia markets, rejuvenating the website, designing adverts and cre-ating all in-house designs.

Recent appointments...Stephane Buch-holzer has been named the new executive chef in charge of op-erations at The Westin Dubai

and Le Méridien Mina Seyahi Beach Resort and Marina.

Born in Alsace, Bucholzer began his career attending culi-nary school in southern France, graduating to ‘Master Chef ’ by the age of 15 — the youngest person in France to do so.

After stints in the UK and New York, he relocated to Dubai, bringing his innovative gastronomic style to the dar-ingly different Tang restaurant in Le Méridien Mina Seyahi.

Dates for the diaryCalendar

May 2-3Café Biz 2010Sydney, AustraliaCafé industry exhibition featuring

more than 100 related products,

services and demonstrations.

www.cafebiz.net

May 2-3 James Beard Foundation AwardsNew York, New YorkThe ‘Oscars of the food world’

honour the best and brightest

F&B industry talent from all

over the US.

www.jbfawards.com

May 5-9 AgrariaTransylvania, Romania

International trade fair

showcasing items for agriculture,

food and packaging industries.

www.agraria.info.ro

May 6-8 7th International Food Exhibition Manila, PhilippinesIFEX Philippines is a trade fair

featuring gourmet offerings from

around the world.

www.ifexphilippines.com

May 7-10 Real Food FestivalLondon, UKThe country’s biggest producers

marketplace, featuring

demonstrations from top chefs

plus a livestock market and goods

from F&B producers.

www.realfoodfestival.co.uk

May 9-10IFTECH Pakistan 2010Karachi, PakistanThe 7th International Food &

Technology Exhibition provides

a networking platform for

professionals in food technology

and related industries.

www.foodtechpakistan.com

May 11-13Espana OriginalCiudad Real, SpainInternational show with more than

500 exhibitors showcasing quality

Spanish food products.

www.espanaoriginal.com

May 12-16ThaiFex: World of Food AsiaBangkok, ThailandSouth East Asia’s leading trade

platform for the F&B industry,

covering all areas from processing,

packaging, technology and

ingredients to the end product.

www.worldoffoodthailand.com

May 19-21WorldFood AzerbaijanBaku, AzerbaijanThe 16th Azerbaijan

international food industry

exhibition will bring together

suppliers and buyers to promote

products, showcase services and

find local distributor partners.

www.worldfood.az/2010

DATES FOR THE DIARY... May 201001 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F


DataMay 2010


This month, Caterer’s F&B survey stud-ied professional opinions of the region’s culinary standing.

Despite the fact a whopping 64% of respondents in our January issue Head Chef Survey said they believed the re-gion had obtained ‘culinary hub’ status, opinions currently seem a little more guarded, with a 57% majority saying the region still had a way to go to reach the standard of more established interna-tional gastro-hotspots.

A positive 87% said they enjoyed working in the region and had no plans to move on any time soon — however just over 50% of those respondents admitted a better job opportunity could sway them.

To take part in next month’s survey, receive a full anonymous break-down of the findings and go into the draw to win our monthly competition, visit www.hoteliermiddleeast.com and click on our F&B Survey link.

Surveying the region’s statusEach month Caterer Middle East collects data from F&B professionals across the region to bringyou all the must-know industry stats, trends and price fluctuations affecting the regional market

Each month, survey participants who submit their email address are entered into a draw to win this stylish bartender kit from Monin.

Last month’s winner was Damien Chorley, executive chef at JW Marriott Dubai.

For more information, visit: www.monin.com

Competition

What is the most diffi cult thing about working in the Middle East?

of participants said they felt the region’s culinary

status was overhyped

The amount of competition

Diffi culties recruiting and

retaining decent staff

Owners focusing on profi ts

rather than standards

Supplier issues

The over-demanding

clientele

Poor salaries

TOP 5 RESPONSES: Where will be the region’s top culinary hotspot in future?

Sour

ce: C

ater

er M

iddl

e Ea

st F

&B S

urve

y

9% 17% 70%

felt that while Dubai was building a reputation for its

F&B, the rest of the region still had a long way to go

of participants said their clientele this month was primarily made up of regulars, compared to 13% who said tourists formed the majority

9%

61%

5% 4% 4%

17%

Dubai

Abu Dhabi

Muscat

Doha

Manama

1.2.3.4.5.


Last biteInterview

The Caterer snappers were out and about at this month’s F&B events — were you caught on camera?

Last biteGallery

Caterer

Swiss chocolatier George Germann

visited Dubai last month to coach 16

UAE chefs in the delicate art of

n16

chocolate. The workshops, held at organiser Fonterra’s ‘Culinarium’, encouraged chefs to get creative with cocoa, while the UAE

Junior Culinary Team enjoyed a personal

masterclass on the final day.

The gleaming GOLD Lounge has opened

at The Monarch Dubai. Decorated with

24-karat gold paint, the venue aims to be

“Dubai’s foremost celebrity rendezvous”.

Medzo, the Italian restaurant at Dubai’s Wafi Centre, re-opened last month at anexclusive launch evening, where guests

were impressed by the fresh new look and

menu, as well as the enthusiasm shown by

the hostess - chef and owner Nonna Livia.

At Dubai’s Hot Hoteliers networking evening: Spa Genie marketing special-ist Namita Ramani with hosting venue Vista’s restaurant manager, Naomi Cox.

Authorized Distributor in UAE

www.carpigiani.com

www.lamarquise.aeSh. Zayed Road, Dubai - UAE

Ph: + 971 4 3433478, Fax:+971 4 3433498Email: [email protected]

TECHNOLOGY FOR A SWEETER WORLD

Carpigiani is a leading manufacturer of ice cream machines. It deals with all kinds of GELATO, TRADITIONAL ICE CREAM, MILK SHAKE, CONFECTIONERY PRODUCTS, DESERTS, SOFT ICE CREAM, SLUSH and a lot more. Success is guaranteed every time with a product in perfect hygienic condition. For more than 50 years, we have been making millions of children happier.

DISTRIBUTED BY:

ROYAL HOSTMember of binshihoun-abomar Co.Al-Naseem Dist., Ali Al-Mortada Street, Showroom No.18P.O.Box:11003 Jeddah 21453 Saudi ArabiaTEL: +966-2-252289,6292890FAX: 6402955royalbinshihoun.comwww.binshihoun.com

Pure polyethylene, unmixed. Quality raw material with UV protection. Shock-proof. Constructed to withstand heavy loads. Suitable for out-door use. Metal profiles of a thickness designed to withs-tand extreme loads.

Individual polypropylene clip to hold the leg in position when folded. Solid and dura-ble fastening device.

Continuous digitally welded joints. Precise and indestruc-tible. Powder-coated steel.Shock-proof and damp-pro-of. Metal structures designed to optimise the weight/resis-tance ratio.

Solid welded joints, nuts and bolts. High density of vaults in the lower surface of the table top. Resistant and non-warping.

Slip-resistant fasteners for se-cure stacking.

caterer middle east - may 2010

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