CULINARY HORIZONS
 

I was recently contacted by the Hotelier Middle East magazine to answer a few questions about my opinion or vision of the middle eastern current market on Food and Beverage Dining concepts.
There are so many options to discuss and sharing opinion,therefore the time is limited so I have just highlighted a few of my answers.
I invite you to contribute to that discussion.

Let me talk through the F&B offerings you will have at Renaissance Hotel, Courtyard by Marriott and Marriott Executive Apartments Doha City Center.
The three new Marriott International properties in Qatar are located in two towers at the Doha City Center Mall. A 48-storey tower will house the Renaissance Hotel, and a second 48-storey tower will accommodate the Courtyard by Marriott and Marriott Executive Apartments. Both towers are connected by a 7-storey podium which provides guests direct access into the mall along with a choice of nine food & beverage outlets, spa, outdoor pool and health club as well as meeting & conference space. Our F&B offerings will include a New York Steakhouse, Cucina - the Italian Kitchen, Ipanema Brazilian Churrascaria, Champions Sports Bar, French Brasserie Centre-Ville, Crossroads Kitchen - All – Day – Dining, Glo Cocktail Lounge, Quick Bites Café and Aqua Lounge Pool Bar. 

How long has it taken, from the moment of conception to the final touches, to complete the development of these outlets?
Actually, we are still in the process of completing the outlets. We are currently researching all knick-knacks (decorative items) for the outlets which will give them a personal touch and creative finishing. 

Were there any influencers — e.g. owner’s preference, brand policy — which determined your selection of these ‘themes’?
The New York Steakhouse, Cucina, Champions and Crossroads Kitchen are existing brands within the Marriott F&B portfolio. Therefore, we do follow brand guidelines for those but add a local flavour to them. Additionally market research helped a lot to find the right concepts to bridge the gap in the market.

What kind of research re: market trends, consumer preferences or any other elements did you conduct prior to making your decision?
Marriott International’s corporate and regional teams work closely with local resources and invest in market and consumer preference research. The market analysis & concept development software developed by Marriott International is moreover another great help in creating the ideal restaurants & lounge concepts for the local market. 

Once you select a theme and thereby determine the cuisine you’ll be serving, it’s vital to get a chef and kitchen team that can deliver on that concept; how did you go about recruiting your kitchen teams and what challenges did you face?
If you have a speciality restaurant you have to ensure to have a local chef and team members. If you don’t have an Italian Chef in your Italian Restaurant you are only half-way there. Local experts are the way to go – they will ensure your guests are happy and they experience the real flavours. Finding those speciality chefs is not effortless, but definitely achievable. I am confident that we will find the best candidates for our cuisines.

Speaking in general terms, are there any F&B themes that you feel are particularly tired, in this region?
I believe the ‘All-Day Dining’ concepts need to be revamped. Therefore there is always a need for any customer choice even if some of the food and beverage outlets within the Middle East region look tired.
Within the past years, the region have grown with different concept focusing on design, nevertheless the market is still lacking concept, hopefully we could see in the future many more standalone restaurants and that the trends level will be the same in comparaison with the Asian market.

What is your opinion on ‘importing’ a successful, independently-branded F&B outlet and having that in your hotel, as opposed to developing your own concept?
To my opinion I will be cautious before importing a branded F&B outlet, I will analyse the market need, location and the entire operation to ensure that it could match the theme and vision of the food and beverage department, therefore some of the brand could be an asset with their well known name which could bring an immediate success.

 If you were given free reign to add another outlet of your choice to the property’s portfolio, what would it be and why?  All our specialty restaurants will be serving a cuisine from Europe to South America, with an exception from the all day dining outlet “crossroads” which will have a strong focus on middle eastern, African and Asian cuisine.
However, bearing in mind we do not have a Asian restaurant and the lack of trendy Asian restaurants in the Doha market, if I would be given the opportunity to add another outlet, it would be a contemporary Japanese restaurant.
From my previous experience in Asia, I like Chinese and south east Asian cuisine, especially Japanese cuisine.
The Japanese cuisine is not just about sushi or sashimi but there is a real culinary culture and fine cuisine which need to be much more knowne.      
 


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