Here’s what it’s like to open a new restaurant in the UAE during a pandemic – The National

Here’s what it’s like to open a new restaurant in the UAE during a pandemic – The National

Three brands, which are in the process of launching physical branches in the region, share the recipe to their success. A total of 429 new restaurants opened in the first four months of 2019, according to the Department of Economic Development Dubai - that's an average of three new restaurants a day.. With the global food and beverage industry hard hit by the pandemic , restaurants have been cutting expenses wherever possible rather than expanding.. There are some restaurants that have not just managed to stay afloat, but are also setting up new branches.. Popular Japanese restaurant 99 Sushi, which first opened a branch in Abu Dhabi's Galleria Mall in 2017, is all set to open in Dubai.. At our restaurant, we already have a two-metre dining distance.. "Meanwhile, fine-dining restaurants are all about serving quality to smaller numbers.. The new restaurant will have an intimate space so that staff can focus on its customers, he adds.. While the small number of diners at the restaurant suits current circumstances, Castaneda admits the crisis will change some aspects of the restaurant's opening.. The restaurant got around this by only recruiting 60 per cent of the workers it originally intended to hire,