Who’s Who Among European Restaurant and Foodservice Companies

Hospitality is one of the largest industries in Europe. In fact, a recent study conducted by HOTREC (the trade association for hotels, restaurants and cafés in Europe) found that the industry can be a key driver for job creation in Europe, even in times of crisis. And the region’s certainly seen a lot of uncertainty lately, thanks to policy changes…read more →Read more...

What GCC Restaurant Operators Can Expect In 2017

Thanks to sagging oil prices, last year was challenging for the GCC region. Fortunately for operators in the region — who’ve had to deal with increased saturation brought on by competition, as well as poor sales due to, again, oil — 2017 is already showing a few glimmers of hope. Here’s what the region’s macroeconomic conditions could mean for the…read more →Read more...

What the Current Economic Climate Will Mean for UAE Restaurant Operators

The Gulf Cooperation Council is facing a set of challenges brought on by sagging oil prices, and the UAE is no exception. Fortunately, financial experts predict non-oil growth in the region will increase some 3% to 3.5% on the back of greater Expo 2020 projects. Below, we’ll take a look at the challenges facing UAE restaurant operators, plus some opportunities on…read more →Read more...

Why India’s Foodservice Industry Is One of the Fastest-Growing in the World

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos made headlines in June 2016, when he announced the e-commerce giant would invest $3 billion into India, citing the region’s “huge potential.” That this came on the heels of the company’s 2014, $2 billion infusion, was big news. While Apple’s Tim Cook once said India is where China was “maybe seven to ten years ago,” Bezos…read more →Read more...

Private Equity Deals Make Their Mark On the Middle East Restaurant Industry

As countries around the Middle East expand their identities and economies beyond oil production, the world has taken note. This has been seen through a regional construction boom, increased tourism and an uptick in Western-style consumerism — and private equity has found a home in the region’s restaurant industry, as a result. Activity in the food and beverage (F&B) industry…read more →Read more...

UAE, Saudi Arabia Restaurant Markets Well-Positioned for Growth

Weakened by depressed oil prices, unfavorable currency trends and a still-ailing world economy, restaurants in the Middle East faced a challenge-packed 2016. About two-thirds of restaurant operators in the United Arab Emirates reported stagnant or declining same-store sales midway through the year, and in Saudi Arabia lower oil prices depressed employment, which in turn affected demand for dining out. Some…read more →Read more...

QSR in the Middle East: A Land Of Opportunity

Macroeconomic, social and political megatrends are shaping the future of the restaurant industry in the GCC. 2016 was a slow year in terms of economic growth. Fortunately, growth in 2017 will outpace that of last year, thanks to fiscal reforms and an improvement in both investor sentiment and business confidence. Still, there’s a lot of uncertainty looming. How will unemployment…read more →Read more...

Opportunities and Challenges Facing Middle East Restaurant Operators

The thriving metropolitan centers cropping up throughout the Middle East serve as a metaphor for the region at large: a marriage of both the ancient and the modern. Here, the world’s tallest tower sits just a stone’s throw from historic ruins and Holy sites, a reminder that the area’s astonishing growth was born from centuries of human survival. Middle East…read more →Read more...

25 Questions That Can Lower Your Food Costs

There’s little that a fireman loves more professionally than putting out fires. So, imagine a fire brigade getting an emergency call that there’s a fire, but no indication of where it is and no way of tracing back the location; no smoke on the horizon, no glare in the night sky, just darkness and the knowledge that there’s trouble. In…read more →Read more...

How Restaurants Can Cope with Saudization (Nitaqat) in Saudi Arabia

  The goal of Saudi Arabia’s Nitaqat (Saudization) system is simple: encourage KSA companies to maintain specific national-to-expat employment ratios. The program (first introduced in 2011) works to temper the current unemployment problem within Saudi Arabia, a nation where 11.4 percent of the national population is unemployed. Understanding Nitaqat’s regulations is of particular importance to restaurants in the KSA –…read more →Read more...