Dare to be different

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Shangri-La’s Pearls & Caviar outlet.

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InterContinental Mzaar’s Khaymet el Hor restaurant.

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Qasr Al Sharq’s Mattam Al Sharq restaurant.

InterContinental Mzaar's Nemnoun adds: "All our staff come from the villages nearby. The uniforms worn by our employees are atypical, reflecting our cultural heritage.

"In the middle of the dining experience, guests will be entertained by authentic Lebanese folkloric dances such as the Dabke, performed by the restaurant's staff. Then some staff will share their village stories and experiences with guests."

Another key factor in building a top-notch team is to "ensure good product knowledge", points out Shangri-La's Durot.

Six Senses' Modak concurs: "The defining things which make a difference to the guests' experience is the passion of the serving team and their professional expertise."

The stand-out secret

These are all useful tips - but overall, what is the one thing that makes an outlet stand out from its competition?

The secret is three-fold, according to Raffles' Lau.

"Taste and appearance of food is very important - a dish must look good, as the guest will judge a dish with their eyes first," he points out.

"Staff are also important, as they have direct interaction with the customer.

"But the main item to focus on is consistency," he reveals. "To cook a dish nicely is very easy for a chef. It's going that bit further and maintaining the standards from day to day, over weeks and months, that's the difficult bit."

Shangri-La's Durot cites "good service from well-trained staff", while Emirates Golf Club's May sees four criteria for a successful outlet: "Consistency in the delivery of excellent cuisine; value for money; high standard of service; and appealing décor and environment."

But Six Senses' Modak is quick to point out that if an outlet tries too hard to be different, that can lead to confusion.

"At Six Senses, we believe in keeping things simple, as close to mother nature as possible, and this means effectively doing things differently to the rest of the cult, where you tend to be fancy because it is an ‘in' thing," he asserts.

Originality overload?

All good advice - but has the time for advice passed; are there already too many outlets in the region for restaurateurs to have any hope of a fair shot?

Raffles' Lau insists that there are already too many restaurants competing for business in the region.

"It's not easy for new outlets here, because there are so many of a similar theme already, it's hard to stand out," he comments.

Emirates Golf Club's May says it is "not so much about re-inventing the wheel but rather ticking all the boxes".

"We are so spoilt for choice when it comes to dining offerings that although people may sample some newly launched restaurants out of curiosity, they often return to their tried-and-tested favourites which can guarantee consistency, value for money and good service in a nice environment," he states.

However Six Senses' Modak does not believe such loyalty is always true.

"In today's world, diners want to try something new all the time. They tend to get tired of a place, a style and a concept very quickly and hence anything fresh which comes in always has an opportunity to make its mark," he asserts.

Qasr Al Sharq's Huber adds that there is "always room for new openings, as long food quality and service is the objective", with InterContinental Mzaar's Nemnoun agreeing that there is "definitely still room to bring new ideas into the region".

"Being original is not just difficult in the Middle East, but everywhere," Nemnoun reasons. "But competition is very good for the industry. It gives chances to great people to succeed and shine as well as providing a great learning experience for the entire market. Because the bad ones can learn from the good ones, and drive the industry forward."

There are numerous factors operators can control in order to make an outlet stand out - their menu, their staff and their décor being prime examples.

But as Shangri-La's Durot comments, stand-out success can be boiled down to one thing: "Uniqueness can always be achieved - it simply requires effort and hard work."

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