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Facing the great outdoors
Why do you offer outdoor catering?
Hassan Yazbek Outdoor catering represents 25% of our catering revenues. As Dubai continues to evolve into a major cosmopolitan city, we felt obliged to create an outdoor business model, bringing the cuisine to our customers, rather than them coming to us. We also provide catering to cruise ships on Dubai Creek.
Johanna Horn We decided to offer the service as a public relations tool, and as a vehicle to generate further revenue. The hotel can cater for up to 2000 people, and as such we have organised a number of events, including concerts, fashion shows, product launches and royal receptions.
Sethu Menon Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) has been in the outside catering business since 1995. Up to early 2003, our segment was mainly corporate, residences and sports events, such as the hospitality chalets at the Rugby 7’s. Since 2003 though, we have expanded in a big way, including royal weddings across the emirates.
Emad Milad Sheraton Miramar Resort El Gouna introduced the service to meet the demand within the area. By offering this service, we also felt it would ensure higher visibility in the local market.
What have been the biggest outside events you have catered for?
Uwe Micheel My biggest event to date was the Phil Collins concert in Dubai. This involved incorporating the transportation of seating and equipment, and catering to 25,000 people. The food included hot dogs, burgers and steak sandwiches, with extras such as an oyster bar and shawarma stands.
Hassan Yazbek We organised a wedding for more than 1500 people. The devil is in the detail, especially for weddings as this is the most important day of someone’s life.
Emad Milad The main events I have been involved in include a New Year’s Eve party for 1000 pax and the Marina Festival. The El Gouna weekly oasis also requires a great deal of preparation, as it features palm trees, Bedouin tents and performances, complemented of course by a Bedouin dinner.
Sethu Menon In corporate outside catering we have catered for up to 3850 pax at the IBM Conference held at the Airport Expo for luncheon, and the Rugby 7’s for 11,000 covers per day.
What are the main challenges you face when offering outdoor catering in the Middle East?
Jacques Rossel It depends where the function takes place, so it could be a sandstorm in the desert, or a high level of humidity around the buffet stations.
Sethu Menon The logistics of transporting the food and beverage at a safe temperature from one venue to the other, wear and tear of equipment, and weather conditions are all major issues.
Johanna Horn The main challenge is the diversity of the locations, as the remote sites can be so different from one another. We have confronted taxing situations due to the weather, and a recent downpour of rain forced us to shift an outside function back to the hotel ballroom.
Uwe Micheel Temperature control is one of the main challenges, so we do a lot of events using live cooking stations. The logistics of the operation is also demanding, as we have to closely monitor food safety and quality.
Hassan Yazbak Traffic in the emirates is getting worse by the day, and we have to ensure that as a five-star hotel we deliver on time, and with quality assurance.
What trends are you witnessing in the market?
Uwe Micheel Customers are moving away from deep-fried products and looking for live cooking stations.
Johanna Horn We are seeing an increasing number of requests for corporate outside catering events compared to previous years, when it was predominantly private and social events.
Jacques Rossel Guests now require the same level of standard that is found at the hotel, from a buffet offering, to a sophisticated cocktail party, or even a set menu.
Sethu Menon Clients are becoming very demanding in terms of lighting, the colour of the buffet decorations and the type of equipment that is used, down to the table linen and specific requirements for the staff.
In an average month, how many outdoor functions do you cater for?
Hassan Yazbek We do about 50 outdoor events on average per month. We also oversee a lot of small office parties in the evenings during Ramadan, and over the festive period.
Jacques Rossel December is usually a busy month as many people request private dinner parties over Christmas and New Year. We cater to between 15 and 800 pax, depending on the menu and the location.
Sethu Menon It can vary from 40 to 65 events in a month, with covers ranging from 50 to 5000.
Uwe Micheel Around 150 outdoor events during the winter months, from small meetings to huge galas.
How do you manage the logistics of the operation?
Sethu Menon We have 18 vans of different sizes with fitted temperature controlled units. The temperature of the food is closely monitored prior to being loaded, during the journey, and again at the venue, to ensure it is served at the right temperature to our clients.
Jacques Rossel We have a refrigerated truck and a fleet of vans. If we need more, we rent what is required for the event.
Hassan Yazbak We have two outdoor catering vans, but due to demand, we now borrow vans from our sister properties in the city, or exchange equipment.
How do you control hygiene levels?
Joanna Horn Our hygiene manager checks all food items during pick-up, and inspects the food before it is served to the guest. We keep records of the monitoring stages for future reference.
Jacques Rossel Planning and extra controls must be in place for outdoor events. This includes site visits beforehand to check that the back of house area is big enough and positioned at the most appropriate location.
Do you have a separate team for outdoor events?
Hassan Yazbak Yes. The team includes event planners and drivers, who ensure that the equipment and food reaches the target venue on time.
Sethu Menon We have a dedicated team specialising in each segment, continuous training programmes and constant reviews of standards. The segment is further divided into corporate and national functions.
What is the future for outdoor catering in the region?
Emad Milad Sheraton Miramar Resorts plans to concentrate more of its efforts to outside events being offered at its property. We have bought new equipment, changed the menus, and developed special banquet kits to cope with this expansion.
Sethu Menon There are major plans for further growth of our outdoor catering division, and strategies are currently under development. We expect to announce these plans by mid-2007.
Jacques Rossel This type of service is still relatively young in Abu Dhabi, but it is definitely a growing business. The trend seems to be moving towards people organising events at their homes.
Johanna Horn We are currently developing menus and packages, as well as sourcing new equipment to meet escalating demand.
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