Celebrating its tenth anniversary next year, the Peruvian restaurant Coya has its sights set on further growth including a branch in Saudi Arabia by the second quarter of 2022.
Coya – which launched its flagship location in London in 2012 – has been operating in Dubai for six years and also has a branch in Abu Dhabi, both of which have performed well so far in 2021, according to Yannis Stanisiere, COO of the COYA brand.
“Overall we did pretty well in the UAE. Both Dubai and Abu Dhabi had an extremely good year because no one could travel and so our local and expat clientele continued frequenting us and we were able to have strong business,” explained Stanisiere.
With the recent easing of coronavirus-related restrictions in the hospitality sector, Coya is “slowly but surely getting back to pre-Covid days”, he said.
“For us, and since we are known for our nightlife, being able to have live entertainment and DJs a few months ago was already a plus. We are hoping people will soon be able to stand up and dance which is the last piece that is missing,” said Stanisiere.
“We are hoping that, with the World Expo coming in around a month, the government will again lift restrictions and soon we will be back to our regular business model,” he added.
Speaking about Dubai’s hospitality scene in general, Stanisiere said: “There are very few cities in the world where you have so many well-known and established brands in the same place. This gives our clientele high expectations because they become used to those high-end experiences and so it creates a healthy competition.”
Yannis Stanisiere, COO of the COYA brand.
“Covid has had a positive effect as well as many moved to the emirate because their countries were in full lockdown and realised that Dubai is a great place to live in terms of business, leisure, quality of life etc. Slowly, the city is going to be an even bigger epicentre than it was before because people are realising that it can be a business hub and not just a holiday getaway,” he continued.
Coya has eight global branches and is eying further growth, including an outlet in Saudi Arabia by Q2 2022 at the latest.
“It’s always been Coya’s strategy to grow organically, meaning going where our guests are. That is why we went from the UK to Dubai since there is a sort of synergy between the two destinations. We know that our clients frequent south of France and that’s why we opened a seasonal outlet in Monaco,” explained Stanisiere.
“The kingdom is opening up and a lot of international brands are venturing into that market. A high percentage of our private members club in Dubai and London are Saudi and this is why we decided to open in Riyadh,” he continued.
Coya is also looking to grow its seasonal concepts, which cater to its guests who frequent those destinations in the summer and is considering the Caribbean for that.
The restaurant brand is also eyeing expansion in Moscow, due to its large number of Russian clientele, and Milan.
The Peruvian restaurant’s other venues had mixed performances this year because of lockdowns during the pandemic with the London and Paris branches opening and shutting down frequently. “We had to adjust our strategy on this basis,” said Stanisiere.
“In Mykonos, we were fortunate that the Greek government realised they could not have another season of closure because of their financial situation and so re-opened with almost no requirements,” he continued. Coya’s seasonal branch in Monaco eventually opened with 80 percent capacity.
Going forward, Stanisiere believes business will eventually go back to normal but under “new standards”, which include visitors showing vaccination records before entering hospitality venues and public spaces – a move which Abu Dhabi is pioneering through its Al Hosn app.
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