IT technology is tipped to transform the Middle East’s catering sector, according to professionals backing its potential in recruitment and service.
“Making the customer do the work in a restaurant sounds like a strange approach, but with the latest trend for interactive kiosks, tabletop ordering, internet ordering and voice-activated ordering, we are not far from this model,” said Oliver Menzel, vice president, services & business development Middle East & Africa, Micros.
Menzel said, however, that security has emerged a prime concern for hospitality solutions, particularly data and identity theft, and he predicted that solutions would be designed with built-in encryption.
“With the cash-rich, time-poor consumer becoming more apparent, table management and point of sale solutions are now going through a renaissance,” he said.
Competition between restaurants has also presented the need for sophisticated databases, he said, which store customer information and preferences in a bid to propel repeat custom.
“Is he a pasta lover, a diabetic, a vegetarian or a wine connoisseur, does he have a preference for a seat at the window or next to the front cooking station? As the main challenge facing the sector is high-pressure environments for managers, they need to be on the floor driving operations,” he commented.
Staff shortages within the hospitality industry could also be resolved with new technologies enabling recruitment from far-flung emerging source markets.
Marcelo Toledo, recruitment director for M/Brazil – a recruitment company with 22 offices in Brazil – said interviews should be conducted using webcams, which would cut costs, increase efficiency, and ensure a stringent pre-screening and selection process of candidates.
Toledo revealed that more than 25 companies in the Middle East have requested Brazilian staff from his agencies recently, including Rotana Hotels, Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, InterContinental Hotels and Resorts and Dubai’s Dhow Palace Hotel.
Brazil’s low basic salary and labour pool of 96 million has bolstered the number of candidates, with staff already placed in Oman, Jordan, Qatar, Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi this year, however Toledo predicted investment in technology could increase placement further.
“It’s very expensive to bring a Brazilian to work in the Middle East, and in turn I must ensure the employee will stay with the property for at least two years. With the boom in the region’s hospitality industry, HR managers are hectic and should embrace the use of the web cam, yet they predominantly prefer face to face situations.”
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