Food & Beverage

FOOD TECH PLATFORM KITCH-IN GOES LIVE WITH FOUR VIRTUAL BRANDS

Kitch-In, the innovative food technology platform developed by Evgeny Kuzin, Chef Izu Ani and Accor, is now live.

Dubai residents and tourists can enjoy what the concept has to offer through four digital restaurant brands, including Japanese street food from Jimoto, Korean cuisine from Seoul Sister, Italian delicacies from Gigi and Greek favorites from Ap’ola, delivered to their door or Accor hotel room.

Evgeny Kuzin, concept creator, said: “KitchIn is a fully integrated digital structure, meaning that we can manage quality control at every stage of the order process, from the menu to the kitchen and delivery.” Adrian Azodi, CEO of Kitch-In, said: “The delivery space has grown exponentially in recent years; it is an evolving industry of international focus. There has been a huge rush to create cloud kitchens, whereas with Kitch-In, we are utilizing the existing kitchens located in properties within the Accor network, with a digital solution. The technology works in parallel with our knowledge and the experience of our founding team, spanning all angles of the industry.” kitch-in.com

Read the full interview on hospitalitynewsmag.com

GRUBTECH AND FOODICS PARTNER TO EMPOWER RESTAURANTS AND CLOUD KITCHENS

Grubtech, an all-in-one SaaS platform for cloud kitchens and delivery-centric restaurants, announced its strategic partnership with Foodics, a point of sale (POS) and management system for restaurants.

Through this partnership, Foodics’ customer base of over 7,000 restaurants will be integrated into a variety of food aggregators, such as Talabat, Jahez, and Careem. Grubtech’s customers will have access to an advanced restaurant point of sale.

The integration will provide restaurants with the ability to centrally manage menus across all channels and automatically receive orders from food aggregators directly into the Foodics POS. It will also ensure that restaurants have a single source of truth for orders made online and in store. By doing so, restaurants will eliminate the need to deal with a multitude of tablets from food aggregators, allowing them to save time and effort while preventing errors from occurring, and to remained focused on the main job at hand.

Mohamed Al Fayed, co-founder and CEO of Grubtech, said: “Reliance on online food ordering has accelerated in the last year and will continue to grow, bringing about a number of new challenges for restaurants, such as efficiently dealing with omni-channel food ordering, maximizing efficiency and reducing the time from order to doorbell." grubtech.com

Read the full interview on hospitalitynewsmag.com

ALBAIK SET TO DEBUT IN DUBAI WITH A NEW BRANCH AT THE DUBAI MALL

ALBAIK, one of Saudi Arabia’s favorite homegrown brands, is coming to Dubai. The popular restaurant chain is set to open a new branch in Dubai Mall, which will bring ALBAIK’s range of dishes to the UAE. The Saudi concept is entering the UAE market in collaboration with ServQuest, formed and established by National Holding, Abu Dhabi. It is dedicated to operating and expanding ALBAIK across the seven emirates of the UAE, led by an expert team of operators. ALBAIK recently opened the world’s first eight-lane drive-thru for its food trucks in the Saudi city of Tabuk, attracting a queue of cars more than four kilometers long. ALBAIK was encouraged to bring its unique brand of crispy delicious meals to Dubai, after successfully opening three branches in Bahrain at the end of 2020. With a variety of products catering to every taste, the new 355-square-meter restaurant will serve a wide array of chicken, seafood, grilled dishes, wholesome vegetarian options, such as falafel sandwiches, generous side dishes and a range of delightful desserts and beverages. albaik.com

BBQ BROS:

TAKING THE ART OF GRILLING TO A NEW LEVEL

A number of key factors have given BBQ BROS a competitive advantage in the F&B industry, enabling the brand to expand to Egypt in early 2020 and then into Kuwait in 2021. We asked Mario Aoun, the firm’s owner and director, about the path to success and BBQ BROS’ latest venture.

How did BBQ BROS begin and how has the brand evolved?

We started BBQ BROS in Beirut in 2017 with just a catering department. A fully fledged outlet opened shortly after. We had a feeling that hybrid open-fire grilling techniques would invade other markets, so we began developing the business in Egypt and signed a joint venture agreement in mid-2020. The first outlet was in El Gouna, followed by a catering division in Cairo to serve all of Egypt. Next came the outlet in Zed Park Cairo, and finally we opened in Sahel in early July 2021: two seasonal locations in Marassi and Playa Seashell. What can you tell us about the latest project in Kuwait?

We are pleased to announce the signing of a franchise agreement with ALARGAN International Real Estate Company, one of the most reputable hospitality developers in Kuwait. The group owns ARGANA Hotels & Resorts, where we will open our first BBQ BROS outlet, with 200 square meters of indoor and 200 square meters of outdoor space, in Q4 2021. In addition, we will launch a catering operation in early 2022, allowing us to serve the best of BBQ BROS at any outdoor location in Kuwait. Why did you decide to branch out into the Kuwaiti market?

Being one of the most demanding markets in the GCC, with high income per capita, Kuwait was an ideal destination for us. We knew we could develop our brand there and satisfy the high demand for quality openfire grilling. However we had to choose the right franchisee. ALARGAN International Real Estate Company happened to be the perfect match, and we are very confident that they will be able to manage our brand with the same attention to detail, taking the BBQ BROS experience to the next level in the Kuwaiti hospitality market. Much like the rest of the Middle East, BBQ BROS features a real show, with our fire grill performing a dual function of production and entertainment. Guests can not only enjoy a wide range of gourmet food products but also cherish the entertainment created by flame cooking. The huge open grill takes pride of place in the restaurant, allowing guests to watch as delicious steaks, burgers, chicken and fish are cooked to perfection. Are you adapting your concept to suit local tastes?

One of the biggest challenges for global brands is how to maintain consistency while adapting to local preferences. The BBQ BROS concept can be adapted to a wide variety of tastes, especially when it comes to local specificities and trends. Do you have any updates on your franchising plans?

We are actively working with potential franchisees and partners to grow our brand in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, a target we are aiming to achieve by 2022. However, the GCC is not our only focus, as we are already in contact with several F&B developers in Europe and America.