Aura Hospitality & Food Services, a leading player in the hospitality sector in the country, is considering bringing authentic Qatari cuisine to London as part its expansion plans in the future, the company’s general manager Yasser El Zein has said.
“We still have a lot to do in Doha but London is our first destination,” El Zein told Gulf Times on the sidelines of the launch of the breakfast menu developed by the celebrity Chef Fawaz al-Omaim at SMAT – a fine-dining restaurant offering an eclectic mix of authentic Qatari dishes.
Citing its popularity among travellers, he said people in general who want to travel to Europe prefer London as their favourite destination.
“It is always London, and we can feel there is such a market, the demand of having such kind of specialty cuisine, some amazing tastes, we see there is room and a gap in the UK market for such offering,” the general manager said.
El Zein noted that the company currently manages around 37 restaurants within different segments, between fine dining and casual dining and quick service.
He noted that Aura Hospitality is set to open nine new food and beverage outlets in the country (spread over Mall of Qatar, Lusail, The Pearl-Qatar, and Souq Waqif), scheduled between the first week of December and end of February 2020.
Some of the new outlets will be opened for the first time while others will be branches of the existing renowned restaurants.
“We have in our pipeline nine new restaurants from different segments as well. Most of our brands are homegrown brands which we are proud of,” El Zein said.
“But at the moment we are preparing to bring new franchises to the market with International names just to be ready for the competition.” Lusail is a new area, which we are penetrating at the moment. We see there is going to be a new hub, which is being prepared by Qatari Diar for the 2022 FIFA World Cup,” he noted, adding that Aura Hospitality will be the first one to start its expansion there.
About the major sporting event in 2022, El Zein said the hosting of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar is attracting many operators to come to Doha and expand their operations.
“We heard a lot of new brands which are planning to come to Doha. We as main player in the industry, we have in our radar many good names which we are bringing to Doha, which we promise by 2022,” he added.
“We will be operating more than 55 restaurants and we promise our guests that we will have some signature brands as well as signature locations in Doha catering for this market,” El Zein added.