Dubai is teeming with foodies. This much is evident through an Instagram scroll, the increasing number of food festivals and now, the rate at which new F&B players are entering the market via mobile restaurants – Food trucks!
In an effort to satiate our insatiable appetite for good food, one man, Rami Salous, decided it was time to give foodie entrepreneurs in Dubai a leg up.
He had founded Kitchen Nation in Dubai, shortly after opening several shawarma places in the U.S and Jordan, to provide individuals and small businesses in the F&B industry with a joint support system and services like sales, events, consulting and marketing.
Acutely aware of the evolving environment of the F&B sector here, he believes there is always room for new ideas and concepts as trends and tastes change. On the whole, Rami is quite optimistic about Dubai’s food scene:
Dubai has quickly become a hub of world class restaurants attracting some of the most internationally recognized Chefs and restauranteurs. Each year the pool widens and the offerings get better and better.
In this highly competitive context, Rami says that food trucks have a marked advantage for start-ups since the mobile mode lets you reach a wider number of consumers and develop brand recognition.
“Just being on the road driving the truck is excellent advertising,” he adds.
So, how does the Kitchen Nation Incubator help? Think of the food business you want and imagine a support system for each activity – food or non-food related.
They arrange tastings, help members navigate the process of entering markets, provide access to major food ordering apps, assist with marketing and social media and even help with developing menus if needed.
In addition to this, every member’s brand gets digital and on-ground retail space – at Kitchen Nation’s shop and website – with a ready PR team for publicity.
According to Rami, among the biggest challenges facing foodies entrepreneurs in Dubai are the licensing and permission requirements. He says
“Also, finding reliable and consistent suppliers is often a big issue. Lastly, maintaining the capital to operate while allowing the business to grow can be very difficult.”
These are all elements that Kitchen Nation holds your hand through. If you’ve ever fancied running your own kitchen, this is where your aspirations come closer to reality, despite the many challenges.
Kitchen Nation applications are open throughout the month. The only requirement is that the incubator has a valid food hygiene course.
We expect big, delicious things from this step in the right direction: giant Nutella-covered pretzels, steaming wok stations, exceptional shawarmas, large pizza pies with extra crispy crusts, monster shakes, fresh and crunchy gourmet salads to go, piping hot coffee and more – on every corner. Sounds like a brilliant Dubai, doesn’t it?
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