How did your venture into F&B come about?
I come from a family of entrepreneurs so it was very natural. I ran my first business when I was 20 as a cornerstore newsagent. I worked 90 hours a week and the experience taught me whether you celebrate and complain, do it in silence. I then started with a partner an SAP recruitment agency in 1994 named IT Link Limited that grew in three years to have a number of global clients. We set up a branch in Dubai in 1997 to service clients in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and the Far East.
Just a few months later, IT Link was taken over by an American organization called Accustaff. A year of soul searching later, I realized I’d been a foodie all my life and in 1999 acquired the franchise rights for the UAE’s first Pizza Express Brand. We developed the chain till its sale in 2015.
You also founded Spice and Ice, and now Nara Pan Asian. What makes your businesses so successful?
Appreciating what I would like as a customer is how I operate my businesses. And in today’s world, the young generation has the spending power and is more financially capable compared to 20 years ago. Restaurants need to be more fun and casual.
What are the most important aspects in your opinion that make for satisfied customers?
Value for money, quality, service and visibility. Customers have a lot of choices in Dubai and we can’t afford to be complacent even a single day or they will vanish from our outlets immediately.
A practice you instil in your team that helps deliver quality experiences?
Customers have made an effort to choose us. All we have to do is give them a fantastic experience. Treat them exactly how you would like to be treated. Do not cut corners, be it with the quality of food, quality of beverages and quality of service.
What advice would you give to your own 18-year old self?
Enhance your education and be astute with your finances. It may seem like eons before you will get old but time flies.
How do you relax and switch off from work?
With smartphones you never switch off! However, I spend a few hours with family and some time watching cooking channels or a food-based TV shows. Most evenings my wife and I share stories from the day and advise each other on actions or directions to take.
What is your most prized possession? And the biggest luxury?
After selling Pizza Express in 2015, I did run out and purchase a Rolls Royce Wraith. But other than that luxury, being a father of four wonderful children is my most prized possession.
Quote to live your life by?
Live graciously, love generously and value tremendously.