When it comes to the independent food and beverage industry in Dubai, there is no denying how buoyant and fizzing with energy it is. And putting the city as one of the truly great dining destinations of the world.

That ascent has been possible thanks to the support of the authorities and the regulators who have opened the doors for people to set up and run restaurants and cafés across the city.

But we are at the point where unless there are certain changes to the rules under which we operate, I do fear for the future.

At the heart of this is rent. What a lot of people don’t understand is that is costs a lot of money to fit out a restaurant or cafe and then there are multiple added costs to get it up and running. Often including running costs as we wait for all the permissions to open for business.

The industry has to accept that as a cost, but in an ideal world we would then have the same control in terms of a rent cap that happens with residential. As things stand we are not able to properly see what will happen in the future.

There are also more complex areas that should be looked at when it comes to the relationship between a landlord and a food and beverage tenant. At the moment it is simply about what someone can pay in square foot.

We would love the authorities to step in and make this much more about the long term view. There are many options such as linking the rent you pay to the turnover of the business — and in that case everyone is a winner.

That is just one example, but shows that with some thinking there are new ways to encourage the development of the independent food and beverage business from the ground up.

A key point that really needs to be understood — and that is not widely known — is that the landlord currently has a lot of power in how a restaurant is created and then run.

They are able to dictate the providers of everything from fitting the kitchen to the overall design. They can even step in if they are not happy with the colour scheme or how the tables and chairs are laid out. And going a step further, the opening times and the general day-to-day running of the venue has to be agreed by the landlord.

Do we need to have a great relationship with each other? Without question, we do. But there are many within the industry who feel both our balance-sheets and creativity is being affected.

As I have said at the core of making sure F&B goes from strength to strength in the future is the subject of real estate. But overall we simply need to be supported more to make decisions that will have a positive impact on our business. Supplier choice, payment terms and recognising we are not international brands are all hot topics.

In a nutshell, the independent F&B scene in Dubai is on the up — but the recognition that we need more help for this to continue over the next 10 years is a call that needs to be heard.

— The writer is CEO of Gates Hospitality.