'It’s a land of opportunities': Cassette's Haider Madani on Dubai and its community spirit

Cassette is one of Dubai's long-running cafés. Located in The Courtyard in Al Quoz, the homegrown concept has become a destination since opening in February 2019.

Gulf News sat down with Haider Madani, the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Mad Room, to hear more about building a life in the UAE and why community and coming together remain so important.

Haider's journey in Dubai began decades ago. "I actually came to Dubai for the very first time back in ‘98. I was living in London at the time, and when I did visit Dubai, honestly, my eyes were just opened. I realised it’s just such a beautiful place to be and it made me think ‘why am I still where I am in the world?’

His journey to move to Dubai happened quickly. "By 2000, two years later, I actually managed to come here and become a resident," Haider recalls. He was working in the automotive sector at the time, but after living in the UAE for a few years, he saw a potential opportunity.

"I realised there was a gap in the F&B industry to create communities, to create a space where music, art and culture all come together," he explains. "And that’s when Cassette was actually formed. It was under that pretence to create a hub, a place of belonging, an authentic homegrown concept in F&B."

Cassette opened in February 2019, and since then, the Al Quoz spot has seen its clients grow with the concept.

"Upon the opening of Cassette, we started having a following of truly loyal clientele. They started coming here, whether it was for a workspace, lunch break or a business meeting," Haider explains.

The community has grown together. They went through COVID the year after Cassette opened.

"We were a strong entity. We all managed to merge together and grow stronger. That is the epitome of Dubai, and that’s what we do best," Haider says of the strength during COVID.

Seeing the collaboration among clients, the team and community over seven years is "beautiful." Haider says, "Their support has been great, and we’ve witnessed an ongoing story. Everyone’s life story has been involved with Cassette at some point. Whether it’s relationship milestones or growing families, we’ve all been together, and it’s created a really nice bond."

The community aspect is something Haider emphasises. Similarly, being a UAE-born business is something meaningful to him.

"Having a brand that’s created in Dubai is something of a badge of honour. It’s like a gold medal because Dubai has become a place where we no longer follow," Haider says. "It makes me happy that I’m not imported or a franchise. Dubai has become a hub of leaders, and not followers.

He continues, "To be a Dubai brand is something very important because it means you’ve created a brand from ground zero, from nothing, and it shows a lot of strength. It shows you put a lot of thought into whichever of your projects is in the soil of the UAE."

He adds, "The UAE and Dubai are the epitome of growth, and they’re showing the rest of the world the beauty of traditions and modern times merging. It’s a land of opportunities; it’s a land to bring great concepts that are authentic."

What does the future hold? "Moving forward, the UAE will consistently show its strength and growth. I foresee a lot more opportunities to come. A lot more investment opportunities will come from the outside world because they’ve seen how resilient we’ve become. We’re still on top of our game."

He says, "What I would like is to create more spaces for communities, and bring people together."