DUBAI
Tablez Food Company, the food and beverage arm of Lulu International Group, launched on Tuesday the UAE’s first Genghis Grill outlet after signing a franchise deal to bring the US-based chain to the country.
The outlet at Abu Dhabi’s Al Wahda Mall is the first to open outside of the US, with Genghis Grill currently operating outlets across the Midwest, western states and southern states of America.
Shafeena Yousuf Ali, chief executive officer at Tablez, said the Abu Dhabi outlet is the first of at least three that Tablez plans to open in the UAE over the next three years, with the next two confirmed outlets planned for Dubai.
The plans to open new outlets in Dubai come amid reports of saturation in the food and beverage market in the emirate as more and more brands flock there.
“What we do is identify spaces that are underserved, and we try to build those. So instead of finding a [sector] that might already be fulfilled, we try to find our own audience and create new experiences,” she told Gulf News.
So far, she believes sectors that are underserved include authentic Asian cuisine in the casual dining space, as well as American barbecue.
Tablez’s latest venture was a franchise deal it signed with another US-based chain, Famous Dave’s, which serves pit-smoked barbecue. The brand opened its first outlet outside the Americas in February 2016 in Abu Dhabi. Yusuff Ali said Tablez is planning a second Famous Dave’s outlet in Abu Dhabi, having already opened one in Dubai Parks and Resorts.
Tablez currently has six brands under its umbrella, including Bloomsbury’s, Peppermill, London Dairy, Galito’s, and Sugar Factory. It is planning to open a total of around nine outlets over 2017 and 2018.
The CEO said Tablez is also planning to bring two new brands to the UAE “in the near future.” Those include Pancake House, the Filipino chain expected to open in the UAE this year, as well as another brand that Tablez plans to disclose later.
“We see Pancake House growing quite quickly because, obviously, there are over one million people from the Philippines here so there’s a huge demand for brands from the Philippines. We should have at least two to three this year, and we will grow it from there,” she said.
