Food apps, food courts, elevated dining – perhaps it was the end for many cafeterias and smaller restaurants that have always been part of UAE’s food scene. Or so we thought. They are alive, thriving and innovating. One such trend that’s really catching on is – the dine-in experience.
The trend that has quickly taken off on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram basically brings the experience of eating inside a café or restaurant into the comfort of your car.
A tray is set up customers can enjoy an elaborate meal parked next to the cafeteria.
Manakish, shawarma, sandwiches, karak tea, and mocktails are most popular dishes ordered but some outlets are going beyond that. Full scale, multi-course meals such as steaks with sides, falafel spreads, grilled chicken, mandi, biryani, and more are being offered as part of the car dine-in service.
Why have these eateries introduced dining on trays?
Well, they wanted to offer an added layer of convenience to their customers.
Shanid Muringol is the outlet manager of Golden Tasty restaurant in Sharjah’s Muweilah area. He explained that they first introduced the car dine-in service to diners during the Covid-19 pandemic, as it was a private and sanitary dining experience with limited contact with people.
It’s for those who like their privacy. Let’s say families are coming to try out our food or someone who doesn’t want to mingle with anyone, they go for the car dine-in service
Now, people from across the UAE come to try it out. “It’s for those who like their privacy. Let’s say families are coming to try out our food or someone who doesn’t want to mingle with anyone, they go for the car dine-in service,” he said.
Shanid said that youngsters, especially students from universities, as well as families mostly opt for it.
“It’s also a great way to save on plastic and the use of disposable dishes and cutlery, as opposed to packing a takeaway meal,” he said.
It helps with providing diners with freshly made food, and how it is intended to be eaten by the cooks and chefs. “When you take away food, it gets cold or moisture gets into it and it gets soggy [due to condensation]. This allows us to cook and directly serve the food from the kitchen to the car within minutes and customers can eat it right away freshly,” he said.
“Cleanup is also up to us completely, so that is one less thing customers have to think about. Once they are done eating, they can just call us and we will take the [specially designed] trays with the used plates and cutlery, and their car is mess free.”
Talking about how the trend is getting popular, he said: “People see it online and they come from Abu Dhabi and Ras Al Khaimah. Make their own videos and post them on social media.”
Similarly, for 25-year-old Ahmad Ali Mohammad Al Baloushi, an Emirati owner of Nad Al Hamar Baker, a bakery in Dubai, providing the car dine-in option meant getting on top of the latest food trends in UAE.
He started the bakery when he was 22 years old and as someone belonging to Gen Z, he’s always on the lookout to find the latest food trends and new ideas to serve his food, especially in a way that works on social media.
After he introduced the car dine-in option at his bakery, it quickly got popular online. Sticking to a simple menu of different kinds of bread, manakish, and fatayer, the eatery has people coming in to order from across the country.
Customers usually wait outside in their cars and staffers hand them their orders placed in aesthetically pleasing wooden trays. Due to the nature of the food, Al Baloushi’s bakery serves, he said that it’s best to eat it on the spot.
“We wanted to take the chai and manakish culture to the next level. I am someone who always likes to start new things and trends,” he said.
“I would just like it if they don’t take the trays with them,” he added.
Quick, easy and hassle-free
Emirati public relations officer, Hanan Al Maazmi eats such car dine-ins on the regular, whom Gulf News spoke to while she was enjoying such a dinner with her husband and children in Sharjah’s Muweilah food street.
On weekdays, after an eight-hour shift at work, it’s the best way to enjoy fresh food as if it was made at home.
“I have one near my workplace in Dubai, so I go to it for lunch and this one is next to my house in Sharjah. On weekdays, after an eight-hour shift at work, it’s the best way to enjoy fresh food as if it was made at home,” she said.
“The weather can be hot and it’s crowded and noisy outside, this helps you avoid all that. You don’t even need to get out of your car. I don’t have to dress up or wear makeup and get an easy, fast meal. We [she and her family] finalise the payment while we’re finishing our food or having our dessert, pay directly on the card machine, and leave,” she added.
Speaking about taking the food home instead, she said: “It gets cold and soggy. There’s no comparison. This is the easiest and quickest option for a meal or even a snack.”
For Indian, Sharjah-based teacher, Anjum Hasan, it is also a family affair when she goes out to a car dine-in restaurant.
This kind of an experience gives us a chance to be all together and spend time alone at the same time and these kinds of smaller restaurants are easy on the pocket
“I usually go to a small restaurant in Dubai’s Meena Bazaar area, where I relish sizzling hot parathas directly from the tawa [cast iron pan] with choley, aloo ki sabzi, lassi, and chai served in a tray going through our car window and lavishly spread right in front of us,” she said.
“In our family, we are all foodies. This kind of an experience gives us a chance to be all together and spend time alone at the same time and these kinds of smaller restaurants are easy on the pocket, so we can try out the royal treat every weekend,” she added.
Could be messy…
However, there are those who find having a whole meal inside one’s car “just too much”. Emirati student Saeed Al Shamsi is a regular at these cafeterias around the UAE but he usually either goes into these eateries to eat or takes his food home.
Car dine-in is not for me because of the smell and mess it could create in the car.
“Car dine-in is not for me because of the smell and mess it could create in the car. There is a chance of spills and my car is too dear to me. I am someone who likes to keep it very clean,” the Al Ain resident said.
“Maybe eating a small and quick sandwich is okay or a pizza, but not like rice and all that. It’s just too messy,” he added.
Cafeteria culture in UAE
Nevertheless, Al Shamsi noted that having a casual meal at these small-scale restaurants and cafeterias is typical to UAE’s food culture.
Jordanian student Ahmad Assaf has grown up in the UAE and “always takes away food from cafeterias”, whether it is to eat in his car or enjoy the meal at home.
UAE residents’ heavy dependence on cars for transportation coupled with warm summers makes ordering food into your car a very convenient and enjoyable experience.
Speaking about the option of getting food while sitting in the comfort of your car, the 20-year-old said: “I feel like it was only natural for this culture to develop because of how convenient it is. UAE residents’ heavy dependence on cars for transportation coupled with warm summers makes ordering food into your car a very convenient and enjoyable experience. Growing up here, I tried this many times with my friends, especially during the summer.”
Whether it’s introducing unique food combinations like cereal-flavoured ice cream, mocktails with dry ice, or the car dine-in service, UAE eateries are always introducing new food trends and always providing foodies something to look forward to. What is the latest food trend that caught your eye? Share with us on food@gulfnews.com
