WORDS: OLIVIA MORRIS
The Legend
What does it take to create a brand that stands the test of time? “Be different, confident and follow your instinct, then find people that share the same ethos and vision as you do,” says Rainer Becker, founder and owner of Zuma. The restaurateur first opened the iconic contemporary Japanese restaurant in London in 2002, before deciding to take the risk to bring the luxury restaurant brand to Dubai in 2008, well before the F&B industry exploded to be what we know it as today. This year marks the UAE’s 50th anniversary and Zuma’s 13th year in the region. For a restaurant that has consistently stayed at the top of its game, even as new arrivals have entered the dining scene in DIFC, we asked what the secret is to staying superlative and achieving such success. According to Becker it’s “Product, consistency” and a great team “We all work towards a common goal of constantly driving the business forward.” Emirates Woman sat down with the globally acclaimed restaurateur to delve deeper into how he’s created such an iconic brand in the F&B space here in the UAE and how Zuma has paved the way for the dining scene here in Dubai.
Next year will mark Zuma’s 13th year in Dubai, which is an incredible milestone. How has Zuma Dubai stayed at the helm of the F&B industry here in this region even after such a long period of time? Product, consistency, and our team are key! We all work towards a common goal of constantly driving the business forward. I believe all elements within a restaurant hold equal importance, the design, service, food, drinks, lighting, music. We have all been out for dinner and had great food but if the service is not up to scratch you are not likely to return. We work incredibly hard as a business to ensure that all areas are of the highest standard. What first inspired you to bring the Zuma brand to Dubai? We opened Zuma London in 2002 with my business partner Arjun Waney; the success and growth far exceeded our expectations. We were only ever planning to open one restaurant. As the business organically flourished, we started to look at other cosmopolitan locations; destinations where our existing customers travelled to regularly, this led us to Hong Kong, Istanbul and then Dubai of course, where we opened in 2008. At the time, and to this day, our decision to open in a specific location is really driven by our customer base. Cities such as Hong Kong and Dubai are where
Rainer Becker, Founder & Owner of Zuma Dubai, reveals what it takes to create a truly timeless brand
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LIFESTYLE
10/31/21 4:40 PM
