Haider Madini, owner of French restaurant café Cassette, spills the beans on the secrets to its success.
Owner, Cassette
The first time I walked into our location Al Quoz I knew this was where I wanted to turn my dream into a reality. A great location is one of the most important factors for attracting customers. But just as important, is the concept. We wanted to serve quality coffee and fresh food in a trendy, relaxing and cosy atmosphere. A place where we knew our customers by their first names. We envisioned a home away from home. From there, Cassette was born.
It was not easy designing and detailing every inch to build the space that I had in mind. An ideal atmosphere is one that is clean and bright with plenty of natural light, comfortable seating space and lots of charging outlets to stay connected. Whether it is was for work or pleasure, I wanted Cassette to have an ambiance that suits everyone.
It was vital to work with designers who share your passion and understand your vision. H2R, the designers behind Cassette, understood the importance of using different materials and had great knowledge of understanding customer experience. Having an outdoor area space for people to walk by, and flowing water fountains surrounded by greenery is a huge attraction and greatly increases the visibility of our business. We used a mix of seating and bench tables so we could accommodate single customers as well as larger groups.
I knew it was a leap of faith to open a café in Dubai which thrives on a vibrant food scene where every street corner, mall, outdoor attraction has endless quality food options . But I wanted to offer something unique to make it a preferred spot for our clients. Families can enjoy a rich Friday breakfast, while children can play in a safe open area while others may want to read a book over a good cup of coffee.
We’re also big on being environment-friendly. We offer free filtered water to everyone (even pets) and don’t use single-use plastic.
Our playlist is a big hit among our clients who have a true appreciation of old school music and also today’s latest hits. Our sound system ensures that the music is never a nuisance while customers delve deep into their conversations. We’ve managed to cater to the different needs of people, whether it is an informal business meeting or even for students to catch up on their school work.
No atmosphere is complete without good food and I’m proud of what we’ve been able to offer. With my team of experienced chefs and baristas, we’ve been able to provide gourmet food and coffee. Our dishes are all made from scratch using rich, colourful and natural ingredients and we make sure they look as good as they taste. I believe this is why Cassette has quickly been able to compete among the top hot spots in the city.
But I think our secret ingredient to our success has been our staff. They are the heart of Cassette and without them we can’t operate.
