Sami Daud, chairman of Gourmet Gulf, takes us on a journey to discover the group’s biggest brands and its secrets to success in the region.
Tell us a bit more about Gourmet Gulf: your brands, guest experiences and how the concepts came to be.
Gourmet Gulf was born with the intention of bringing new culinary experiences to the people of Dubai. Created by foodies for foodies, during the last years we have strived to bring to our territory some of the most recognised restaurant brands in the world, such as Yo! Sushi, California Pizza Kitchen, Hummingbird bakery, and Texas de Brazil, one of our most successful restaurants.
There’s no greater satisfaction for us than seeing our customers happy after having a positive experience at one of our restaurants. At the end of the day that is our main objective, to give our clients happiness. Everyone is happy when they have a good culinary experience, right?
That’s one of the reasons why we always look for the opportunity to bring new franchises to our company. Our intention is to continue to bring happiness, crafting new experiences for the society we’re part of.
What’s your mission and core brand values across the group?
Our mission is to bring best-in-class dining brands closer to people and offer them a chance to experience the best of world cuisine. We identify gaps in markets and fill them with new cuisines and fresh dining experiences.
One of our core values is “people first”. We build our business on a foundation of committed individuals, who excel at what they do, and will be challenged to develop themselves every day.
We have the discipline and courage to do what we say we’re going to do. Basically, “we do what we say”. We “play fair”. We’re committed to integrity in our personal and business interactions and decision-making. Last but not least, we have a strong “customer commitment”. We develop relationships that make a positive difference in our customers’ lives.
Tell us more about Texas de Brazil, what makes this brand so special?
Texas de Brazil is special, not only for the originality of the concept itself, but also for the quality of the product it offers. This brand represents the original rancher, who brought the churrasco culture to the United States, and his lifestyle. It’s definitely a unique way of dining, where guests indulge in a parade of meats and an extravagant seasonal salad area: it truly represents the traditional steakhouse of Brazil.
Is it true that a new Texas de Brazil restaurant is going to open in September at The Dubai Mall?
Yes, we’re very excited about this new adventure with The Dubai Mall. Our team is making a tremendous effort to polish the final details, and we’re looking forward to opening the doors of our new Texas De Brazil to our customers in, what will undoubtedly be, one of the best restaurants we’ve opened to date.
Could you please tell us more about this new opening? Why The Dubai Mall?
Currently, Gourmet Gulf already has several well-established brands at The Dubai Mall such as Yo! Sushi and Hummingbird Bakery, so we didn’t want our Texas De Brazil to feel left out.
Our excellent relationship with Emaar and The Dubai Mall goes several years back, and we’re delighted to continue to work together by adding one more restaurant to the list. This mall is the benchmark in the region and all around the world and is known to offer a unique experience. Texas de Brazil is an international brand which, undoubtedly, also features a unique culinary experience.
We can’t wait to show you what we have for you. Texas de Brazil’s new strategic location will offer views of The Dubai Fountain, the perfect way to enhance the authentic experience.
Where do you stand now and where are you directing future growth?
Gourmet Gulf will remain true to its style, offering quality at an affordable price for everyone, betting on brands with their own and proven identity, and creating an enriching experience for our customers.
Due to the pandemic which, unfortunately, all of us have experienced this year, we’ve made a great effort to prepare brands for delivery. This is in addition to developing two new brands created exclusively for such purposes.
We all know that life can change in the blink of an eye. At Gourmet Gulf, we’re prepared to face any type of challenge, always with a smile and the aim of offering our clients a high quality product, while using the latest technologies to achieve our main objective: none other than making our customers happy through the experiences we offer at our different venues.
