Dubai’s F&B industry is facing its biggest crisis since Covid. Every day seems to bring news of another restaurant shutting its doors.

By my count, just about every cluster in my local neighbourhood, JLT, has lost an independent brand since the war kicked off, and it’s a similar story across the city. Some claim to be closed temporarily, but much like every Sunday morning when I say I’ll never drink again, they are lying to themselves.

The ones that remain open have resorted to outright begging for custom on social media. They are pleading poverty and warning that they will not survive without the support of the community.

I get it. It is horrendous out there.

But guess what? Your community is struggling too. F&B is not the only industry cutting salaries, struggling to pay rent or being battered by the rising cost of food and everyday life.

Some restaurants have been pushing the homegrown angle, perhaps hoping that your hatred of anything American/different/non-Dubai right now will lead you towards them. Others have been highlighting the plight of their staff and their struggle to pay wages.

But like a Tinder bio wallowing in self-pity, and believe me, I have some experience in this area, all you are going to do is push people (in my case, women) away. 

I don’t mean to downplay the situation. Restaurants are genuinely struggling. I see it firsthand. But the Dubai dining scene needs to give itself a shake and realise that we are not the first industry to face a crisis like this.

Look at Hollywood.

In 2018, the domestic box office in North America was worth $11.89 billion. By 2025, it had dropped to $8.73 billion. Cinemas are closing, audiences are shrinking and the industry feels as though it is in freefall. Even Odysseus can’t bring this one back.

Film studios blamed the long-term effects of Covid, rising costs, home streaming and changing consumer habits. Basically, anything but themselves.

But I liked what Ryan Gosling said about cinemas closing during a recent press tour:

“It’s not the consumer’s job to keep them open; it’s our job to make things that make it worth you coming out.”

This is the most important lesson restaurateurs need to take on board right now. And yes, it is much more important than fondling your latest AI tool or posting about irrelevant trending topics on Instagram.

Quite simply, what reason are you giving people to come to your restaurant?

Dubai has more restaurants than ever, all fighting over an ever-dwindling pool of customers as the war continues and summer sets in. This is The Hunger Games, and the weak will die first.

But, like The Hunger Games, you can arm yourself. You can find your bow. You can survive.

Start with the basics.

What is your iconic dish? What special offers are you running? What makes your restaurant beloved by its regulars? Does everyone know about these things?

Let me tell you a secret: fewer people than you think know the answers to these basic questions.

You do. But you are too close to it. You spend all day thinking about your restaurant, your food and your promotions. It is your life and soul.

But to the average customer? Your restaurant is one of a thousand places they are vaguely aware of. To paraphrase Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca:

“Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, why should they walk into yours?”

Right now, too many brands are using the Field of Dreams approach to marketing: 

“If you build it, they will come.”

They assume that because they have a lovely restaurant and a great product, customers should naturally follow. Hell, guests should be beating down your door to dine in your establishment, shouldn’t they?

I’m sorry, but the competition is too fierce for that.

You need to use the Isa from Still Game approach (and I don’t apologise for using niche Scottish sitcom references. If you haven’t seen Still Game, do yourself a favour):

“People huv tae know!”

Find within yourself the spirit of Craiglang’s town gossip and spread the word about everything that makes your venue special to everyone who might be interested.

Word of mouth is, and always will be, the best form of marketing. But you need to give people something worth talking about. It does not just magically happen.

Don’t be like Alan Partridge, begging the BBC for a second series. Prove your value. Show your potential guests why they need to pay you a visit.

It is simple. If you want to break into people’s consciousness and make sure your venue is top of mind, you need to give them a reason to come.

A bloody good reason.

Look at your offering. In the current climate, is it still relevant?

With fewer potential customers around and those who remain more price-conscious than ever, do you have a showstopper that will make them say, “Oh, I need to go out for that”?

Do you have something that will get people through the door, persuade them to share your restaurant on Instagram, make them talk about it with their friends, and encourage them to recommend it to everyone who asks?

If you don’t, you are in big trouble in little Dubai.

What that showstopper looks like will differ from restaurant to restaurant, and that is exactly why everyone still has a chance to survive. Every concept is unique. Every restaurant can create something that connects specifically with its own audience.

(And just to be clear, this doesn’t have to be a discount. However, I believe discounting does have its place, and I’ll be writing on that soon.)

Then you need to make sure everybody and their dog knows about it.

Don’t shut up about it. Plaster it everywhere. Annoy the life out of us by ramming it down our throats. Make us feel as though we simply have to try it.

Unleash your inner Del Boy and hustle, hustle, hustle.

This is your mission. Right now, it may be your only task.

Don’t sit around waiting and hoping for things to improve. As we have seen with the war intensifying again in recent days, we have no idea when circumstances will return to normal, or what normal will even look like when they do.

So get out there and fight for your market share.

No one is coming to save you.

You need to save yourself.