Healthy option restaurants in UAE bid to cut the burger down to size

Healthy food is beginning to take hold in the UAE, but the burger comes out top in fast food stakes.

Just Salad has opened its first outlet at Jumeirah Lake Towers in Dubai. Satish Kumar / The National

A handful of health-conscious restaurants are attempting to offer an alternative to Dubai’s favourite fast food – the burger.

As rates of diabetes and obesity soar in the UAE, outlets are increasingly offering healthy options. California-based Lemonade recently opened two branches in Dubai – Richy’s offers custom-made salads, while Circle has been expanding its presence offering salads and bagels.

“In Dubai there really is a vacuum for healthy casual fast food,” said Namir Hourani, the founder of Marj Hospitality & Restaurants, which has the franchise rights for Just Salad, a New York fast-food concept that officially opened in Dubai on Thursday. “There has been a growing trend for healthy foods in the past few years.”

Burgers dominate the country’s casual dining sector, accounting for 29 per cent of sales.

Last year there were 293 burger outlets in the UAE generating US$717 million in sales, according to strategy research firm Euromonitor International. By the end of this year there will be 300 outlets in the country, rising to 334 by 2018 when sales are expected to exceed $1 billion.

“One potential threat to fast - food growth might come from rising health awareness in the country, which is largely driven by governmental campaigns,” said an analyst at Euromonitor International. “This has prompted more premium operators to add healthier options to their menus such as salads, whole-wheat dough and organic ingredients in an attempt to stay in line with this rising trend.”

The fledgling trend in the UAE mirrors the development of the sector in the United States, where healthy chains make up a small but growing segment of the $200bn-a-year industry as consumers demand more organic and locally sourced produce.

The big chains, including McDonald’s, have adjusted menus to protect market share amid declining sales globally and higher costs.

Just Salad is planning an “aggressive” expansion to tap into what it hopes will be a sustained trend, including two more outlets before the end of the year.

“Next year we have five locations inked in and are looking for more. We should have 10 locations up and running by 2016,” said Mr Hourani.

While there are no figures on the size of the healthy fast food market in the country, it is a growing sector.

“I think there is a common misconception that only foods that are ‘bad for you’ taste good,” said Hiba Kosta, a managing partner at Chez Sushi, which has also been expanding. “Many people that choose to adapt to new, healthier eating habits find that after just a short while they can easily reject junk-food type products.”

Follow The National's Business section on Twitter