Pompeii raises heat in Dubai pizza rivalry

The Life: The director of Pompeii Italian Restaurant and Cafe talks about expansion plans and how to stay afloat in a crowded pizzeria landscape.

Cheryl Vaughn, the director of Pompeii Italian Restaurant and Cafe, says a pizza-eating competition is good exposure. Sarah Dea / The National

Pompeii Italian Restaurant and Cafe in Dubai staged a pizza-eating competition last month. Now, Cheryl Vaughn, the director of the restaurant, which opened in March, is hungry for success. She talks about how the business aims to compete in a Dubai market already crowded with 50 wood-fired pizzerias.

What is different with Pompeii?

We feel that we deliver Italian food that is just above the niche. We have two chefs - one of them has worked for 10 years in Italy and the other for three years. Being in JLT [Jumeirah Lakes Towers] has benefited as it is a vibrant commercial and residential hub. There is also a clear access from the metro. JLT can become the second business hub in Dubai. It is initially [expensive], but you do not want to compromise.

You held a pizza-eating competition last month. What is the draw with these eating competitions?

Everybody likes to take on a challenge. These place people in a competitive mode and it is good exposure for us. It also addresses the community and the neighbourhood around us, announces that we are here. It is type of a family event.

Do you change which ingredients you bring in as food prices fluctuate?

The good thing about Italian food is that it's all about cheese. We have contracted with an Italian cheese company who manufactures in Dubai and they deliver on a daily basis. Our flour comes from Italy and oak wood [too] for the pizza oven.

We bring in 20 kilograms of wood a week. The good news is that a lot of the importers are in the UAE. You can tie up with some good suppliers and also, they want to be in the UAE.

How do you home in on a new location for expansion?

We want to get into where there are high levels of residency occupancy. We go for the middle-management [people] in luxury apartment buildings.

What are your expansion plans?

We will be in a pretty vibrant residential area in November or December in Dubai. It will be our second outlet. We are focusing on four in total, including this one. The Jumeirah Village South Triangle area has huge residential occupancy.

We are hoping to talk to some hotel groups as well. There might be an opportunity on the Palm in 24 months. Dubai is our safety zone and it is really vibrant.

* Sananda Sahoo

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