In March, casual dining institution Jones The Grocer will celebrate 25 years in the food and beverage industry – 12 of those spent in the UAE, with the Australian chain's first franchised outlet opening in Abu Dhabi in 2009.
Celebrating the milestone amid a pandemic, and having not only survived, but also expanded in one of the most spoilt-for-choice and discerning (read, fickle) culinary regions, this year finds group chief executive and owner Yunib Siddiqui in a reflective mood as he – and the food industry as a whole – face relentless, rapid changes.
Increased demand for dine-out, social distancing measures in restaurants, an army of apps dedicated to food delivery, cloud kitchens and a return to home cooking ... all of these factors have put a strain on an industry that often groans under the weight of oversaturation.
Yet, despite the challenges, Siddiqui, 51, remains upbeat.
Admitting that the pandemic “jolted us”, he says the effects of Covid-19 pushed the brand into diversifying faster than planned. “We pivoted from a bricks-and-mortar business to diversified business, which was always what we knew we could do, but it took the pandemic to jolt us on to that track.”
With plans for 25 new Jones The Grocer stores, Siddiqui shares his menu hits and misses, offers advice for young and hungry (pun intended) F&B entrepreneurs, and reveals why he always orders chicken when dining out.
The secret to lasting 25 years is...
To be true to our vision of being passionate and focused.
The effect the pandemic has had on us is...
A bit like a defibrillator. It set us on a path to optimising our business and to reveal the real potential in our multiple revenue streams. Cheese, grocery and delicatessen sales went through the roof, for example.
Guiding an F&B business through the pandemic has taught me...
To be nimble and eliminate bureaucracy because it slows things down.
Our most successful dish has been...
The Jones Wagyu Burger, of course!
Our least successful dish has been...
A tuna and lemon risoni, which I loved, but, sometimes, what you love never sells.
The one thing I'd go back and tell myself when starting the business is...
Hire more people. We weren’t prepared for the hectic years that followed.
The customer is always...
Right, but only on the face of it. Social channels give everyone a voice, even those who don’t deserve one.
The advice I’d give to up-and-coming F&B entrepreneurs is...
Get the business plan right until you know it by heart. It’s not as easy as it might look.
The biggest change I've seen in the F&B industry in the UAE over the years is...
The supply, or shall I say the oversupply, of F&B and the glut of delivery apps. All ripe for consolidation.
As a business owner, my three main responsibilities are...
To live in accordance with our mission, vision and values; to innovate and improve our processes for the benefit of our franchised and company-owned stores; and, this may sound a little obvious, but in these uncertain times to preserve cash and ensure we have enough of it to meet our obligation to every stakeholder.
One of Jones The Grocers' best moments was...
Winning every food award there was to win in our first five years.
The thing I always order on the menu is...
My real test is chicken. It’s kind of hard to get chicken right unless you douse it in something or fry it. So, at the best restaurants, I’ll gravitate towards chicken to see if they’ve figured it out.
When it comes to expanding the brand, I've learnt that...
Attention to detail, hard work and patience are the most critical components.
The worst thing that ever happened to the business was...
A significant hiatus in our growth plans six years ago due to a number of legal matters which were beyond our immediate control.
The main challenges facing the F&B industry moving forward is...
How to stand out in the glut, and the onslaught of digital dining options.
One of my biggest business mistakes was...
Trusting someone I should not have.
The success I'm most proud of is...
Being regarded as someone who set the benchmark for casual dining in the UAE way back in 2009.
The dish I cook best is...
Anything I can throw in the oven. I love one-dish cooking. And anything on the barbecue.
My 2021 plans for Jones The Grocer include...
Slow and steady growth, as well as investment in technology to drive our revenue channels.
My business motto is...
Revenue is vanity, profit is sanity.
My life motto is...
Whatever you do, do it the best you can. No half measures.
We will celebrate 25 years in the business by...
Lots of little celebrations through the year, beginning with the launch of a cheese subscription, our very own Jones Cheese Culture Club that delivers exclusive artisan and seasonal cheese to cheese lovers across the UAE.
We have succeeded where others have failed because...
We never compromised on what we set out to do: to be a gourmet grocer, a cheese room and a cafe.
My relationship with failure is...
It happens, there's not much you can do and it always seems worse at the time than it would be down the line.
If I know one thing in life, it's that...
Everything passes and you need to enjoy the moment before it is gone.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
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Dunki
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Teaching in coronavirus times
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Where to submit a sample
Volunteers of all ages can submit DNA samples at centres across Abu Dhabi, including: Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec), Biogenix Labs in Masdar City, NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City, NMC Royal Medical Centre, Abu Dhabi, NMC Royal Women's Hospital, Bareen International Hospital, Al Towayya in Al Ain, NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain
ETFs explained
Exhchange traded funds are bought and sold like shares, but operate as index-tracking funds, passively following their chosen indices, such as the S&P 500, FTSE 100 and the FTSE All World, plus a vast range of smaller exchanges and commodities, such as gold, silver, copper sugar, coffee and oil.
ETFs have zero upfront fees and annual charges as low as 0.07 per cent a year, which means you get to keep more of your returns, as actively managed funds can charge as much as 1.5 per cent a year.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five biggest providers BlackRock’s iShares range, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisors SPDR ETFs, Deutsche Bank AWM X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
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GRAN%20TURISMO
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
2018 ICC World Twenty20 Asian Western Regional Qualifier
The top three teams progress to the Asia Qualifier
Final: UAE beat Qatar by nine wickets
Third-place play-off: Kuwait beat Saudi Arabia by five runs
Table
1 UAE 5 5 0 10
2 Qatar 5 4 1 8
3 Saudi 5 3 2 6
4 Kuwait 5 2 3 4
5 Bahrain 5 1 4 2
6 Maldives 5 0 5 0
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Tuesday (UAE kick-off times)
Leicester City v Brighton (9pm)
Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham United (11.15pm)
Wednesday
Manchester United v Sheffield United (9pm)
Newcastle United v Aston Villa (9pm)
Norwich City v Everton (9pm)
Wolves v Bournemouth (9pm)
Liverpool v Crystal Palace (11.15pm)
Thursday
Burnley v Watford (9pm)
Southampton v Arsenal (9pm)
Chelsea v Manchester City (11.15pm)
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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- Adapt your business model. Make changes that are future-proof to the new normal
- Make sure you have an online presence
- Open communication with suppliers, especially if they are international. Look for local suppliers to avoid delivery delays
- Open communication with customers to see how they are coping and be flexible about extending terms, etc
Courtesy: Craig Moore, founder and CEO of Beehive, which provides term finance and working capital finance to SMEs. Only SMEs that have been trading for two years are eligible for funding from Beehive.
The biog
Name: Samar Frost
Born: Abu Dhabi
Hobbies: Singing, music and socialising with friends
Favourite singer: Adele
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Sand storm
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Dust storm
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- Duration: Can linger for days
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- A fuel tax protest by French drivers appealed to wider anti-government sentiment
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Watford 2 (Sarr 50', Deeney 54' pen)
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Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
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Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
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Seven tips from Emirates NBD
1. Never respond to e-mails, calls or messages asking for account, card or internet banking details
2. Never store a card PIN (personal identification number) in your mobile or in your wallet
3. Ensure online shopping websites are secure and verified before providing card details
4. Change passwords periodically as a precautionary measure
5. Never share authentication data such as passwords, card PINs and OTPs (one-time passwords) with third parties
6. Track bank notifications regarding transaction discrepancies
7. Report lost or stolen debit and credit cards immediately