What made you decide to bring 15 Lebanese food concepts to Dubai?
The “Home in a Bite” project was created to scale and grow Lebanese restaurant brands, while bringing new amazing food options to consumers in Dubai. You can find our brands on homeinabite.com, on our Instagram page (@homeinabite) and on Deliveroo. We are starting with Dubai as a pilot, and we intend to keep growing across the UAE and the rest of the Gulf.
How did you decide which Lebanese brands to include in the project?
We selected the brands according to their menus and the people behind them. As it is a delivery-based project, creativity, variety and quality are key to maintaining customer loyalty. And the people, the stories, etc. are as important, since every brand is actually telling us a story with their dishes. We chose different types of cuisine for every budget.
What have been your biggest challenges?
We had many challenges with the coronavirus, visa issues…however, I am blessed to be surrounded by amazing teams who are making things happen, no matter what.
Why did you pick Dubai for your pilot?
Dubai is a vibrant, aspirational, visionary city. It is the perfect starting point and hub to grow from.
Which companies are supporting this initiative?
Catalyst of Growth created the concept and is coordinating between all the players. We are surrounded by amazing, like-minded companies that said “yes” to everything we asked of them. They wanted to collectively support Lebanese brands and concepts. In particular, I would like to thank Kitopi for its efforts. We are also lucky to have such great marketing partners: Instagram and Facebook, Hypermedia, RedPeg, TBWA and Deliveroo. They all went above and beyond to make this dream come true. I am extremely grateful to all of them.
What can you tell us about the brands that have joined the initiative?
The first eight brands are: Tawlet by Souk el Tayeb, DeliCo (including BurgerCo burgers), Ummi, Casper & Gambinis, Tarator, Diet Center, Cuisine d’Amour and Semsom. We will be launching mid-March 2021. Seven additional brands will be joining the initiative in April.
About author
Rita Ghantous
Rita Ghantous is a hospitality aficionado and a passionate writer with over 9 years’ experience in journalism and 5 years experience in the hospitality sector. Her passion for the performance arts and writing, started early. At 10 years old she was praised for her solo performance of the Beatles song “All My Love” accompanied by a guitarist, and was approached by a French talent scout during her school play. However, her love for writing was stronger. Fresh out of school, she became a freelance journalist for Noun Magazine and was awarded the Silver Award Cup for Outstanding Poetry, by The International Library of Poetry (Washington DC). She studied Business Management and earned a Masters degree from Saint Joseph University (USJ), her thesis was published in the Proche-Orient, Études en Management book. She then pursued a career in the hospitality industry but didn’t give up writing, that is why she launched the Four Points by Sheraton Le Verdun Newsletter. Her love for the industry and journalism led her to Hospitality Services - the organizers of the HORECA trade show in Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Jordan, as well as Salon Du Chocolat, Beirut Cooking Festival, Whisky Live and other regional shows. She is currently the Publications Executive of Hospitality News Middle East, Taste & Flavors and Lebanon Traveler. It is with ultimate devotion for her magazines that she demonstrates her hospitality savoir-faire.
