Planning on opening a restaurant, but don’t know how to? Well, that’s what Culinaire and Beyond is for! We had the pleasure of talking to Leena Al Mannai founder of Culinaire and Beyond, where she talked about how her company provides services and guidance for startups and SME’s interested in the Hospitality & Restaurant Sector.
What inspired you to open Culinaire & Beyond?
The inspiration mainly came to me when I personally faced some obstacles and needed guidance specific to the hospitality sector. It came to my realization that a limited number of organizations serviced the Hospitality & Restaurant sector. That’s when I realized that there’s a gap in the F&B and hospitality sectors. Therefore, my team and I came up with an in-depth analysis on the difficulties faced by entrepreneurs, SME’s and F&B franchisees who wish to launch in Bahrain.
What differentiates Culinaire and Beyond from other consultants?
Culinaire & Beyond is the Authorized Licensee of The Next Idea [International] LLC, a global hospitality and restaurant consulting group based and registered in the GCC region. Through our license, we are able to provide a complete range of services for startups and SME’s, thus amalgamate global experience and advice with regional needs to produce highly localized concepts to carve a global footprint in the future.
In what terms do you measure your business’s success?
Business success would be basically measured by three key factors: The number of clients we add value to in Bahrain and regionally, the number and areas we strategically collaborate with relevant partners who share the same vision and contribute to the development of both sectors and the number of times we link young entrepreneurs with the right business plans with angel investors.
How does Culinaire and Beyond intend to add to the F&B and Hospitality growth in Bahrain?
The F&B and hospitality industry is blossoming in The Kingdom of Bahrain; with the availability of our consultancy we will be able to direct Bahraini businesses and entrepreneurs and help them obtain a higher share in the neighboring region market. We will be able to set Bahrain as a trendsetter eco system with well-established local brands we hope will one day become global brands.
What’s your vision of Bahrain 5 years from now in terms of creating a unique regional Restaurant & Hospitality concepts?
It gives me great pleasure to meet the next generation of entrepreneurs & SME’s and hear how conscious they are of global trends and food preferences. I see an amazing new need to eat healthy food and I cannot wait to introduce these unique new brands to the local and regional market. What I also see in the near future is Bahraini brands introducing our unique Bahraini flavor with a modern unique twist globally.
What makes Bahrain a great economy for investments in the F&B sector in comparison to other GCC countries?
Tourists choose Bahrain as a destination to relax and dissolve themselves in the middle-eastern culture whilst maintaining the option of shopping for their favourite global brands. This unique blend of modern amenities, friendly people and regional heritage make Bahrain the number one destination for investments in the region.
What’s your advice to entrepreneurs and SME’s who are trying to start a business?
I would generally advise them to come over to our office at Business Bay and have a one on one conversation with one of our team members. Very often Entrepreneurs hesitate to visit consultants because they feel they can execute their unique idea on their own, without help from experts. We at Culinaire & Beyond cherish our meetings with clients and have the right linkages to help start-up pursue their dreams. Other than that one main advice would be to have full faith in their ideas and pursue it with passion for it to succeed.
Globally there are several platforms where entrepreneurs, investors and global thought leaders come to discuss ideas and help create solutions. Are there any specific and similar platforms for people in Bahrain?
We’re delighted to have hosted the first Restaurant and Hospitality Forum in Bahrain on the 21st & 22nd of May 2017. The aim of this event was to bring local and global thought leaders on one platform to share their expert advice and tips for the Restaurant & Hospitality sectors. We’re overwhelmed by the number of attendees that participated and the kind of questions that the audience directed to the experts. It gives me great joy to have sowed the seeds of a Forum that served as a platform for Entrepreneurs, SME’s and Corporates to start a dialogue to solve the problems faced in the Restaurant & Hospitality sectors and to celebrate Local success stories and Bahraini brands carving their unique footprint locally, and regionally.
Culinaire & Beyond is indebted to the BTEA, Tamkeen and all our partners who helped make BRHF 2017 a success, we couldn’t have created this forum without their support and we look forward to making the Forum a yearly occurrence.
So if you’re ever stuck in opening up your brand new local restaurant in Bahrain, then you definitely know where to go! Culinaire and Beyond will not only provide you with its services and tools to set you off on your feet, but it’ll develop and enhance your idea and make it extraordinary!
If you’re interested in applying to Culinaire & Beyond, contact: info@culinaireandbeyond.com
+973-1730 0070. And don’t forget to check out their Instagram account: @culinaireandbeyond