Abu Dhabi-based Little Group, which operates restaurant, catering and consultancy divisions, will open nine new restaurant brands in the UAE capital in 2017.
Little Group Restaurants aims to offer diners authentic experiences from cities around the world, with Little Mexico and Little Paris already operating in Abu Dhabi.
Established in 2016, the company is preparing to open Little New York, Little Roma, Little Soi Bangkok, Little Shanghai, Little Tokyo, Little Mumbai, Little Mykonos, Little Beijing and Little Honolulu.
Thomas Gebler, chief culinary officer, Little Group commented: “Simplicity is the ultimate form of sophistication. I believe that the Middle East will go through a great change in the retail F&B industry, moving away from international-purchased brands to local-grown brands.
“Local-grown brands have the advantage of catering specifically to what the local market is demanding and benefit from having their owner/operator right behind it to drive innovation and quality.”
The group’s catering and hospitality consultancy services are also set to expand next year.
The catering service currently offers a selection of dishes from the Little Mexico and Little Paris menus and this will grow in line with the new outlet openings.
In addition to event catering, Little Group can offer event location sourcing, entertainment organisation and complete event management.
It also operates as a hospitality consultancy, specialising in the development and operation of hotels and restaurants in the UAE.
Working with individual outlet owners, residential buildings and boutique hotels, Little Group Hospitality can manage finances and operations for all stages of development, pre-opening and post opening.
For existing venues, auditing services can be purchased to assist in growth and investment.
