A Dubai institution, Seafood Market at Le Meridien Dubai Hotel and Conference Centre celebrated its Silver jubilee this year and general manager, Shaun Parsons reveals the secrets of running a long-standing restaurant.
Launched at a time when there were only a handful of fine-dining restaurants in Dubai, fewer serving seafood, the venue aimed to offer its guests a market style fresh seafood experience.
“The idea behind Seafood Market was to bring a unique dining concept to Dubai that would recreate the experience of seafood markets in South East Asia,” Shaun Parsons, general manager, Le Meridien Dubai Hotel and Conference Centre said.
“Our restaurant, since its inception, has been famous for its unique, fresh seafood offerings that guests can enjoy straight from the seawater-fish-tanks and have our chefs prepare it according to their preference.
“The venue has a unique dining concept that has stood the test of time, with 70% of our guests being regulars. We continue to increase our patronage year on year,” he says.
To keep up with the evolving market, changes had to be made according to Parsons, “We have refurbished the restaurants interiors and introduced cutting-edge technology in our seawater fish tanks to maintain the exotic varieties of seafood at its best.
“Our restaurants concept of market-style dining is extremely popular with both, regular guests and first time visitors and that has therefore remained unchanged over the years. Interestingly enough, Seafood Market’s restaurant manager and chef de cuisine have been working at the restaurant for the last 25 years too,” he adds.
Speaking about the need for long standing restaurants to keep up with the trends of the market Parsons explains, “Dubai is growing at an extremely fast pace and this includes the food and beverage scene. It is vital to keep up with change without becoming complacent. It is equally important to listen to your customers, acknowledge their feedback and combine it with market trends to stay ahead in the competitive market.
“Seafood Market opened in the days when there were a handful of restaurants in Dubai. With over 25 years of operation, the restaurant can boast of having served almost three generations. Several other venues opened up in the last couple of years, but Seafood Market has remained true to its origin and our popularity among our regular guests as well as millennial diners is a testament to what experienced restaurants are known for.”
