Let me explain it from the restaurant’s perspective since every year people make out like restaurants are ripping you off.
First off, Dubai Mall charges restaurants with access to the terrace AED 500 per seat which we have to pay whether we sell the seat or not..1/
First off, Dubai Mall charges restaurants with access to the terrace AED 500 per seat which we have to pay whether we sell the seat or not..1/
As a restaurant, we have to buy a block of seats on the terrace and pay for those upfront. AED 500 per seat. We are only allowed a single seating for the night. Cannot turn the table. On a normal evening we turn tables 3 - 4 times, generating our revenue. On NYE, only 1 seating
So now each table on the terrace has to generate 4x it’s usual revenue PLUS pay AED 500 per chair - not per table - to try match its standard daily revenue.
The roads around Dubai Mall are closed from 4pm. Guests are urged to arrive by 3:30pm. This means essentially from 3:30pm there is a cap on any potential walk-in business that’s not buying a ticket on the terrace. So our interior space cannot earn the same revenue.
In previous NYE planning discussions with the mall, the message is clear - NYE is about the spectacle, not about making money. Sure. Except we still have to page the same wages, stock costs & rent. There’s no discount on these just because you have fewer customers.
From 3:30pm no deliveries are allowed either - so places like Pizza Hut & KFC shown above lose the biggest part of their revenue generation for that period.
Restaurants are a business & need to make a profit to stay in business so they can pay their investors, their suppliers and their staff. You know JUST LIKE your business that you own or work for. On NYE restaurants in Dubai Mall serve far fewer customers than on a standard day.
So before tweeting about restaurants taking the piss on NYE, think for yourself about the cost of doing business on NYE in a place Dubai Mall. No on is forcing you eat there. By all means, stay home & make your own food & visit the mall restaurants the other 364 days of the year.
And to clarify - it’s not a money grab by the mall, either. They have to pay the costs of that huge light show, the added security, etc etc. No one is getting rich off New Year’s Eve.
The Dubai Economic Department also monitors prices. You cannot sell a ticket to NYE without getting your menu offering approved by them, first. This is specifically to prevent anyone from price gouging. Those menu costs are relative & reasonable for the access to the experience.
Loading suggestions...