UAE success story: Fadi Al Safadi, Lebanese butcher who turned top restaurateur in Dubai

Gulf News

Fadi Al Safadi founded eponymous restaurant in Beirut in 1994, before heading to Dubai. In 2000, he started the Al Safadi brand in Dubai where he found his true success. Fadi recalls how he picked up skills from his father, which put him in good stead.  Read the full story here: https://bit.ly/3KbUvIt  See more videos at https://gulfnews.com/videos Read more Gulf News stories here: https://bit.ly/2HLJ2km  Subscribe to Gulf News on YouTube and watch more of our videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/GulfNewsTV  #UAEnews #Lebanese #Dubai

Transcript

00:00I believe family business it should be dividing the job with everyone and everyone have be

00:06responsible for his what they're doing and the most important to share everything together.

00:14Today I learned something very interesting. Well I came down here to interview the owners

00:20of Alsapadi restaurant. It is a Lebanese family-run business and very very successful

00:27here in the UAE and of course I wanted to know what made them so successful and their journey.

00:33I start in this business on 76 when I was 13 years old and I start as a butcher with my father

00:44that he choose me to help him in his business. So when I come to work with him they give me

00:49the first job as a cleaner and helper for two years and after when I learn I choose my way.

00:56So I went to Saudi Arabia when I was 19 years old and I choose to be butcher in restaurant and I

01:04like the idea I learn I understand everything I was preparing the meat for the restaurant and

01:12on 80 84 I went back to my country and I start my very small restaurant with my brother and we

01:22start the idea from this point. On 94 we had our big restaurant in Lebanon and we become very very

01:31famous. One of my friend he advised me asked me to come to Dubai is my partner his name Kamal Gheis

01:39and we come together to visit the city on 99 September 99 and we got the idea I love the city

01:49and I want to say very honestly Dubai changed my life and I start my first restaurant on Deira

01:59and it was good starting for us very very well from that restaurant we we increased the restaurant

02:07for 1200 square meter we start with 500 square meter and after on 2003 we make the restaurant

02:16in Sheikh Zayed Road and everything it was very smooth and very good and the market very healthy

02:24the base of Safadi it's five things quality quantity service clean and price to be honest

02:31with your customer and to love your business. I'm a third generation in this business and I currently

02:37handle the marketing in the company and so many other responsibilities. I grew up in this business

02:43it was my playground since I was a kid so it was our hangout and we never want we wanted to come

02:48see our dad at work we used to come and and chill here in the restaurant and spend most of our time

02:53here. So when I started working I discovered and I realized that there's so many things that I

02:57learned from him when I was a kid and before I started working that when I started actually

03:02working I realized I have learned so many things from him. One of the most things I learned was

03:08his dedication and his passion the amount of time he spent in the business

03:15and his humbleness in his business so my dad will you should I would always see him

03:20back when we're younger back when the company was smaller you would always always see him

03:25behind the counters running walking around helping the guys out checking if everything is right

03:30so I think this is one of the most important things I learned from him so to be always to

03:34always be hands-on in this business and I think this is what what led us to this success.

03:39How it can be as a very success business and family like both of them to mix the family

03:47and the business I tell you how I choose to not be one man show I have my personality to

03:53make my kids and my managers responsible and I give them their job you have to let them learn

04:00they do some some mistake or something but they have to learn to stand up if you not fall down

04:06you never learn how to stand up you have to make it teamwork this is one of our success

04:11really this is the base of our success nobody work alone in Safadi so that's why I believe

04:17family business it should be dividing the job with everyone and everyone have be responsible

04:23for his what they're doing and the most important to share everything together

04:28you know so this is kind of the best success for family business.

04:32How interesting was that do you know another family that is running a successful business

04:38here in the UAE do let us know it's a wrap this is Anjana Kumar for Gulf News.

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