Meat will continue to be a firm favourite on the menu, despite the dramatic shift towards plant-based diets, according to the founder and CEO of Seagrass Boutique Hospitality Group Bradley Michael.
The Australia-based South African, who helped bring The Meat Company to the region almost 20 years ago, has recently returned to the region with the opening of the high-end casual dining restaurant and lounge, Hunter & Barrel in Vida Emirates Hills.
He told Arabian Business: “It’s a very organic, very earthy, back-to-the-bush type of feel. It’s that type of food, if you went camping or fishing, how would you cook your food? That was the inspiration. The menu is designed around that, a lot of charcoal, a lot of meat and fish, chicken, some game.”
According to the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organisation, meat and dairy accounts for around 14.5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, and scientists have warned that for the world to meet its target of limiting global warming to “well below” 2C, some degree of shift away from meat eating will be necessary.
Michael said that the current menu for Hunter & Barrel is around 4 percent for vegetarians and stressed it was up to each individual to strike the right balance for their own personal diets.
Bradley Michael, founder and CEO of Seagrass Boutique Hospitality Group
“I started 33 years ago in the steak business and every three or four years you have this, ‘yeah but you can’t eat meat’ and ‘meat’s not healthy’ and vegetarians are taking over.
“You’re always going to have people who want to eat cleaner, leaner and greener, you’re always going to have that, but you’re going to have people who want to balance their diet and you’re going to have these paleo people who just want to eat meat and vegetables,” he said.
“We’re finding that we’re getting a lot of those type of individuals that want to eat clean meat and want to balance their diet more on the paleo side. The vegetarians do come and we cater for them and they’ll always be there and they are growing.”
Michael’s return to the Middle East will see another Hunter & Barrel opening up in the new Yas Island development in Abu Dhabi and further branch scheduled to open in Q1 next year in Mirdif Mall. He revealed discussions were at an advanced stage to launch its 6 Head ultra-premium steakhouse concept in Doha as well as potentially in Dubai; and its Ribs & Burgers and Italian Street Kitchen brands could soon be launching in Saudi Arabia.
He said: “It’s exciting times. I think the world has cleansed and it’s busy balancing itself. I think we’ve just got to be brave in the hospitality business, people have to eat, they want entertainment, they want to get out. I’m in the right sector, it’s difficult now but I think there’s great opportunity and light at the end of this tunnel.”
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