I’ve been travelling for the last few weeks, researching and working through designs for a yummy new coffee concept for my man, Harj. Harj wants to open somewhere, as he succinctly put it... “real”!
With this ringing in my shells I set about looking at what was new out there. I wasn’t expecting to be inspired, and I wasn’t.
I found a lot of uninvested, uninteresting and uninspiring stock, sitting on every street, in every single mall and in many, many hotels. Now, we all know much of this can be blamed on a pretty dry economy globally, but we have to watch out.
While money has been tight, man has, thankfully, continued moving forward, pushing his boundaries, seeking new experiences and experimenting with fresh flavours. Food and the way we eat it has, in recent years, moved on – it’s much fresher, more rustic, more about sharing; more mixed-up and daring.
The thing is, we can change our tastes and food styles in an instant because it costs us nothing, but if I want to enjoy my new taste in a restaurant that matches my new thinking and aspirations, I’m stuck, because the kind of places I want to enjoy them in are not yet on the market.
The reality is, because CAPEX (capital expenditure) is being spent, and has been spent, on the safe and standardised, many, many places are now desperately out of step with what customers want.
Operators seem to want the easy and usual, while the customer wants increasingly edgier design and more eclectic environs to call their own.
Customers are tired of fake, samey places. As Harj says, they want “real” – they want comfort and style, elegance and edge, luxe and eco – all together.
In truth, your average consumer is now more design-savvy and in many cases, has tastes and aspirations that the market simply isn’t satisfying. Coming back into the Middle East after my travels highlighted to me just how far behind the region now is in terms of casual dining innovation. It’s time to get real!
Agree with Aidan? Or think he’s talking twaddle? Join the debate at www.twitter.com/aidanjkeane
Aidan Keane is the larger-than-life founder and creative director of Keane Brands, one of the world’s specialist design houses based in London, Dubai and Kuala Lumpur. Go to www.keanebrands.com
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Mar 14, 2012 , USA
I think that Aidan is "right on the money" with these paradigm shifts. His cliche' such as "Humans crave the company of others", "Social glue", "Causualing" are all a part of the present and future Social Technology and dynamics that will come to be the norm in our high tech societies . As people...