Going from local to global

Dubai-based hospitality, investment and management company Sunset Hospitality Group has announced the opening of the region’s first Mood Rooftop Lounge in Dubai. Towards September-October 2019, the Mood Rooftop Lounge will open on the rooftop of Meydan Hotel in Nad Al Sheba. “The Mood Rooftop Lounge will beautifully complement Meydan’s offerings,” said Antonio Gonzalez, CEO, Sunset Hospitality Group. The group is already scouting for another location in Dubai to open the next Mood Rooftop Lounge. Discussions are also underway to establish the brand in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

Further, as part of its global expansion plans for 2020 and beyond, the Sunset Hospitality Group will open the first Sweet Chick – an American cult chicken and waffle restaurant – in London during the fourth quarter of 2019. “We will also open the first Sweet Chick restaurant in London at Oxford Circus, this autumn,” Gonzalez shared. Founded in Brooklyn by restaurateur John Seymour in 2013, and backed by rapper Nas, Sweet Chick currently serves its take on modern American comfort food across five locations in New York and Los Angeles. By April 2020, the Sunset Hospitality Group plans to open the second Sweet Chick location in Birmingham.

Along with the new concepts, the Sunset Hospitality Group currently operates a host of venues – including several restaurants, two beach clubs and one nightclub – across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Bahrain and Geneva. The brand portfolio includes Black Tap Craft Burgers & Shakes, Luigia, Joe’s Backyard, Ammos Greek Restaurant, Chick Inn, Sushi Samba, L’Occitane Café, DRIFT Beach, Azure Beach and Stage Dubai.

“We will continue expanding our existing portfolio too, with Black Tap, Luigia as well as the beach clubs over the next 12 months. We are also working on something special that will open after the summer of 2020. Our overarching goal is to go from being a local to a global company. While we continue to invest in the GCC, we are also keen to enter new markets and learn new ways of doing business. We want to create newer experiences for the region and beyond,” Gonzalez revealed. “We are also hiring and empowering our people who bring on board their expertise, knowledge of the market and integrate it into the way we work.”