AP&Co. Hospitality Consulting opens for business

The Middle East’s food & beverage consulting scene has welcomed a new player: AP&Co. Hospitality Consulting.

Operating out of Dubai, AP&Co. Hospitality Consulting helps companies in the hospitality sector with two lines of business. “We support restaurant and food-focused venues with a range of consulting services around pre-opening, from business financial planning, concept development and location search, to fit out process management, procurement, recruitment and more,” said founder Alex Popescu.

“The second offering focuses on operating restaurants, with propositions including business assessments, mystery audits, performance improvement, and operational management.”

Formerly the Director of Operations of Atelier House Hospitality (one of the region’s larger food & beverage consultancies), Popescu brings over a decade of experience in the landscape to the venture. Earlier, he spent time as an executive at Culinary Boutique (a culinary cooking house), as Restaurant General Manager at JW Marriott Marquis in Dubai, and at hospitality and restaurant consultancy Glee Hospitality Solutions.

Building on his experience at both the client and advisory side of the table, Popescu said AP&Co. Hospitality Consulting promises its clients a “straightforward approach, offering practical solutions with zero fluff and real talk.”

“Our philosophy revolves around being simple, genuine and ensuring tangible outcomes are realised,” he continued.

Hot on the heels of its launch, AP&Co. Hospitality Consulting has bagged several launching clients. “We have an ongoing operational management agreement with Makifornia, a franchise Asian concept that already has proven successful in Brussels, where it operates five branches.”

“Additionally, we are currently engaged in two very exciting pre-opening projects, that are set to make waves in Dubai’s dining scene – Fifth Flavor (an Asian eatery) and Late Eatery at The 77 Valley (an upscale casual European dining concept).”

To meet demand, AP&Co. Hospitality Consulting has assembled a line-up of core team members and associates. “Our team has decades of experience in developing and operating Michelin starred, World’s 50 Best and other awards winning restaurants and ultra-luxury hotels in the world's most dynamic markets. They bring a proven track record of successful projects and satisfied clients.”