For a small restaurant, the customer who comes back every Friday can be as valuable as the crowd that passes its doors. That was why when Haider Al Assam and Luma Maklouf decided to give their delivery-only burger business a location, a high-traffic mall didn’t feature on their list.
“We weren’t after the busiest mall; instead we were looking for a place to build genuine relationships with customers and be part of their everyday lives,” says Al Assam, who launched Good Burger in 2020, with his wife, Luma.
For them, opening Good Burger’s first outlet earlier this year at DAMAC Mall in DAMAC Hills was all about getting closer to the people ordering their food and finding a place in their daily routines.
Across Dubai’s residential communities, entrepreneurs like Al Assam and Luma are recognising the business potential of everyday needs. From dinner close to home, to leisure activities and fitness sessions, opportunities lie in understanding what residents want and giving them a reason to return.
For these businesses, an established community offers something passing footfall alone cannot guarantee: the prospect of customers returning, bringing along friends and neighbours.
Developers such as DAMAC Properties, which has handed over more than 50,000 homes over two decades in Dubai, have created communities where independent and innovative operators can build a business and…
