New UAE weekend: Sunday brunches will be the new thing to do

Heads of food and beverage and entertainment outlets in the country have hailed UAE's decision to adopt a four-and-a-half workweek system.

Not only would longer weekends allow workers to spend more time with their loved ones, but it would assist UAE nationals and residents to venture out and explore the facilities the country has to offer, heads of entertainment outlets have said.

'Sunday brunches will be the new weekend thing to do'

Owners of food and beverage outlets have said they would have to work towards reworking their offerings strategies ahead of the four-day workweek shift.

Rohith Muralya, the director at Concept Cuisine, SFC Group, said, "With the new weekend days announced in the UAE, we expect that Friday evenings will be busier than Thursday evenings once the system goes live."

He said, "Sunday brunches will be the new weekend thing to do. Overall we are expecting a positive outlook for the industry as we predict more people would step out and visit outlets over the weekends."

Sanjay Vazirani, the chairman and managing director of Foodlink Global Restaurants and Catering Services, said, "A good work-life balance is important and we are glad the UAE is moving towards a more balanced life for its citizens in alignment with the rest of the world."

Vazirani said the additional leisure time would boost the lifestyle, recreation and entertainment industries. "People will look for avenues to spend their extra free time at; they might want to go out more and try new experiences and explore the various recreational activities on offer in the UAE."

'Families are expected to spend more time together'

He said since families will get more time with each other, it would boost products and services that cater to this market. "We are foreseeing more weekend footfall and revenues at our restaurants, especially lunch sales," Vazirani added.

Rayyan Rizvi, the managing partner at Yoko Sizzlers, said, "It's a step in the right direction and a win-win situation for everyone. The residents get an extra half-day and it will help UAE align with global markets which will help the country to prosper."

Furthermore, research has shown that long weekends will help its residents improve their productivity and output levels. Jugal Parekh, the director at Yummy Dosa, said, "A long weekend means that employees would like to spend more time with their friends and family. It will attract them to try or visit restaurants, beaches, or malls which should result in generating more revenues for the restaurants."

Eti Bhasin, the owner at Dhaba Lane, said, "Greater number of weekends would mean more leisure time, and considering the hospitality industry is awaiting a revival post-pandemic, a revenue boost can lead to quicker recovery."

Half-day work cultures on Friday would corporate lunch sales and lead to an overall revenue increase. Sweety Mungra, the owner at Eggiterian Café, said, "If employees adopt a culture of hanging out with friends and colleagues after office hours, it would be great for food and beverage outlets."

People will get more time to spend with family and friends, and with better work-life balance, it will lead to more productivity in work as well, she said.