Malls in Dubai announce food courts, restaurants that will be operating during Ramadan

Soon, it will be Ramadan and shopping tourists and newly arrived expatriates in UAE will find that most dining venues shut their doors from sunrise to sunset, out of respect for those who are fasting.

However, the majority of Dubai’s large shopping malls will have some of their food and beverage outlets operating during daylight hours throughout the holy month, it has been confirmed.

Mall operators said food service will be available from 12 noon onwards, although some outlets may start catering to take away customers from 10 am. Diners, however, will still be served behind partitions and covered windows, and the service will be mostly limited to common dining areas or food courts.

According to analysts, more and more business



owners are making their food and beverage outlets available to non-Muslims during Ramadan, especially since tourists are still coming in droves even during the fasting month. Many businesses also need to keep the money coming in all day.

“The overall growth [in the food service industry] has been slow during the past year and also continues to slag this year, which can be the main motivator to keep the outlets open and cater to the demand that exists from non-fasting residents and tourists,” Rabia Yasmeen, analyst at Euromonitor International, told.

“Many players are facing operational challenges, maintaining the margins is getting tough as food service is getting saturated and they need to keep revenue streams going in current market conditions.”