AG Café debuts its first exquisite Tim Hortons Coffee House at Dubai Hills Mall
AG Café, the master franchisee of Tim Hortons brand in the Middle East, opened its first ever Coffee House in the UAE and its second in the Middle East at Dubai Hills Mall, which comes as part of the trademark’s expansion strategy in the country where it has around 190 restaurants so far, to achieve its vision to offer innovation services and a unique experience for all coffee lovers in the emirates.
The opening event was attended by Thiago Santelmo, Regional President of EMEA at RBI, executives from AG Café, partners from the private and government sectors, and the media, as the new coffee house introduced the distinctive and innovative experience it offers to Tim Hortons lovers, starting with its design that is inspired by nature, its elegant yet comfy interior, pleasant lightning suitable for everyone, and carefully selected selection of furniture that offers guests the option of enjoying a home-brewed cup of coffee or some delicious foods.
The coffee house offers a number of unique features such as specialised coffee, new machines for brewing a wide variety of coffee beans, in-house coffee grinding and freshly baked donuts, in addition to a new food menu.
The opening of this new Tim Hortons coffee house along with two other locations at the same mall, reinforces AG Café’s mission to provide an unforgettable experience to its guests, and sustains its concept of always offering freshly brewed coffee and bakeries to maintain its tagline “Always Fresh, Always Delicious”.
Through this new coffee house, AG Café aims to offer distinguished and premium coffee, as it allows its guests to fully interact with the brand and create a unique community bonded by the love of specialized high-quality coffee.
Thiago Santelmo, Regional President of EMEA at RBI, Tim Hortons principal, said: “We are thrilled to open our first Coffee House in UAE. We trust that the elevated Coffee House concept will be well received by our guests. Inspired by our Canadian heritage, this concept focuses on creating an atmosphere that makes you feel authentically welcomed and at ease from the moment you walk in. A place to come back to again and again to disconnect, while enjoying a moment of delicious indulgence or just reenergise for the day ahead.”
Hesham Almekkawi, CEO of AG Café, the master franchisee of Tim Hortons brand in the Middle East, stated that: “Dubai’s advanced infrastructure, government facilities, and easy investment policies have encouraged us to believe in the success of our expansion, and we were motivated to open this new coffee house at Dubai Hills Mall. We seek to further expand throughout the whole UAE, and expect this new café to attract guests who are looking for a nice and quiet place to relax or meet others while enjoying the most delicious foods and beverages.”
Almekkawi pointed out that they are delighted to reinforce this successful partnership with Emaar Properties, the development and managing company of Dubai Hills Mall, and added that Dubai Hills Mall is a vibrant centre that greatly contributes to the development of Dubai Hills Estate, providing services to the local community and visitors from around the UAE. We are pleased to be part of this exclusive venture in Dubai, and look forward to welcoming our guests at the new coffee house that offers them a unique and exceptional experience that makes Tim Hortons “everyone’s café of choice”.
The iconic Canadian brand Tim Hortons® is renowned for its unique premium coffee, variety of inspired donuts, high-quality fresh products, and the personal experience it offers to its guests and communities. With over 50 years of experience, Tim Hortons® has managed to capture the hearts and tastes buds of the Canadians and guests from all over the world.
Founded in 1964, Tim Hortons leading chain of Cafés in Canada and across the world offers guests its iconic Original Blend coffee, Double-Double™ coffees, donuts and Timbits® since that year. Tim Hortons has more than 5,100 restaurants in Canada, the United States, and around the world, and was introduced for the first time in the GCC in 2011.
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EL&N, a well-known London café, has expanded to Dubai
UAE-based Project Management firm North 51 Consulting and Nikki Bisiker Interior Design have joined hands to bring London’s most Instagrammable café EL&N to life in Dubai.
EL&N, which stands for Eat, Live and Nourish, opened its 2384 ft2 sized EL&N flagship store at DIFC, opposite Le Petit Maison, Gate 2.
Influential women entrepreneurs in the design and hospitality consultancy industry, Natasha Abbas and Nikki Bisiker have come together once again after their collaboration for the immensely successful Cipriani Dolci and The Fashion Avenue Dubai Mall.
The combined experience of the female entrepreneurs in design initiation, planning and design execution provides a constructive, reliable, and balanced framework for clients. Their joint client base includes luxury hospitality operators, restaurants, retail space, prime and super-prime residentials including new builds and renovations.
The duo has successfully brought out the creativity, style, and optimism embodied by the EL&N brand by executing a sense of modern perfection and beauty while attracting visitors with its highly photogenic interiors and great attention to detail.
Natasha Abbas of North 51 Consulting said: “The project brief was clear. Our mandate was to create a welcoming space with picture-perfect memories for its guests and bring the “most Instagrammable café” vibe to life Dubai.”
“The café is a turning point in Dubai with respect to design and construction as the brand’s bold design perfectly draws unique design elements together. North 51 took the project through its helms being the Project Lead for Construction and Design Management paving the way to EL&N’s successful achievement. We spearheaded the project from planning to execution with a dedicated and hardworking team converting an art gallery to an F&B unit with groundbreaking creativity. The execution is a clear reflection of professionalism and engineered expertise requiring stringent design development and coordination for consecutive months to realise EL&N’s UAE Flagship.”
Nikki Bisiker, founder and lead creative director of Nikki Bisiker Interior Design said: “It’s been a pleasure to have the opportunity to combine forces again on such a luxurious and exciting London brand. To carry out the design work in cooperation with a 1st class project management team makes an invincible outcome. It’s been great teamwork in my company as well to develop the concept in creative ways, work with new finishes and products, customising and detailing the project from furniture and lighting, to signage, doors and windows, flooring and some very unique statement pieces.”
“The café is presided over by a mesmerising bespoke metal chain chandelier structure lit from within in gorgeous pinks and purple tones and acting as the counterpart to the 360 bar below it, a delectable structure in pale pink and white acrylics flooded with light from behind. Soft leathers, extremely comfortable seating, glistening dusky pink mosaics, a terrazzo art designed floor, pearlised bubbles, fashion artwork, flowers and statement neon artwork showcasing the best of Dubai. Daytime or nighttime lends itself to being in an iconic setting, and with a menu that is a cherry on the top, to match the dreamy design.”
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How about a cycling cafe?
Pedal by NIU is a unique concept bicycle workshop-cum-coffee bar in Dubai
Pedal is a unique concept bicycle workshop cum coffee bar where cycling enthusiasts can socialise with like-minded others over coffee and pastries while they shop for the latest accessories and have their bikes serviced. NIU Studio spearheaded by Italian architects Elena Gregorutti and Giorgio Palermo delivered another unique concept in Dubai.
The rustic industrial ambience of the flagship Pedal merges form and function to create a one-stop bicycle shop in an industrial area of Dubai.
The seamless concrete floor provides a solid monotone foundation to unite the different zones, each designated for specific purposes.
Overhead metal light fixtures suspended from the high, open black ceiling create a cohesiveness to the separate retail and hospitality areas while utilising every available space for displays.
A curved wood rack curves artistically up one wall for customer bike parking while the cosy coffee zone encourages cyclists to hang out with distressed leather chairs and reclaimed wood tables.
The warm red oxide façade of Pedal encourages cyclists to squeeze their brakes and come inside. The goal was to create a distinctive, recognisable structure for a new concept bicycle workshop cum coffee bar where cycling enthusiasts could shop and socialize while having their bikes serviced. The client visualised a rustic industrial ethos for the flagship outlet of this new concept endeavour.
He wanted to create a one-stop-shop where bicycle enthusiasts could hang out and enjoy coffee with like-minded others while shopping or checking on their bicycles at the on-site service workshop The interiors merge form and function to create an industrial feel that is both bicycle-friendly and coffee shop welcoming. The high, open ceiling with all the exposed MEP painted black, track lights and overhead metal light fixtures give an industrial ambience and create a cohesiveness to the separate retail and hospitality areas. The funky yet refined bicycle theme extends throughout the retail displays and even into the washroom area with old fashioned wash bucket sinks and cyclist-inspired signage.
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With 3D theme and fairytale crush, Forever Rose Cafe opens at Boxpark in Dubai
Homegrown luxury florist, Forever Rose, opened its first Forever Rose Cafe in Dubai at Boxpark by Meraas, recreating the floral boutique in a cafe setting and offering a unique experience to its customers. Designed to feel as if in a storybook, the cafe is developed as 3D illustrations, allowing patrons to feel as if they are part of a drawing. Upon the success of the Abu Dhabi Forever Rose Cafe in The Galleria Mall, the Forever Rose Cafe, Boxpark will not only offer the current dessert and coffee menu found at its counterpart, but will also expand into an all-day dining experience, including breakfast, lunch, dinner and afternoon tea. With an indoor space of 200 sqm overlooking the garden outside, the newly launched Forever Rose Cafe can seat up to 100 guests, with outdoor seating planned in the near future.
As the first 3D cafe in the region, the inspiration behind the design of the Forever Rose Cafe follows suit from the current Forever Rose floral boutiques with a black and white colour scheme, expanded upon through a black and white 3D theme. With protruding wall features and prominent art pieces, the Forever Rose Cafe, Boxpark nods towards its homegrown heritage, with a portrait of the UAE Royal Family taking precedence, as well as first seen images of Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai. Iconic images are also found throughout the venue, including the Mona Lisa, Tom and Jerry, and the Pink Panther. All designs were hand-drawn and converted to depict the stencil stage of the images, providing fun features for patrons to interact with as well as photographable moments, perfect to be shared on social media.
Ebraheem Al Samadi, founder and CEO of Forever Rose said: “The initial reason we opened the first cafe in Abu Dhabi was to be a part of our customers’ everyday lives, even if it is just through an amazing cup of coffee or dessert. As the first 3D cafe located in Boxpark, Dubai, we will continue to provide the Forever Rose experience through a unique and expanded dining opportunity. We want to transport our customers from reality into the world of fantasy and to give them a new prospect of life. At the Forever Rose Cafes, as well as our boutiques, we pride ourselves on the atmosphere that we offer, the friendliness of our staff, the warm welcoming to all, and of course, the delicious cuisine we serve. We are excited to have the chance to bring the Forever Rose Cafe to the heart of Dubai at Boxpark by Meraas, as well as offer an extended menu to our customers.”
“The room, our cups and plates are all illustrated in black and white, leaving only our customers, food and beverages in color. This recreates a romantic notion of being a part of a fairytale,” Al Samadi added.
