Original Boston sports-themed restaurant opens for business
on Dubai’s Sheikh Zayed Road on 20 September; follows success of Fujairah venue
with games arcade, big screen TVs and bar appealing to broad customer base
UAE-headquartered
TIME Hotels is making headway with its foray into restaurant management, with
the imminent launch of a second O’Learys US sports-themed restaurant on 20
September 2016.
Occupying a prime location opposite Noor Bank metro station,
the casual dining restaurant will have 250 seats spanning six different areas,
including an outdoor terrace, dedicated shisha area and bar.
The move marks TIME’s first O’Learys franchise in Dubai,
following the launch of its debut outlet at Fujairah Mall in January 2016 – the
company’s first ever non-hotel product.
“Sport is all-inclusive, it brings together people of all
ages and cultures and following the success of our first O’Learys outlet at
Fujairah Mall, we are delighted to open our first restaurant in Dubai, alongside
what is undoubtedly one of the city’s busiest roads – Sheikh Zayed Road, which
affords high visibility for the O’Learys brand as well as a great opportunity for
casual diners passing by,” said Mohammad Awadalla, CEO, TIME Hotels.
The 596-square-metre restaurant O’Learys in Dubai is set to
become a popular venue with an appetising menu of classic burgers, signature
buffalo wings, cheesy quesadillas, ribs, nachos and desserts complemented by an
extensive collection of non-alcoholic cocktails and soft beverages.
For followers of the ‘big game’, a host of global sporting events
await patrons of the newly opened restaurant, with an impressive collection of
21, 55 and three 60-inch television screens. Soccer fans will be spoilt for
choice as the qualifiers for the European Championship finals get under way and
the Champion League group stages kick-off. The UAE’s burgeoning golf market will
be on the edge of their seat at the end of September as America try to prise the Ryder Cup from Europe.
F1 aficionados have a number of races to look forward to,
all of which culminate in the crowing of the champion at the Abu Dhabi circuit
in November. Tennis supporters will revel in the ATP World Tour Finals in
London while the Southern and Northern Hemisphere go head-to-head in a series
of rugby union matches, much to the delight of the games’ supporters.
The venue will cater to kids large and small with a number
arcade games featuring pinball, Pac-Man,
Transformers and gaming hoops, as well as foosball and air hockey.
The interior design is based on the famous colours of Boston
sports teams – a combination of deep green, burgundy red and dark brown. Walls
are covered with a wide selection of sporting and Boston-themed memorabilia.
“It’s the perfect stop-off point, for a quick drink and bite
to eat after work, a weekend family gathering, to catch a EPL football game or
F1 race, or maybe just to enjoy the honest-to-goodness flavour of classic US
diner-style food. That combination has universal appeal and O’Learys’ unique
concept sits comfortably within that widespread casual dining market,” added
Awadalla.
With a 2014 global turnover of US$186 million O’Learys is
primarily located in high street locations, shopping malls and at popular
travel locations around the world. The current tally of O’Learys’ restaurants worldwide
totals 120 outlets in ten countries spread across Asia, Europe and the Middle
East. In the UAE, TIME operate the 275-square metre, 163-cover O’Learys at
Fujairah Mall, which is linked to an indoor karting area and laser shooting
gallery covering some 2,240-square metres. There is also an outlet situated in
Abu Dhabi International Airport.
O’Learys was founded by Jonas Reinholdsson, a Swedish
restaurateur who worked on the island of Nantucket, located south of Boston,
Massachusetts, in the mid-1980s. He was inspired by Bostonian restaurants where
people came to watch games and share their passion for sports, which he
subsequently brought back to Sweden where he founded the first O’Learys in 1988
in Gothenburg.
Named
after his wife, Anne O’Leary, it was an immediate success, becoming a preferred
casual dining venue for the community, visiting tourists and both local and
international sports and entertainment celebrities.
