Catering to everyone’s needs

Emirates Flight Catering is gearing up for the opening of the new Terminal 3 and Concourse 2, with a recruitment drive and equipment spend.

Concourse 2 and Terminal 3 will have 16 Food & Beverage locations between them run by Emirates Flight Catering. There will be six outlets and a live cooking kitchen catering for a 136 seats in the First Class lounge. There will be eight outlets and a live cooking kitchen catering for a 154 seats, with waiter service, in the Business Class lounge. The team will be manning the Arrivals Lounge at Terminal 3, which will cater for Emirates First and Business Class passengers, and also the Dnata Marhaba lounge at the Concourse.

In preparation for the opening of these outlets EKFC has been recruiting internationally and has identified over 500 of the 658 staff that will be required at the opening. The staff have been interviewed and selected and are awaiting job offers. The accommodation for the staff has also been secured.

Faysal Moufarrej , Vice President, Airport Catering Services, Emirates Flight Catering Company, has been busy setting up all the different aspects required.

He said: “The equipment required for all the different facilities has been ordered, but has not yet been delivered. As per the project time line the selected equipment list for the lounges’ kitchens and servery areas should be ready on site by the end of this month and EKFC and the selected suppliers will then begin carrying out the testing and commissioning of this equipment.”

The menus have been worked out closely with EK-IFS and will change regularly within the different concepts. Faysal said: “We have to change our menus regularly as we have many frequent fliers in Dubai. We are currently planning two cycles of menus to alternate, but may add a third shortly.”

One of the major differences for EKFC will be the amount of work going on in the kitchens at the new terminal.

Faysal explained: “There will be much greater independence at the new terminal.

“Currently the Terminal 1 outlets are 100 per cent reliant on the EKFC main catering unit for all the food supplies. This will not be the case with Concourse 2.

“Instead of preparing all the food at our main unit and having to transport it, chilled, across the runways to the new terminal, we will have a number of direct deliveries of produce to the new kitchens.

“These are fully-equipped kitchens with a full staff, and they will prepare and cook the food on site. There will also be a good percentage of food that is produced in the main unit and finished on site. It is a different approach.”

EKFC is trying to secure large stores at Concourse 2 which will assist them in eliminating the need for additional traffic around the ramp that would otherwise be required, and can cause delays and congestions, it also allows the food to be freshly baked and freshly produced in front of customers, a plan that fits well with the show kitchen concepts.

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