FOOD & BEVERAGE
the design and architecture are sophisticated and elegant , but the atmosphere remains relaxed and vibrant .”
Japanese cuisine , Beck says , remains popular among diners , so that was one reason they decided to convert the restaurant . “ While the cuisine is very sought after , it is also very difficult to get right with the precision , authenticity and creativity required ,” he says . “ This is also what made us decide upon Zuma for this project .”
The entire process to reconceptualize the restaurant took a little more than a year , Dalançon says . “ We all rallied behind the same goal : bringing a new specialty culinary signature to the island and to the Maldives ,” he says .
The biggest challenge for this restaurant redo was to figure out how to adapt this internationally known restaurant concept to such a different setting . “ As part of our discussions and thinking processes , one of the challenges we faced was how to adapt Zuma to an island environment ,” Dalançon says . “ We were able to overcome this obstacle fairly quickly through efficient planning and organization from both Zuma and the resort team .”
Beck says there also were some delays . Nonetheless the year-long transformation still was rather quick , “ With Zuma Maldives , our biggest challenge was the logistics , as we experienced some significant delays with shipping ,” he says . “ However , we approached it in a calm manner , and as it was outside of everyone ’ s control , we just waited it out .”
In explaining the move to bring in Zuma , Dalacon says luxury hotels and resorts must have a good F & B strategy , but they
Arial view of the Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi
Soon-to-open Zuma at the Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi features a Japanese Izakaya-style menu
also need to continually elevate and change their offerings . “ It is also important to remain open to different concepts and learn from what other restaurants are doing ,” he says . “ When things don ’ t work out , I believe that one should always stop , rethink the problems , make the necessary changes , and then try again – also known as trial-and-error problem solving .”
Dalacon said when management was deciding on which restaurant to add , they knew that Japanese food was not only popular , as proven
and seen on the island , but a mustoffer . “ As such , the more important decision was who could execute this best , who could we rely on to enrich our guests ’ culinary experience , and Zuma was the best fit .”
Dalançon says excitement has been building up for the new restaurant as guests await the summertime opening . “ We have already received numerous messages from guests across different channels , from Instagram to email to telephone ,” he says .
82 hotelsmag . com June 2022