Exclusive interview with Darren Watson, Regional Manager, Europe, Middle East & Africa, Meat & Livestock Australia.

Premium beef is no longer limited to white-tablecloth dining. How are hotels today integrating premium beef sourcing across different F&B formats, from luxury restaurants to all-day dining and casual concepts, without compromising margins?

Hotels are no longer sourcing beef purely on price. Instead, they are prioritising consistency, yield and eating quality across all F&B formats, from signature restaurants to all-day dining and casual outlets.

Premium beef is now being used far beyond fine dining, particularly in burgers, grills and sharing concepts, where guests are willing to pay for quality. Grain-fed and Wagyu beef are increasingly appearing in casual formats because they deliver flavour and reliability without adding complexity in the kitchen.

Australian beef allows hotels to manage margins by using a wider range of cuts, including secondary cuts and smaller portions, while still delivering a premium experience. Consistent eating quality, traceability and provenance give chefs confidence that the product will perform across multiple outlets, helping hotels balance quality, creativity and commercial returns.

You lead Meat & Livestock Australia across multiple regions and verticals. What drew you to this industry in the first place, and what keeps you motivated to drive premium Aussie Beef and Lamb adoption in the UAE and MENA region?

I joined MLA in 2025 with over 25 years’ senior executive experience in global business, specialising in the international marketing and business development of Australian agricultural products across the Middle East, Africa and the Subcontinent, supported by extensive cross cultural leadership experience.

What attracted me to this role and what continues to drive me is the immense opportunity I see here for Australia’s high quality, consistent, and sustainably produced Aussie Beef and Lamb. Over the past five years Australia’s red meat export volume growth has been faster to the MENA region than the rest of the global markets combined (10% vs 7%) and value growth has been more than double to the MENA region (14% vs 6%), which speaks to its reputation not only in the MENA region but around the world.

Consumers are looking for responsibly farmed, high quality meat, and Aussie Beef and Lamb is leading the way in meeting those expectations.

Chefs are increasingly shaping purchasing decisions rather than simply executing them. How are fine-dining concepts and chef-led menus influencing demand for higher-grade beef cuts across the region?

Chefs are now central to purchasing decisions, driving demand for premium cuts, consistent eating quality, and trusted provenance. They want confidence in where the beef and lamb they buy comes from and how it’s produced, and that it’s going to meet their customers’ expectations, every time.

Australia’s grain-feeding programs are carefully designed to support each animal reach their quality potential, delivering that signature rich and deep flavour that high marbling, premium beef is known for. Combined with Australia’s ideal environment, strong biosecurity measures, and rigorous processing standards, you get a consistently premium product that can be supplied 12 months of the year to the highest global standards.

Additionally, Australia is home to the second largest Wagyu herd in the world behind Japan and is the largest exporter of Wagyu beef. Combining traditional Japanese Wagyu bloodlines with innovative and sustainable farming techniques, Aussie Wagyu delivers exceptional marbling and flavour all year-round.

Innovation is a major focus for Meat & Livestock Australia at Gulfood 2026, with five pioneering brands showcasing next-generation solutions. How important is innovation, from oxygen-elimination packaging delivering chilled shelf life beyond 120 days to supply-chain efficiencies in futureproofing the red meat industry for hospitality?

Innovation is critical. Advances in packaging shelf life and cold chain efficiency are transforming how Aussie Beef and Lamb is stored, shipped and utilised, reducing waste, improving consistency and giving hospitality operators greater flexibility without compromising quality. Innovation supports premium positioning, rather than replacing product quality.  

Australian beef exports to the region are seeing average unit values grow nearly twice as fast as the global average, signalling that buyers are paying more for quality, marbling, and consistency. How have chef and buyer expectations evolved over the past few years, and what does this mean for suppliers?

Buyers are far more informed and discerning than they were even a few years ago. With growing affluence among the MENA region households, and continued strong growth forecast to 2030, particularly in Saudi Arabia and the UAE (US $50,0000 + annual household disposable income), they’re paying for reliability, eating quality, and brand trust.

With its world class traceability and eating quality grading systems, premium Australian grainfed beef delivers this trust from farm to fork, every animal is tracked, ensuring top tier food safety and transparency.

Sustainability credentials and provenance are an increasingly part of supplier selection and brand storytelling, not a “nice to have”.

What’s one thing you want hospitality leaders in the UAE to understand about premium beef in 2026 that they might not be thinking about yet?

Premium beef is no longer just a luxury ingredient; it’s a brand and experience differentiator. Those who integrate it into their broader food story, will see the strongest returns. As a brand, Aussie Beef & Lamb logos now have high awareness and strong associations with quality, safety and trust. Australian red meat is widely viewed as the “most superior” among imports by affluent MENA region consumers.

Looking ahead, what should hotel groups and F&B leaders be paying closer attention to when it comes to premium beef sourcing in the next three to five years?

Over the next three to five years, premium beef sourcing will be less about individual cuts and last-minute substitutions, and more about long-term, reliable partnerships that deliver consistency, flexibility, and eating quality across multiple dining formats.

In 2026, some 128m tourists are expected to arrive in the region and spend around US$ 151.3bn. An additional 27m tourists are forecast between 2025-2030 with Saudi Arabia, UAE and Egypt leading the growth. An additional 560 new hotels (and associated dining venues) are forecast to be built over the same period, boosting food and red meat consumption.

Visitors to the UAE are more informed and adventurous diners; they expect high quality and menus designed for international tastes. Aussie Beef and Lamb are a trusted choice across all international cuisines from fine dining, to casual and all-day menus. As expectations around sustainability, transparency, and supply-chain reliability continue to rise, operators will increasingly favour suppliers that can support menu engineering, yield optimisation, and storytelling.

An exclusive interview with Chef Atsushi Yamamoto, Konjiki Hototogisu

Take us back to 2006, what was it like running your cozy little ramen spot in Shibuya during those first few years?

I started with a small shop of just 23 square meters and only 8 seats. It was located in a narrow alley where only about 30 locals passed by each day, and no cars could enter. During the first year, I had only about five customers on most days, and even on good days, it was less than 20. Since I was married, it was especially tough to make a living. I couldn’t afford to waste ingredients, so I would take home any leftover ingredients, which allowed me to get by each day. In Japan, ramen shops typically only serve ramen, and it was common for a customer to eat just one bowl and leave. A bowl of ramen was priced at about half of what it is today, so we had no room to buy ingredients for ourselves. Since there were many times when there were no customers in the shop, I used that time, as well as after closing, to constantly study ingredients and cooking techniques. I always thought about what kind of ramen would be appreciated by customers and made an effort to learn and improve.

What first drew you into the kitchen? Was it passion, curiosity, or pure hunger to create something your own?

When I was 24 years old, I witnessed a chef at a restaurant I visited for the first time receiving thanks from a regular customer who said, “Thank you for always serving delicious food. It was very tasty today as well.” Seeing that made me want to pursue a job where I could inspire and be appreciated by others, just like that chef. I still remember that moment vividly.

From Tokyo to Dubai, how did adapting to the UAE dining scene challenge or change your cooking mindset?

I am constantly thinking about how to create ramen that utilises local ingredients and how to make it unique to me. Additionally, I have always considered what is necessary for the local residents to appreciate my ramen. My philosophy is to continue improving the flavour until it receives positive feedback. If there has been a change within me, it is my perspective on the taste preferences of the people in Dubai. I have reaffirmed that people’s tastes differ significantly from country to country.

If every bowl tells a story, what do you hope the final spoonful leaves your guest thinking?

I hope that customers understand that the flavour of the ramen they enjoy is the result of many years of development. I strive to create flavours that allow them to experience the story of the maker when they eat it.

What’s the one lesson you learnt by sleeping in your shop and tweaking recipes until midnight, what would you tell your younger self?

The year I opened my shop in 2006 was a time when many well-regarded restaurants were opening. My shop received no customers at all, while many others that opened the same year quickly had long lines. I felt incredibly frustrated. However, I believed that if I worked hard, I could surely become the best. As a result of taking the time to improve my ramen, I am where I am today. I believe that hard work never betrays you.

Finally, what I would like to tell my younger self is, “Thank you for always believing in yourself and continuing to work hard.” I am simply filled with gratitude. Moving forward, I will do my utmost to put smiles on my customers’ faces.

Exclusive interview with Ayman Ezzedine, Director of Development Middle East, Egypt and Pakistan, Radisson Hotel Group.

How is FHS going so far for you?

It’s very good, actually. It’s been busy. We had some great meetings, meet some industry peers as usual, catch up.

A lot of us have been in the game for a long time. So, it’s always good to see people from the past and always meeting new ones as well.

This event, you know, we’re all in the hospitality business here. So, the hospitality from the hosts, from the organizers and even our competitors or peers, we call them. It’s very nice. And then the owners. So, it’s a great industry. And it’s about hospitality.

Ayman, you’ve been in the industry for quite a while now. Can you share what shaped your approach towards development in developing such complex markets such as Middle East, Egypt and Pakistan?

It’s interesting when you put it Middle East, Egypt, Pakistan, and there are three completely different. Even in the Middle East, you know, you have UAE, you have Saudi Arabia, you have Lebanon, the Levant. So, every country has its own set of challenges, experiences, culture. Coming from the industry, starting out in operations, traveling, meeting, we start to understand the different cultures and how to work with different people.

So that starts, becoming the base. So now when I’m in negotiations with an owner from Pakistan, I go back on my experience of first working with colleagues from these different regions and start to understand their culture. Somebody once told me that Ayman, you speak Arabic, so you’ll do well in Egypt, because Egypt is a very interesting market for us.

The difference is you have to understand the culture, not just the language. So that’s, I think, it’s just understanding culture and then you could expand to them.

In your view, what is the differentiation, when it comes to understanding between a successful hospitality development project from a mere profitable one?

It always depends. Some projects are being done by the government for a greater good. Some are by owners who want to give back to the community. They want better training for staff from their hometown.

And some are purely for financial profit. Each one has its own incentive and its own. So, you really have to understand what the owner is looking for and make sure that we are aligned together.

From my experience, what’s a successful project hotel is one that meets three, four, five of those criterias. One, give back to the community, offer the guests what they want, staying true to our brand values, you know, and making money because we are a business event.

With KSA and Dubai evolving quickly, how have you personally experienced and observed the talents and expertise migration that are shaping the competitive landscape today?

The change has been, I mean, especially KSA in the recent, the recent changes have been such an advanced pace. It was a bit shocking and even for us disbelief at the beginning, but the level of expertise that is now available, you know, in Saudi Arabia, we’ve never had a franchise. Now we already have two, just because now we believe that this expertise exists in Saudi Arabia and we can be more relaxed and approach this opportunity. So, it’s becoming more of a mature market.

UAE has always, has been mature for a while, but it’s changing and it’s also adapting to the changes around the region and working closer with the Saudi market. So, I don’t think they’re competing with each other while they’re working and they’re finding their different niches and complementing.

can you share your insights on how AI and predictive analytics are influencing a smoother guest experience?

I’m still a paper and pen kind of guy, but UAE cannot negate the role that AI is having on the hospitality industry and the future for us to use it. It’s obviously for analyzing what guests like, how we act, what would they like us to do to present to them? So, it’s a tool that we have to use, but at the end, we are a people business.

It’s about the hospitality that comes from person to person. So, we have to learn and continue to learn how we can use AI to enhance that experience. And as people change, the information is out there now. We just cannot completely depend on AI. We got to keep the people in it as well.