Dubai, UAE has so many classy restaurants that if you chose a different restaurant every day, it would take you almost 50 years to explore them all. With so many cuisines from all over the world, having dinner at home can sometimes seem a bit strange in this city.
But many people in Dubai are paying to eat at a stranger's home, not their own. On average, diners will pay more than $80 to have complete strangers cook for them at a "summer club."
The idea of dining at a stranger's house has been taken to the next level in Dubai with some unusual experiences.
When participating in this experience, diners often do not know the menu or the location of the dinner. People are encouraged to go alone or with just a few friends, creating the best opportunity to socialize and connect with new people. The idea is not new, but in Dubai, it has reached new heights with dozens of new experiences in the past year.
“I wanted to bring people under one roof, sit at one table, talk without distance and simply have dinner and have a good conversation,” said Palestinian chef Ahmad Halawa, who founded his “dinner club” in 2019. At first, only his friends and family came. But as word of Halawa’s delicious food spread, strangers started reaching out and booking reservations to join the experience.
Partygoers connected and chatted happily.
People mostly hear about Halawa through word of mouth or on Instagram, and dinners are usually booked two days in advance. He now hosts up to 30 guests a week for two dinners in his backyard, which is elegantly set up with flowers and dimmed lights. He believes that finding community is one of the reasons customers want to try this type of dining experience.
Finding the right community is one of the goals for experiences like this.
Dubai is a fast-paced city, people come and go and stay here for a year or two. Clubs like this allow diners to meet people other than their current colleagues and friends.
“I love dining out, but having grown tired of the restaurant scene in Dubai, the idea of a dinner at a stranger’s house was something much more personal and memorable,” says foodie Dave Luis. “For Luis, the social aspect of the dinner was crucial: “It’s rare to have a night out where the magnificence of the food is matched by the sheer charm and joy of meeting people from so many cultures, many of whom have become my friends.”
The joy of meeting and connecting people from many cultures attracts many diners.
In an effort to standardize the industry and grab a slice of the supper club pie, entrepreneur Kevin Vaz co-founded Splidu, an app that connects diners with unique underground dining experiences in the UAE. The app facilitates the booking, payment, and legal process, allowing chefs to focus on creativity rather than operations. According to data from Splidu, more than 4,000 diners booked experiences on the platform in the first half of 2024, with an average of 41 experiences offered each month.
While good food is key to any dinner party, Halawa says the social aspect of supper clubs is driving their appeal in Dubai, where about 90% of the population is expatriates, away from home and family, and his dinners are served family-style at a communal table rather than individually as in a restaurant.
The experience of dining with strangers has many different social aspects.
Dining with strangers is a very popular idea in Dubai. This shows that diners have other needs besides having a delicious dinner such as social connection, reducing stress in life, finding more interesting friends. If you have the opportunity to visit Dubai, you can once participate in this unique and interesting dinner model to have new experiences.
