Basil Al-Salem
I don’t think I have ever envied anyone in my life, but if I could be a person for a day, I would choose to be Basil Al-Salem. Smart, driven and dedicated with brains and creativity that compete with international entrepreneurs, he is by far one of the most intriguing people I have had the opportunity to meet. A proud owner of not one but seven successful restaurants in the Arab Gulf, he mixes and matches all the things he loves and delivers to his clientele a dining experience worth every single penny.
Ghadeer Al-Otaibi: Who is Basil Al-Salem?
Basil Al-Salem: It is very difficult to define who I am. I would like to think of myself as a dynamic person. I am what I learn. I keep learning, so my personality, and who I am is constantly evolving based on events that occur on a daily basis. Who I was a year ago is different to who I am today. It is a learning curve. Learning from your mistakes, trying to be a better person, so I think being dynamic is where I am most comfortable. I don’t like being a static person.
G.A.: How did you get to the position that you are in today?
B.A: You have to have a goal. The goal is not to build a business, not to be on top of a corporation or on top of something big, rather focusing and aiming to reach something you like and focus on the real purpose of you being in this business in the first place. Once you define that that becomes your goal. In my instance, it’s a matter of liking the things I like, love design, I love food, I love going to restaurants and I have a business background. So it was a combination of all the different aspects of the things I like and finding something to do with it. I have a background in finance and investment, however my other interests, my hobbies, interior design, food, graphics, all that, I felt, the only way to combine them was through the restaurant business.
Cocoa Room – Kuwait
G.A.: So would you say you nurture your restaurants like your children?
B.A.: A lot of people actually say I do treat them like my children! I spend a lot of time with them, at times more so than my family and friends, so it becomes part of your life. It becomes a reflection of who you are, just like your children. So if there is something wrong with the place, I have to sit and correct it because I do not want it to be a reflection upon myself.
G.A.: Did you picture your restaurants being as successful as they are today?
B.A.: That wasn’t my goal. I don’t look at success as an objective. I look at it as a result. I look at it as a customer rather than a restaurant owner, and think, what do I really want in a restaurant? Good food, good service and a good design place. People used to view restaurants as a place to eat; now people view restaurants as a place to be entertained. It is a completely different shift. You are looking at a total dining experience today, rather than going to eat. You don’t go because you are hungry, you go for an experience. And that requires a lot of different elements, from service, design, music, food, all of it is part of the experience of the place and that is what a lot of people do not understand in the business. They think it is about selling food. People are paying a premium for the food and the experience.
Slider Station – Oman
G.A.: Could you outline your restaurants for us please?
B.A.: Burger Boutique in Kuwait and Saudi, Slider Station in Kuwait and Oman, Cocoa room, B+F Open Flame Kitchen in Kuwait, B+F Road Side Diner in Oman.
G.A.: Could you explain a day in your life, how it would operate?
B.A.: (With a chuckle) It is chaotic and never the same. It goes from meetings during the day to meetings at night. Going from restaurant to restaurant and making sure things are running well. Things are unpredictable in the restaurant business. Even scheduling gym time gets hard to do. I deal with things like power cuts in restaurants, staff members misplacing identification cards and having problems with authorities, people losing their stuff in the restaurant or thinking they have, and this extends from Kuwait through Saudi onto Oman. I can’t really ever say: ok, this is my day, when I wake up, when I sleep. My day never goes according to plan. It isn’t a desk job. I am always on the run. It’s very sporadic.
OFK Argentetian Rib Steak
G.A.: Ok, so seeing as work takes over your time, when you are not working and just relaxing, what do you like to do?
B.A.: I love to travel. I love to explore the world. And I mean explore, not go to a city and shop. I am more of a cultural person, I love to learn about different cultures, different cuisine, different languages, I love architecture, the history of the places I visit, love going to museums and experiencing as well as learning about the local heritage. I do the things also that I do not get the time to do in Kuwait, so I read and spend time with the family also.
G.A.: A secret hidden talent that not many people know you do?
Surprisingly, not many people know that I design my restaurants. Not many people know that I get into the food of the restaurant. They think I am just an owner with chefs and designers, but I am very much involved in these aspects.
Basil Al-Salem’s B+F Open Flame Kitchen won the Gold Award for “Best New Retail Concept” in 2011 for the Middle East and Africa and will be competing against the rest of the world in Vegas at some point in 2012. All I have to say is that it comes as no surprise when you get to meet the man behind the concept and it just goes to show what a great contenders he, his staff and restaurants are.
Images courtesy of Basil Al-Salem
CocoaRoom Wholewheat Blueberry Waffles
Slider Station Maple Sticky Shrimps
Burger Boutique – Saudi Arabia
Open Flame Kitchen Interior
Red Velvet Pancakes – Cocoa Room
Shrimp Risotto Cakes – B+F Road Side Diner
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a true success story to admire locally and internationally
The interview was short I wanted to read more :( thanks ghadeer for the effort I was waiting for this interview long time ago.
I’m really proud to find a Kuwaiti Entrepreneur that raised the bar in Kuwaiti restaurants with international standards we as Kuwaiti used to love franchises and suddenly they became nothing compared to his restaurants and other local businesses.
What makes his restaurants different to me you try to find and define which dish blew your mind , which was great and which was good other than trying so hard to find one good dish in other places.
Good Luck Basil I hope one day your restaurants turns to a local case study and to be taught in local Universities
Dhari, a longer version of this article will appear in Khaleejesque’s April print issue inshallah :)
Thakreen ismik bil 5air so many times, because its just not possible to find restaurants that are only about the food. If your reading the comments, just like to let you know, i pay attention to everything when i go to a restaurant, ow your restaurants, kilhom, are just.. well there really aren’t words for it, i leave knowing making money is not your main interest at all, and “i hope im right” but all your food, give me the feeling that you use only the best ingredients and have put in soo much time and effort into everything that the only cliche i can come up with is your in a league of your own, and you have really turned your dining experince and food into an art. You make Kuwaitis proud ow miftakhreen feek ow ya36eek alf 3afya 3ala jihdik, imwafageen dayman inshallah.
The Guy is a Legend and an inspiration to anyone who wants to follow his DREAM
They call us the OFK Addicts ;)
Mashallah very talented and successful person, excellent interview Khleejesque :)
Hes really my one of my inspirations. I hope I can be at least half of what he has become inshallah. Mashallah
AMAZING! One of the best Khaleejesque interviews.
Oh and I definitely demand a restaurant in the UAE! Please?
I thank everyone for their kind words! I also would like to thank Ghadeer and Khaleejesque for putting together an excellent interview.
I would like to add that at the end I’m just a normal guy that refuses to give up and probably a bit lucky. It’s certainly not a bump free road, however your faith is your navigation. It boils down to commitment and passion.
I wish everyone the best of luck in whatever they love to do!
wow, I would really like to hear more about this person.
His advice would truly mean alot.
Oh and please open a restaurant in the UAE. :)
I am Looking forward to Dine in Slider Station in Kuwait
Very excited
Thank you Mr. Basil for bringing such a beautiful Restaurant , I have read and Heard a lot and i am going to be there
All the best for your success
Man of Invention for me who Discover Such kind of Excellent Restaurants to Dine .