Souq Waqif eateries, cafes gear up for World Cup ‘rush’

Cafes and restaurants at Souq Waqif are making intensive preparations to meet the expected surge in demand during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, local Arabic daily Arrayah reports.

These establishments are looking to enhance and upgrade their services to respond to the different tastes and demands of the large number of visitors expected to arrive in Qatar from different countries.Speaking to Arrayah, a number of café and restaurant operators and managers said that they are planning to increase the number of employees across all categories, such as servers, chefs, cooks, workers, as the expected workload will increase manifold in the coming months.They expect work at Souq Waqif to continue round the clock upon receiving the necessary approvals from the authorities concerned, which will require these places to work in at least three shifts a day.Some cafes and restaurants have already expressed their intention to hire more staff, whether locally or internationally.Some of them have applied for permission to set up large screens starting from October to present promotional materials for the upcoming event and display events related to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.In addition, many of these cafes and restaurants will launch promotional campaigns through different media and social media platforms about the diversity of services and cuisine they will offer during the global event.Some restaurants and cafes are also set to add new drinks and dishes to their menus to provide multiple options for customers.They expect that the turnout of customers at the Souq to be unprecedented, with a huge potential for excellent business that will cover the operational costs for many months.Restaurant manager Ahmed Saeed stressed that great efforts are being exerted by the operators of such places to upgrade their services and introduce more options, while gradually increasing their working hours and recruit a new workforce.He said that Qatar 2022 is a great business opportunity and would attract a large number of foreign and Arab tourists.Jamal Mohamed, another restaurant manager, said the management of the eatery has already submitted an application to recruit more workers to better respond to the expected surge in demand over the next few months.There are also plans to revamp the place and give it a look and feel that will be commensurate with the global event and reflect its main themes.Abdu Hanna, branch manager of a café and sweets shop, said there will be greater focus on Oriental sweets and beverages during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 to present visitors with some unique tastes.Restaurant manager Ali Jawad said they will focus on GCC cuisine and its distinctive dishes, and the number of employees will be increased by almost one-third.