Rabih Fakhreddine is the CEO and Founder of 7 Management. Recently he sat down with A&E magazine to discuss his plans for the future and following his dreams.
As a global hub for the entertainment and hospitality industries, Dubai has become a melting pot of talent for entrepreneurs in the sector. Over the past few years, the industry in the UAE and the wider Middle East has grown astronomically, with successful venues and concepts opening all around the region. To succeed in such a fast-paced industry, particularly in a cosmopolitan city such as Dubai, you must be ahead of the game and on the ball regarding new ideas and opportunities. Someone who is leading the way with this is the CEO and Founder of 7 Management, Rabih Fakhreddine.
After leaving his corporate job in 2015, Lebanese-born Fakhreddine opened Seven Sisters, a luxurious oasis of music and cuisine in Beirut. It soon became one of the city’s most popular entertainment venues and led to the formation of 7 Management. Fakhreddine’s passion and knowledge of the industry led him to open further venues in Lebanon before realising there was plenty of room for international expansion.
In 2020, Fakhreddine moved to Dubai with his family and founded 7 Management in the city. In just three years, it has become one of the country’s leading entertainment companies with successful concepts such as The Theater, Limonata, B018.dxb, Seven Sisters, Antika, Lucia’s and February 30, Sayf in Dubai as well as Parasol, and Sayf in Beirut and Bagatelle in Greece. As the company grows, so does Fakhreddine’s passion, and the entrepreneur plans to grow the company internationally and further within the region. His undeniable passion for what he does is the drive behind each venture and concept 7 Management creates. Here we find out more.
What brought you to leave the corporate world and venture into this part of the business?
My passion for this industry led me to leave the corporate world. Even at school and college, I would organise events, and when I joined the American University of Beirut, I was quite active when it came to student activities and events. I would organise tents during Ramadan, for example. I graduated from University with a Business Marketing degree, and soon after, I joined British American Tobacco, where I worked for six years. This taught me a lot and put me in the right mindset. At this point, I was also investing as a silent partner in a few ventures, so in 2014, when I decided to quit my job and start 7 Management, I had a few things in mind, and the passion eventually came out in a more serious and formal way when I established the company in Beirut.
From seven sisters in Beirut to over ten successful entertainment projects over the region, tell us more about 7 Management and your vision and direction for the group.
Since I was a kid, I have always envisioned having an empire of restaurants, bars, and hotels. I have achieved most of my visions so far, but there is much more to do. 7 Management is a regional player, soon to be international. We are one of the leading entertainment and F&B operators in the Middle East, and very recently, we signed an agreement to enter Europe. More about that later… Currently, 7 Management is operational in Lebanon, UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia and in the pipeline, we have Bahrain, Greece and more to come.
Why did you call it 7 Management?
I first opened Seven Sisters in Beirut, so we opened 7 Management simultaneously. But the number seven is often a sign of victory and has many positive meanings. It also keeps people wondering.
What makes your concepts stay ahead of the competition in a competitive city like Dubai?
I see competition as a positive element that makes me strive to be up to the level of others. A key milestone was when I relocated from Lebanon to Dubai in 2020. We had established a large company in Lebanon, and we were one of the biggest players in the industry, but when we came to Dubai, it was a game-changer. In two years, 7 Management became one of the most prominent players in town. We now have ten brands in operation across the city. I see competition in Dubai as a healthy competition; it’s good for the industry, and I think that’s what makes Dubai a hub that’s attractive for all industries. Dubai used to be a regional player, but I think now, as one of the main destinations globally for F&B and entertainment, it is an international player.
How would you assess the hospitality and F&B market in the UAE today?
I think the dynamics of Dubai are constantly evolving, which gives us an advantage in our industry because we always have new areas and destinations. It’s a natural and organic development of the city thanks to its leaders and their vision to become the number one city, in the world. I think this is a main factor that encourages me and many others to keep giving and continuing to excel in what they do. How Dubai is positioned now attracts the crème de la crème of all industries. It has become a hub for entrepreneurs worldwide who see Dubai as a success story and want to be part of that.
On a personal level, Lebanon has always been home, and it was a big decision to leave my country and move to Dubai. But thanks to Dubai and its infrastructure and services, it made our transition very smooth, and I think this is the case with many others. I believe Dubai always surprises us, and while it is a modern city, it has also retained its values and authenticity. As a young Arab entrepreneur, I am proud to have achieved my goals here.
One of your flagship projects was “The Theatre”, how did that come to life?
We are very proud that The Theater is a homegrown concept and that in two years, it has managed to compete with international brands that have been in the industry for decades. I remember very well in February 2021, I called my friend Guy Manoukian and told him that he had to come to Dubai, and we had to do a concept together, and I wanted it to be a dinner show.
There is something I call the “Netflix syndrome”, and I think it came after the pandemic, where today’s consumer wants everything to be a one-stop-shop, from how we watch TV and film, to our F&B experiences. People like to have an all-in-one experience – a nice show, dinner, entertainment, good food, and a good ambience – and this was the main trigger for me to come up with the concept of The Theater, as well as some of our other concepts such as our festive restaurant, Lucia’s.
How challenging was it to position The Theater as a respected elevated and artistic venue that also features incredible talents?
It was quite challenging. I remember when we were brainstorming for our entertainment and our auditions, we wanted to know the rules and regulations that we needed to follow for this kind of concept. And there was nothing written at that point in terms of what should be done, and that’s why we managed to offer something special. Just like Dubai, it is modern and attractive, but at the same time, it has core values. This is what we created with the assistance of our Chief Entertainment Officer, Guy Manoukian, and we managed to provide a unique offering when it came to entertainment, and everyone loved it. Another advantage that we had, other than the phenomenal location at the Fairmont Hotel, is that the food is also exceptional, which we invested a lot into. We wanted to make sure we excelled in all aspects. Many people came and told us the show was amazing, but they didn’t expect such good food, which was a great advantage for us.
We’ve visited most of your venues, and we noticed an exemplary choice of staff and service standards set aside talents and artists. What are the prerequisites when it comes to adding members to the 7 Management family? What do you look for, and how do you convince them to join?
First of all, being in Dubai, people would not expect anything less than that. This puts a lot of pressure on us to ensure we have the right teams in place. 7 Management is now a big player in the city, but we previously had to convince people to join, and I used to interview for the key roles and team members personally. I would share my vision of where I wanted to take the company, and I think after two years we managed to prove to everyone that 7 Management delivers. It’s an ongoing learning curve, we learn every day, especially in a city that keeps evolving. There are constantly new destinations opening and new brands coming on board that raise the bar, and I always tell my team that if you excel, we can grow together. If the company grows, they will grow in their career and as people. Now, fortunately, many key profiles knock on our door wanting to join our company, and fortunately enough, we always have new concepts in the pipeline, so we always have roles for good talents to come on board.
What’s your biggest challenge, and how do you overcome that?
Since we have succeeded on many fronts, the biggest challenge is to keep our positioning and to sustain our success, especially in a market like Dubai. And the other challenge is to expand. I always like to use the phrase “From Beirut to the World”. That’s how I started, most of our brands were created in Beirut, and I think expanding our success story from Beirut and Dubai to Europe and eventually North America is a challenge and a dream that I would like to achieve. We started with baby steps – we are looking to expand The Theater to London, and we are being approached by venues and companies in other markets around the world. Dubai now sets the trend for the world, and we are a big player in town, so we do have people approaching us wanting our brands and wanting to export our brands.
What do you look for when thinking of starting a new concept?
I treat it as a customer experience and consider what customers are looking for and how they want to go out and enjoy their time, and I like to see what’s missing in the market. This has been my main drive to come up with the concepts so far. Of course, I have the support of the team at the beginning, it is the marketing and branding teams that are mainly involved in creating the concept of a brand, but the initial idea comes from me, and we grow it together. After years of experience, I think I can say that the location is key. My mentality has changed slightly: today, if I find a prime location, I will see what concept could fit in this location, whether it is an existing brand from our portfolio or something we need to create to cater to a particular location and client.
Are there any new concepts in the pipeline that you can tell us about?
A lot! And I think you are one of the first to know this. For Dubai, we have a second branch of February 30 opening soon at Dubai Island in collaboration with Nakheel. This is an area of the city that’s growing and is set to be a popular destination. The area there is thirsty for such concepts. Secondly, we have Limonata – another Italian concept that we are launching at Vista Mare on Palm Jumeirah. It’s family-friendly and affordable with traditional Italian cuisine. After the success of Lucia’s and the popularity of the food we serve there, we saw that we needed another Italian concept at the beach, and I think this fits perfectly.
The third concept is Tamada. This will be a festive restaurant that we are opening in collaboration with Ennismore at the SLS Hotel. SLS is known to be one of the best party hotels in town, and this collaboration will be fantastic. Ennismore is a group that is leading in lifestyle all around the globe, and we would like to collaborate further with them. Tamada will be a stepping stone for us to expand further with Ennismore across international cities. Then we have KUN, which is a brasserie from Lebanon. We are bringing the franchise to Dubai. It will launch in the new Marsa Al Arab, which is part of the Jumeirah Group and will be a unique experience and destination within the marina.
Then, out of Dubai, we are proud to be one of the first regional players to enter NEOM. We will be at the Sindalah Island, and we were selected as the operator to manage seven restaurants and cafes for Joel Robuchon. We will be the operators for their brand in NEOM, and we are very proud to be selected for this.
7 Management is also taking Bagatelle to Athens in Greece, and it will be located in one of the best locations in Europe – The Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel. It will be one of the first international brands to enter Athens since many shut down after the crisis. We are proud to be the ones bringing such an experience to the city.
With all the achievements and success, you’ve cemented so far, your company would surely be attractive to potential investors; tell us about this.
Coming from a corporate background helped me to envision where I want to take my business. When I started the company, I also had an offshore sister company for all the IPs that I would create. Maybe people questioned my decision, but I knew what I wanted to do. Now, when we sit with the institution of investors, we see a big appetite towards our industry and big transactions taking place with many big groups acquiring existing operators and brands. 7 Management has been approached by a lot of big funds and we are in discussion around this which will help us a lot with our expansion plan, but this is still confidential for now. It’s not only about funding, but I also think another advantage of such partnerships is the access to locations, faster expansion globally, and working with legitimate names.
Tell us about a day in your life.
I wake up early to get my kids ready. I have breakfast, go to the gym at least three days a week, and then I go back home and spend quality time with my daughter before I come to the office. When I get to the office, I usually have a back-to-back schedule of meetings, internally or with external stakeholders. I spend a lot of time brainstorming, we have weekly operations meetings, and I like to work closely with the branding and marketing teams. I don’t like to spend a lot of time behind a desk; I like to have meetings across the city, and I’m always on the go regarding new destinations and locations. I also like to travel a lot, discovering new places.
What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned so far?
Always be humble and keep your feet on the ground. And always have a plan B!
What is the professional motto that you live by?
Making people happy. This is what 7 Management is all about; we create everlasting memories for our clients, and we take pride in that.
What’s a message that you would tell your younger self?
You were right when you dreamt! I’m a self-made person and I always wanted to be a better person and to succeed in life and so, I would tell my younger self that you made the right decisions, and you should never forget where you came from.
What’s a message you would send to your family?
My wife has been my backbone and support system from day one. I am very attached to my kids, and I truly believe that life without kids is nothing. They are the main source of happiness in my life, and when you see them growing and teaching them, you appreciate the role of your parents and the sacrifices they made. So, I will keep investing in my family through quality time because this is what matters the most.
And a message to your clients?
We promise to keep making you happy and giving you new experiences to create everlasting memories. We will always be a step ahead of the game.
