RMAL Hospitality Partners with Marco Pierre White to Take Venues Global

RMAL Hospitality has partnered with Marco Pierre White and his UK business partner Nick Taplin to form Black and White International.

As Marco looks to open his 50^th restaurant in the UK, through his Black and White Hospitality business, the new division will now promote Pierre White’s franchised restaurants in the UAE market, and beyond.

News of the deal will be closely followed by the opening of the first two venues both of which are in Abu Dhabi. This will include a Marco Pierre White Steakhouse Bar & Grill at the end of 2018 and a New York Italian, which is expected to open in March 2019.

Jihad Hazzan, Chief Operating Officer of Al Fahim Hospitality, and Elias Madbak, Managing Director of RMAL Hospitality, the restaurant arm of the Al Fahim group, will now work closely with the newly formed business to expand further the group’s worldwide appeal, which currently has seven brands within its portfolio.

This includes Marco Pierre White Steakhouse Bar & Grill, New York Italian, Bardolino Pizzeria Bellini & Espresso Bar, Wheelers of St James Oyster Bar & Grill Room, Marconi Coffee & Juice Bar, Mr White’s English Chophouse and the new Koffmann and Mr White’s English French Brasserie, which launched in Bath, UK in October 2018 with Pierre Koffmann working alongside Marco once again.

Jihad Hazzan, COO of Al Fahim Hospitality said: “I have known Marco Pierre White for years and he is widely regarded as the Godfather of Modern Cooking, is hugely respected and is one of the most globally recognised names in the catering sector. After our successful expansion into the UAE, we’re now looking forward to developing partnerships for other regions.

“Black and White Hospitality has a very strong portfolio and its business model of aligning the restaurant brands with hotels is one that has proved very successful in the UK.

“We’ll now look to take that model further, using Marco’s belief of ‘creating restaurants that offer affordable glamour’, further afield.

“The Black and White team is also hugely experienced and very enthusiastic with some working overseas already, which means we now have an amazing mix to take the offer global,” concluded Mr Hazzan.

Black and White Hospitality is approaching the opening of its fiftieth venue in the UK and is keen to expand further.

Speaking on the partnership Nick Taplin, Chairman and CEO of Black and White Hospitality said: “Not only is he well-known because of his success as a chef and restauranteur, Marco’s international presence has grown further following appearances on TV shows such as Master Chef Asia, Master Chef Australia and also Hell’s Kitchen Australia.

“It therefore makes sense for us to expand our reach outside of the UK where the potential is almost limitless. To be at the start of a journey as exciting as this makes me very proud and gives me the opportunity to take the MPW franchise model onto a truly global platform.

“RMAL Hospitality has a strong track record within the restaurant and hospitality sector and we’re delighted to launch this exciting new division of Black and White Hospitality. With two venues already in the pipeline and Marco having just opened The English House in Singapore, we’ll be looking to build our international presence with hoteliers, owners and other hospitality management businesses” concluded Mr Taplin.

Marco Pierre White added: “I like creating good food, great environments with good service. This is a hugely exciting opportunity and will allow us to extend our philosophy of selling a good night out right across the globe. It will certainly mean a lot more air travel for me in the future!”

For further information please visit http://www.blackandwhitehospitality.com/international or for franchise opportunities please contact http://rmalhospitality.ae/franchise-opportunities/

RMAL Hospitality

Launched by the Al Fahim Group in 2007, RMAL Hospitality is a restaurant and hotel development business with a portfolio of international restaurant chains like Wagamama, Trader Vic’s and Frankies. This new venture brings a new dimension to an already experienced and proven franchisor.

Black and White Hospitality

Black and White Hospitality launched in 2013 when celebrity chef Marco Pierre White teamed up with Nick Taplin to roll out a number of restaurant brands within hotels. Since then, the group has expanded to 50 venues in the UK with seven distinct brands. The success of the group is based around Marco’s desire to make good quality restaurant food that is accessible and affordable to a variety of budgets.