The Food Fund

What The Food Fund does

Food Fund International (also referenced as The Food Fund) is a family-owned restaurant group headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, operating a portfolio of more than 17 wholly-owned dine-in restaurant concepts across the GCC region spanning the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Kuwait. The company traces its origins to a South African steakhouse and has built out a multi-cuisine platform that includes The Cullinan (fine dining steakhouse at Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab), SĀN Beach (beach club on Palm Jumeirah), Clay Dubai and Clay Bahrain (Japanese-Peruvian Nikkei cuisine at Bluewaters Island and in Bahrain), Ristorante Loren (Italian Riviera-inspired restaurant on Palm West Beach), SushiYaki (Japanese), Taverna Greek Kitchen and Eat Greek (Greek), The Meat Co (South African steakhouse, multi-location), Astéria (Greek fine dining in Bahrain), Saltfire, Tribes, and Bentley Kitchen. The portfolio ranges from luxurious fine dining to casual mall food court locations and is concentrated in prime real estate such as Palm Jumeirah, Bluewaters Island, Souk Madinat Jumeirah, Jumeirah Beach Residence, Dubai Mall, The Galleria Al Maryah Island, 360 Mall in Kuwait, and key Bahrain sites.

The company's underlying technology stack is intentionally lean: it relies on SevenRooms as its proprietary reservation and inventory management system across all locations, supported by a corporate website (foodfundint.com), a LinkedIn corporate page, and earned media coverage in regional and international outlets including Time Out Dubai, What's On, BBC Good Food, FACT Magazine, and Visit Dubai. There is no proprietary mobile application, no public or partner-facing API, and no disclosed AI, machine learning, or data product. The legal entity operating the group is Foodfund Investments LLC, governed by UAE law.

Food Fund International generates revenue almost entirely through direct-to-consumer restaurant operations — food and beverage sales across its various concepts, private event bookings (corporate events, weddings, birthday parties), and ancillary beach-club day-pass and minimum-spend pricing at premium venues such as SĀN Beach. Pricing varies materially by concept, ranging from AED 139-169 business-lunch set menus at Clay Dubai, to AED 399+ omakase experiences, to AED 8,000-10,000 minimum-spend beach villas at SĀN Beach. The go-to-market motion is direct dine-in supplemented by online reservations and listing-page discovery; distribution is entirely through owned physical locations. The company is privately held by the Tomazos family, with no disclosed external investors, funding rounds, or M&A activity, and is led by CEO Johnny Tomazos, Chairman and founder Costa Tomazos, and Managing Director Kirsten Curtis.

Name

The Food Fund

Legal name

Foodfund Investments LLC

Website

https://foodfundint.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Food Fund International is a family-owned restaurant group operating 17+ wholly-owned dine-in concepts across the UAE, Bahrain, and Kuwait, spanning fine dining steakhouses, beach clubs, and Nikkei, Italian, Greek, and Japanese cuisines for consumer diners and private-event clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Restaurant Operations & Hospitality

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Restaurants and Other Eating Places (7225), Restaurants and Other Eating Places (72251)

SIC

Retail-Eating Places (5812), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Steakhouses & Seafood Restaurants (THAFACAE)

Keywords

• Restaurant operations
• Fine dining
• Beach club hospitality
• Private event venues
• Multi-concept restaurant group

Headquarters

HQ city

Dubai

HQ country

United Arab Emirates

HQ region

Middle East

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Restaurant Dining Services: Food Fund International generates revenue through operating dine-in restaurants across the GCC region. The company runs a wide array of restaurants from luxurious fine dining to casual mall food court locations. Revenue comes from food and beverage sales at their various restaurant concepts including steakhouses, beach clubs, Japanese-Peruvian fusion, Greek restaurants, Italian dining, and more. The company also offers private event bookings for corporate events, weddings, and birthday parties.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Food Fund International operates a directly owned portfolio of dine-in restaurants and beach clubs across the GCC region (Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, and Kuwait), offering cuisines spanning South African steakhouse, Greek, Italian, Japanese, and Japanese-Peruvian Nikkei, alongside private event venue bookings for corporate and personal celebrations. The company runs 17 or more restaurant concepts ranging from luxurious fine dining to casual mall food-court locations, supported by the SevenRooms reservation platform.

Product overview

Food Fund International is a family-owned restaurant group operating a diverse portfolio of dine-in restaurants across the GCC region (Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, and Kuwait). The company operates restaurants ranging from luxurious fine dining to casual mall food court locations. Key restaurant concepts include: The Cullinan (fine dining steakhouse at Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab, Dubai), SĀN Beach (beach club on Palm Jumeirah, Dubai), Ristorante Loren (Italian restaurant on Palm Jumeirah, Dubai), Clay (Japanese-Peruvian Nikkei cuisine at Bluewaters Island, Dubai and in Bahrain), SushiYaki (Japanese restaurant at Souk Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai), Taverna Greek Kitchen (Greek restaurant at Souk Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai), The Meat Co (South African steakhouse at multiple UAE locations and Kuwait), Eat Greek Kouzina (Greek restaurants at multiple UAE locations including Dubai Hills Mall, The Beach JBR, and Abu Dhabi Galleria), Astéria (Greek restaurant in Bahrain), Saltfire (Bahrain), Tribes (Dubai Mall), Bentley Kitchen (Abu Dhabi Galleria), and various other concepts. The restaurants serve diverse cuisines including South African steakhouse, Mediterranean, Italian, Japanese-Peruvian Nikkei, Japanese, and Greek.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Cullinan (Fine Dining Steakhouse) Fine dining steakhouse located at Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab, Dubai, serving premium globally sourced cuts with wine sommeliers and expert food pairings for diners seeking a luxury steakhouse experience.
• SĀN Beach (Beach Club and Fine Dining) Beach club and fine dining restaurant on Palm Jumeirah, West Beach, Dubai, combining day-pass beach access (sofas, sunbeds, cabanas, beach villa) with a fine dining restaurant offering views across the Arabian Gulf.
• Clay Dubai (Japanese-Peruvian Nikkei Cuisine) Japanese-Peruvian Nikkei fusion restaurant at Bluewaters Island, Dubai, offering omakase experiences from AED399, business lunch tiers, and views of the Ain Dubai wheel.
• Clay Bahrain (Japanese-Peruvian Nikkei Cuisine) Japanese-Peruvian Nikkei fusion restaurant located at The Terminal in Bahrain, recognized as Best Fusion Restaurant at the FACT Dining Awards 2025.
• Ristorante Loren (Italian Riviera-Inspired Restaurant) Italian Riviera-inspired rooftop restaurant at West Palm Beach, Palm Jumeirah, Dubai, recognized at the What's On Dubai Awards 2024 and offering salads, cocktails, and Italian dining.
• SushiYaki (Japanese Restaurant) Japanese restaurant at Souk Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, specializing in sushi and yakitori dishes for diners seeking authentic Japanese cuisine.
• Taverna Greek Kitchen (Greek Restaurant) Greek cuisine restaurant at Souk Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, offering authentic Greek dishes in a styled interior setting.
• Eat Greek Kouzina (Greek Restaurant - Multiple Locations) Greek cuisine restaurant with multiple locations across the UAE including Dubai Hills Mall, The Beach JBR, and The Galleria in Abu Dhabi.
• The Meat Co (South African Steakhouse) South African steakhouse chain operating at multiple locations including Souk Madinat Jumeirah and Souk Al Bahar Downtown in Dubai, Adliya in Manama (Bahrain), and 360 Mall in Kuwait, featuring open flame grill signature cuts.
• Astéria (Greek Fine Dining - Bahrain) Greek fine dining restaurant in Bahrain named after the Greek goddess of stars, offering premium Greek cuisine experiences.
• Saltfire (Restaurant - Bahrain) Restaurant concept operating in Bahrain, part of Food Fund International's multi-cuisine portfolio across the GCC.
• Tribes (Restaurant - Dubai Mall) Restaurant with African-inspired cuisine operating at Dubai Mall, Dubai, accessible via SevenRooms reservations.
• Bentley Kitchen (Restaurant - Abu Dhabi) Restaurant located at The Galleria in Abu Dhabi, UAE, part of Food Fund International's UAE restaurant portfolio.
• Private Event Bookings Private venue hire across multiple Food Fund International restaurants for corporate events, weddings, birthday parties, and other celebrations, with minimum spend tiers applying for premium venues such as the SĀN Beach Villa.

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Jumeirah Marsa Al ArabcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 17 January 2022The Cullinan steakhouse operates within the Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab hotel property, one of Dubai's most prestigious hotel destinations.
• SevenRoomscoreTechnology or IntegrationSevenRooms provides proprietary reservation and inventory management system for managing online reservations across all Food Fund International restaurants. The platform enables finding available reservations, securing/changing/canceling bookings, and confirming reservations were honored.
• de GournayminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreative collaboration with de Gournay, the distinguished design house known for its intricate hand-painted wallpapers, fabrics, and porcelain, for The Cullinan restaurant's interior design and atmosphere.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Americana Group: Kuwait-headquartered MENA multi-concept food/restaurant operator with restaurants and food brands across the Middle East and North Africa — directly comparable to FFI's GCC multi-concept dine-in portfolio at similar regional scale.
• Zuma Dubai: Luxury Japanese izakaya-style restaurant in Dubai's DIFC serving premium clientele — directly comparable to FFI's Clay (Nikkei) and SushiYaki in concept tier, price point, and Dubai location strategy.
• Nobu Dubai: Iconic upscale Japanese-Peruvian restaurant operating inside a major Dubai hotel — directly comparable to FFI's premium tier (The Cullinan at Jumeirah, Clay) given matching cuisine fusion, award-winning status, and hotel co-location model.
• LPM Restaurant & Bar Dubai: Upscale French-Mediterranean restaurant in DIFC serving premium Dubai diners — directly comparable to FFI's Ristorante Loren and Mediterranean concepts in price, clientele, and luxury dining positioning.
• Coya Dubai: Upscale Peruvian/Latin American restaurant at Four Seasons DIFC — directly comparable to FFI's premium fine-dining positioning and Latin fusion adjacent to Clay's Nikkei cuisine profile.
• Billionaire Dubai: Luxury Italian fine-dining and entertainment concept in Dubai — comparable to FFI's Ristorante Loren at the Italian fine-dining tier and to premium experience-led venues like SĀN Beach in combining dining with destination entertainment.
• Nammos Dubai: Greek luxury beachside dining and entertainment destination — comparable to FFI's SĀN Beach and Astéria Greek concepts given the overlap in Greek cuisine and beach-club/destination-dining hybrid model.
• Cipriani Dubai: Iconic Italian fine-dining restaurant in DIFC — comparable to Ristorante Loren in cuisine category, premium pricing tier, and Dubai luxury-dining customer base.

Broad incumbents

• Emaar Hospitality Group: Large UAE-based hospitality and real-estate operator that owns restaurants and F&B venues within its hotel and mall properties — a broader incumbent with overlapping F&B exposure to FFI's hotel-anchored venues (e.g., The Cullinan at Jumeirah, restaurants at The Galleria).
• Compass Group: Global contract foodservice and hospitality major operating institutional and premium venues worldwide — a much larger, broader incumbent whose scale and operating playbook in multi-unit F&B is comparable to FFI's multi-concept GCC footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/foodfund-international
• Xx.com/designlsm
• Facebookfacebook.com/designlsm-200566749957965

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Food Fund