clay dubai

What clay dubai does

CLAY Dubai is a premium Japanese-Peruvian (Nikkei) restaurant located on Bluewaters Island in Dubai, UAE, operated as part of the family-owned Foodfund Investments LLC (FFI) restaurant group. The venue specializes in Nikkei cuisine — a fusion originating with Japanese migration to Peru in 1899 — combining Japanese classics such as sushi, yakitori, and wagyu beef with Peruvian signatures including ceviche and tiraditos. The restaurant targets affluent dine-in guests, corporate clients, private event bookers, and weekend brunch seekers, and operates across multiple distinct spaces including a main dining area, an open sushi counter, three terraces with views of Ain Dubai and the Marina skyline, the Ash Lounge with its Ash Bar, the Ash Terrace, and an indoor kitchen-fronted Omakase counter.

The technology and platform layer is conventional hospitality infrastructure rather than proprietary IP: SevenRooms serves as the primary reservation, availability, and inventory management system, integrated directly into the website booking flow; Google Analytics tracks web engagement; and Giftpro hosts digital gift card sales. The Omakase experience is the most distinctive operational feature — an intimate 8-seat chef's table offering 8- or 12-course tasting menus prepared by Chef Jolby and team in view of guests, functioning as a high-margin, experiential anchor product. The physical plant is a significant asset: multi-terrace waterfront seating on a premium-tourism island adjacent to the Ain Dubai observation wheel, with abundant parking and direct access from Dubai Marina, JBR, and JLT.

Revenue is generated across five streams: a la carte table dining, beverage sales through the Ash Bar and restaurant floor, the Omakase tasting menu, structured recurring programs (Saturday Nikkei Brunch from 350 AED/person, weekday Business Lunch at 139 AED/person), and private events with custom set menus and live entertainment. Distribution is direct-to-consumer through SevenRooms, the website, phone, and an events team email channel. The business has expanded beyond Dubai into Bahrain via a sibling venue (claybahrain.com) under the same FFI umbrella. The brand carries multiple regional awards (FACT Dining Awards 2022, Leaders In F&B 2022, Big Nightlife Awards 2026, Gault & Millau, TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence), and the marketing mix centers on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and earned media, with multilingual site support across English, Arabic, and Russian.

Name

clay dubai

Legal name

Foodfund Investments LLC

Website

https://claydubai.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CLAY Dubai is a multi-award-winning Japanese-Peruvian (Nikkei) restaurant on Bluewaters Island serving premium diners, corporate clients, and private event guests via a la carte dining, an 8-seat Omakase counter, and recurring brunch and business lunch programs; the venue operates under family-owned Foodfund Investments LLC alongside a sibling Bahrain location.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Japanese-Peruvian Restaurant

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511), Food Service Contractors (722310)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Chef’s Table & Tasting Menu Restaurants (THAFACAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

All-Day Dining Restaurants (THAFACAJ), Private Culinary Experiences (Chef’s Table, Home Dining, Market-to-Meal) (THAJALAH)

Keywords

• Japanese-Peruvian cuisine
• Nikkei fine dining
• Omakase tasting menu
• Premium restaurant dining
• Private dining events

Headquarters

HQ city

Dubai

HQ country

United Arab Emirates

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Table Reservations and Dining: Revenue from à la carte dining featuring Japanese classics (sushi, yakitori, wagyu beef) and Peruvian favorites (ceviche, tiraditos) along with Omakase tasting menus, brunch programs, and business lunch service
2. Beverage Sales: Revenue from cocktails, wines, spirits and specialty drinks served at Ash Bar and throughout the restaurant
3. Private Events: Revenue from hosting private dining events including birthdays, corporate events, and weddings with custom set menus and entertainment
4. Gift Cards: Gift cards sold through third-party platform (giftpro.co.uk)
5. Entertainment and Live Music: Revenue supported by live DJ performances Thursday-Saturday evenings in Ash Lounge

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CLAY Dubai is a multi-award-winning Japanese-Peruvian (Nikkei) restaurant located on Bluewaters Island in Dubai, offering à la carte dining featuring sushi, yakitori, wagyu beef, ceviche and tiraditos alongside an intimate Omakase chef's table experience. The venue also operates the Ash Lounge and Ash Terrace for casual dining and cocktails, hosts private dining events for celebrations and corporate functions, and runs recurring programs including the Saturday Nikkei Brunch and weekday Business Lunch.

Product overview

CLAY Dubai is a multi-award-winning Japanese-Peruvian (Nikkei) restaurant at Bluewaters Island, Dubai, operated by Foodfund Investments LLC. The core offering is the main restaurant featuring Nikkei cuisine with an à la carte menu of Japanese classics and Peruvian favorites. Supporting dining experiences include the Omakase Dining Experience (an intimate 8 or 12-course chef's table in the kitchen), the Ash Lounge (a casual bar and lounge area with hand-painted Japanese murals), and the Ash Terrace (outdoor seating with Marina views). The venue also offers Private Dining & Events spaces with four terraces for celebrations. Recurring dining programs include the Saturday CLAY Nikkei Brunch and weekday Business Lunch. The restaurant is complemented by an Ash Bar serving cocktails and live DJ entertainment on select evenings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ash Lounge: A casual dining area with hand-painted Japanese-inspired murals, featuring the Ash Bar and live entertainment with DJs. Part of the CLAY Dubai venue.
• Ash Terrace

Products and services

• CLAY Dubai Restaurant Dining
• Omakase Dining Experience
• Ash Lounge

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• SevenRoomscoreTechnology or IntegrationSevenRooms provides the proprietary reservation and inventory management system for CLAY Dubai. The platform handles online reservations, availability management, booking modifications and cancellations, and confirmation of honored reservations. Customer information is recorded in the platform to assist with reservation management and service delivery.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Nammos Dubai: Mykonian upscale Mediterranean beachfront restaurant at Park Hyatt Dubai. Comparable premium experiential dining with strong day-to-night programming, DJ entertainment, and similar tourist + resident affluent customer base.
• Zuma Dubai: Contemporary Japanese izakaya-style restaurant in DIFC, Dubai. Comparable premium Japanese dining experience with sushi, robata grill, and lounge/bar elements; targets the same affluent Dubai resident and tourist audience with similar price points and experiential positioning.
• Billionaire Dubai: Upscale Italian dining and entertainment venue at Taj Hotel, Dubai. Comparable premium dining-plus-entertainment concept with DJ programming and resident nightlife; targets the same high-spend Dubai audience seeking dinner-plus-late-night experiences.
• Coya Dubai: Peruvian restaurant at Four Seasons Resort Dubai. Directly comparable as a Latin American upscale dining destination in Dubai with ceviche, tiraditos, and Pisco-based cocktail programming; overlaps with CLAY on the Peruvian half of Nikkei cuisine.
• Twiggy by La Cantine du Faubourg: Upscale French Mediterranean dining and beach club at Park Hyatt Dubai. Comparable premium Dubai dining-plus-lounge concept with pool/terrace views, day-to-night programming, and similar affluent guest mix.
• Cipriani Dubai: Italian fine dining and lounge at DIFC Gate Village. Comparable upscale Dubai dining destination with comparable check size, international clientele, and experiential positioning centered on heritage brand and refined service.
• LPM Restaurant & Bar Dubai: Upscale French Mediterranean restaurant in DIFC. Comparable premium casual-fine Dubai dining destination with similar price architecture, lively bar atmosphere, and appeal to the same affluent diner and corporate entertaining segment.
• Nobu Dubai: Japanese-Peruvian fusion restaurant at Atlantis The Palm, Dubai. Closest direct comparable to CLAY given shared Nikkei cuisine heritage, premium positioning, and celebrity chef influence; competes for the same high-end Japanese-Peruvian dining occasion in Dubai.
• Hakkasan Dubai: Michelin-recognized Cantonese fine dining at Emirates Towers, Dubai. Comparable premium Asian dining experience with strong nightlife component and similar spend-per-cover; competes for high-end celebratory dining occasions.
• Amazonico Dubai: Latin American-inspired restaurant and lounge in DIFC. Comparable premium Dubai venue combining South American cuisine with nightlife/lounge programming; competes with CLAY for the upscale experiential dining-plus-nightlife occasion.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/claydubai
• Instagraminstagram.com/clay_dubai
• TikToktiktok.com/@clay_dubai
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/clay-dubai

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

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 clay dubai