Leading with Customer-Centric Strategies - Duncan Muir

Duncan Muir is a Senior Director – F&B Retail at Bateel International, a luxury gourmet dates and confectionery brand based in the United Arab Emirates. With over 25 years of experience in the food and beverage industry, Muir comes with a wealth of knowledge and expertise of growing some of the finest homegrown hospitality brands across Dubai such as Carluccio’s, Mango Tree, Ushna & Chi’Zen throughout the GCC region.   

At Bateel, Muir leads the retail division, overseeing the operations of the brand’s retail stores and the expansion of Bateel’s retail presence worldwide. Prior to Bateel, Muir held various leadership roles at premium sporting clubs and properties in the UAE such as Abu Dhabi Golf Club, Loch Lochmond Golf Club, and Dubai Golf Club, where he oversaw the development and management of these premium facilities and hosted renowned sporting events like Barclays Scottish Open, and Abu Dhabi Golf Championships. 

Muir holds a key position on the advisory board of the United Arab Emirates Restaurant Group (UAERG), a premier representative body of the F&B industry in the UAE dedicated to promoting and strengthening the sector in the region. As an advisory board member, Duncan has been instrumental in gathering and voicing some of the key concerns of the hospitality industry before all stakeholders including landlords, aggregators, regulators, and government decision-makers. 

As a hospitality professional, he has closely seen the expansion of the F&B industry in the UAE through the early 2000s till today. A strong proponent for customer-centricity and compassion, his journey in the hospitality world is a testament of his core values, great leadership skills, and business acumen. There’s much to learn from him. 

Here’s what you’ll get to learn in this conversation with Duncan Muir,

• Duncan’s early days in the hospitality industry, his choice to work in the Dubai F&B industry, and the changes he has seen over time.  
• His leadership experience and lessons learned while managing some of the premium restaurants. 
• The importance of keeping customers first in the restaurant business, and strategies for achieving this. 
• Methods used by Bateel International to collect customer feedback and increase customer loyalty. 
• The role of food delivery platforms in restaurant growth and ways to effectively partner with them. 
• Duncan’s perspective on what restaurants and food aggregators can do to improve driver-safety.