Content by the Buzz BusinessQ & A
in The Dubai Mall. Switch off ersinnovative fusion dishes in a futurist ic
sp ace created by internationally
renowned designer Karim Rashid.
In 2014 the two women launched what
has become their signature brand: Salt.
One of the fi rst food-trucks in the Middle
East , Salt has evolved into a leisure and
lifest yle brand with a large community of
passionate followers, known as Salters.
Even before they received a food truck
license, the duo ran a savvy marketing
campaign on Inst agram to showcase
the concept. Six years later, Salt’s
iconic Airst ream trailers now operate at
beaches, marinas, and other outdoor
venues in Saudi Arabia and across the
Gulf, providing locals with lively shared
experiences of food, art, and sp orts.
That lifest yle would have been
unimaginable just a few years ago.
“The success of Salt and our other
brands in Saudi Arabia has only
been possible because of all the
changes that have happened here,”
Deem says. “The last few years have
been a magical time for us.”
What fi rst insp ired you to launch
new rest aurant brands?
My goal is twofold – to create
urban dest inations that are
timeless, and to disrupt the food
and entertainment market.
Creating Independent gave me an outlet
many opportunities to build your own
niche. Our day-to-day is food and
beverage, but the team that has built
this foundation is slowly developing in
ways that refl ect where we are going.
Just 10 years ago, we were a group of
around 30 people. Now, there are more
than 1,000 of us across all our brands. We
have grown fast er than I ever imagined. In
Saudi Arabia, this has only been possible
because of all the positive changes
that the country is experiencing. Our
Parker’s outlet in Khobar was one of the
fi rst fully mixed rest aurants in Saudi.
The resp onse has been amazingDid you ever face any opposition
as a female entrepreneur?
No—in fact , the opposite. The public-
sect or bodies we have dealt with have
all taken our project s very seriously.What does the future hold?
For the past few years the Kingdom
has been expanding into the tourism
sect or. As experts in hosp itality, we
are keen on creating new tourist ic
dest inations like Salt Albahar in the
East ern Province and on beaches all
along the coast line of the Kingdom.to express my personal ideals and beliefs.
Although I want to disrupt the dining
landscape, all of my ventures must
also st art from a place of passion. It is
about much more than the fi nancials.
I believe if someone has the capacity
to give back to their community, then
it is not only their right, but it is their
obligation. With every project we
release we are focused on our people.
That’s one of the many diff erences
between franchise concepts
and home-grown brands.What do you and Amal do that is
diff erent to other rest aurants in
Saudi Arabia and the Middle East?
To st ay ahead of the competition,
it’s vital that we const antly reinvent
our businesses and ourselves, and
the only way to accomplish this is by
having an entrepreneurial mindset.
Developing an entrepreneurial mindset
is all about altering your persp ect ive:
No matt er how long you’ve been in
business, you’re st arting it anew today.
Therefore, we have built a creative
ecosyst em in the company where
product and brand development have
become possible through our creative
house and st udio. Combined with our
culinary creativity, this allows us to st and
out from the intense competition.How has your business grown
in the last 10 years?
The beauty of running such a young
company is that it gives rise to soIndependent has recently created ‘Public’, an
Italian pizzeria that off ers a sense of community,
music and art.Salt is much more than just a place to eat burgers—it is a dest ination.