Aubaine

Interview with Hani Nakkach CEO of Aubaine

Today I welcome Hani Nakkach, founder and CEO of the fabulous Aubaine group of restaurants to the Mayfair Foodie. Aubaine has five restaurants in London including Dover Street, Mayfair & Aubaine Selfridges.

Aubaine, Dover Street, Mayfair — Aubaine, Mayfair

Hi Hani

Firstly, thank you so much for your time today & welcome to the Mayfair Foodie.

Thank you for the opportunity to share the story of Aubaine on your platform.

I’m always interested to find out how & why people entered this crazy industry, what was your backstory and what was your vision when you founded Aubaine?

It might sound cliché , that since my teenage years, I have always dreamt of opening a restaurant. My number one driver was my passion for food and meeting people. The restaurant business is one of the toughest businesses out there, it requires hard work, full-time commitment and buckets of dedication. I was inspired by the idea of transporting ‘’La joie de vivre’’ of South of France to London, great food, relaxed ambiance, and joyful service.

Aubaine,Selfridges — Aubaine, Selfridges

Looking at the menu I would describe the cuisine as French/European, how would you describe it to our readers & how has it evolved over the years?

We serve French modern cuisine. It’s a contemporary approach to traditional French techniques and flavours that is less rich and more relevant to our current lifestyle. You could say that we share the DNA of the traditional French cuisine but add our own twist to it making it lighter and more interesting with international influences. We live in a new era, full of young foodies hungry for new culinary adventures they can share with everyone on social media. So the food needs to be tasty, attractive, limitless and photogenic. We always consider these aspects when we create our menus.

Aubaine in Dover Street has been a part of the ever changing Mayfair restaurant scene since 2012, in such a competitive environment what makes Aubaine so successful?

Our main aim is to always maintain high standards when it comes to food, service, and ambience. We have a loyal following in Mayfair and it’s lovely to see the regulars feeling at home in our restaurant. Most days we are fully booked for business breakfasts and lunches and host variety of leisurely dinners – large and small. Our private dining rooms are also very popular for both business meetings and social celebrations. We believe our guests deserve the best at the right price point.

I understand that Aubaine Selfridges has recently undergone a refurbishment, have the changes been well received with the customers?

Yes, Aubaine Selfridges has gone through an extensive refurbishment in February revealing a new modern French look. The sleek interiors lure diners in with soft Pastel tones, modern brass tabletops and beautiful leather seating paired with warm wood accents. The room is filled with natural light and the famous wisteria adds the perfect finishing touch. This in combination with the masterfully designed menus and fabulously friendly staff is the perfect place to relax, enjoy a great meal and a cocktail, and recharge after a busy day of shopping. Aubaine Selfridges is open all day for breakfast, lunch, dinner. We’ve had a very positive response from our customers.

2023 looks to be full of challenges for the hospitality industry in the UK. What’s your view on the trading environment for this year & are there any plans for Aubaine that you can tell us about ?

To be honest the hospitality sector has been facing many challenges since the Covid-19 lockdowns and this continues with inflation, rail strikes and lack of professional manpower. On a positive note, we saw a quick return of guests to all our restaurants once the restrictions lifted. People have definitely missed the excitement of being out, catching up with friends and family over delicious plates of food and being able to relax and focus on enjoying the company of their guests rather than serving them – we are happy to do that for them !

We have also seen the return of parties and large events. We are approaching this year with caution and focus on continuing to update and evolve our restaurants and offering to keep seducing our guests.