Create To Plate by Duncan Fraser-Smith is a Powerful Insight into Hospitality

Industry secrets, market insights, expert advice, and the nitty-gritty details of how to grow and sustain a hospitality business are a game changer for the regional industry.

Dubai, UAE (23 February, 2023)

Duncan Fraser-Smith, entrepreneur, writer, speaker and award-winning hospitality industry expert has made another addition to the volume of hospitality-knowledge he has imparted through his career, in the form of ‘Create To Plate’, a book that breaks down the deepest intricacies of the hospitality industry. Staying true to his reputation as a dynamic innovator and disrupter, Duncan has chosen to elaborate the ins and outs of how to succeed in this cut-throat sector, in a book that seems to add immense value to upcoming restaurateurs, but even more so to the industry itself – especially since Dubai’s hospitality is on an upward growth trajectory and is anticipating a cracking year.

This passionate Australian who has been based in Dubai since 2010 has spent over 30 years in key managing roles across marquee names within the restaurant and hotel industry. Voted no. 1 influencer in the Middle East’s food and beverage industry, Duncan is also the founder of his own company – The Cutting Edge Hospitality Agency. He has contributed to over 200 hospitality concepts across the world and spoken widely about the craft and science of feeding with “soul”. His book embodies a first-hand account of what it takes to transform a vision into a thriving and lucrative hospitality venture – the highs, the lows, and the hacks.

‘Create To Plate’ has been written as a service not just to those wanting to enter the industry but also those wanting to survive, expand, reinvent or simply do better. While most business owners and aspiring restaurateurs have a vision, the other countless things that go into transforming that vision into a functioning, profiting business may be amiss. Project planning, financial acumen, people management, mentoring and training skills, design language, creative problem solving, negotiating with suppliers, understanding and complying with industry regulations and standards, branding, digital marketing and PR, customer relations and service are just the tip of the iceberg that this book discusses.

In his own words, Duncan says, “This book is both a personal account of my practical knowledge and a handbook of insights around the 12 key areas involved in this creative process. You’ll learn the strategies and actions that are required to not only create an industry defining cutting edge venue, but also incorporating it with ‘soul’ which is much more than just the ‘look’, it is also about how the concept makes the guest “feel”. The human elements of emotional connection, that must be created for ultimate success and the magic to happen!”

Apart from these technical insights, the book also lays heavy emphasis on how crucial drive, passion, and “soul” are for anyone wanting to enter this space. To create an establishment which is predominantly focussed on pleasing different people, aspiring entrepreneurs should incorporate various elements that can appeal and tantalise all five senses. Guests judge a restaurant based not only on what they are served, but also how they’re served, what they’re served in, what they look at and hear while they eat, and whether how much they pay is worth what they experience in return. Duncan stresses deeply upon the fire and determination it takes to consistently impress so many people, across so many parameters.

Creator of the world’s first “MasterChef – The TV Experience” restaurant concept in Dubai, Founding Member of Global Restaurant Investment Forum (GRIF), contributing writer to various hospitality publications, and keynote speaker at global forums, Duncan Fraser-Smith wears many hats, and is here to tell everything he has learnt to anyone who will listen. His book has been largely perceived as a piece of literature that will further the interests of the hospitality industry, and resolve all questions for anyone wanting to get their leg in. Included in the book are also some bonus tools and services that will be valuable to kick start the journey towards creating an amazing new venture!

Books are available for purchase directly from the Cutting Edge Agency website and leading book resellers including Amazon, Booktopia, Barnes & Noble and Book Depository. Interested readers can also download the bonus resources, a completely free 50 points check list here. Additionally, to hear from the man himself, interested parties can register for Discovery With Duncan to opt for a free 30-minute call.