Luis Santos
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Food & beverage

Seven kitchens behind one counter,
and a stand at Global Village.

Before property took all of my attention, I built in food. Two very different bets: an invisible, delivery-only kitchen running seven brands at once, and a physical kiosk serving one thing to a live crowd. Both taught me the unit economics that property would later reward.

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The cloud kitchen

Seven brands, one production line.

A delivery-only kitchen in Dubai operating seven virtual restaurant brands from a single space. Each had its own menu, its own audience, and its own listing on the delivery apps; the kitchen behind them was one. It was a fast, expensive education in food margins, platform commissions, and the operational load of running many brands at once. In time I stepped back to put my full attention behind property, where the returns were clearer.

Ariana logo
Ariana
Afghan
Aroma of India logo
Aroma of India
Indian
Joe's Tenders logo
Joe's Tenders
Fried chicken
Pasta Italiana logo
Pasta Italiana
Italian
Tostada & Tartines logo
Tostada & Tartines
Café · brunch
Super Salads logo
Super Salads
Salads
Healthy Eats logo
Healthy Eats
Healthy bowls
Argentinian Steak Sandwich
The kiosk · Global Village

Argentinian Steak Sandwich

A physical food stand at Global Village, the seasonal cultural park in Dubai that draws millions of visitors a season. Where the cloud kitchen was invisible and delivery-only, this was the opposite: a single product, a walk-up queue, and the theatre of cooking in front of the customer. Premium Argentinian beef and chicken steak sandwiches, a short menu, run as a tight operation in one of the most competitive footfall environments in the city.

Different shapes, same lesson: in food the margin is thin and the operation is everything. It is where I learned to read unit economics quickly, and to move capital and attention to where they compound.