GCC Catering Services Market Research Report: Forecast (2023-2028)

Market Definition

Catering services offer food for events like corporate meetings, weddings, parties, and conferences, among others. These services are also well-adopted across colleges, schools, and corporate offices, either through their in-house cooking staff or a third-party source. The various applications & equipment involved in catering services include basic cooking utensils, refrigeration, storage & handling, serving, food preparation, sanitation, etc.

Market Insights

The GCC Catering Services Market is projected to grow at a CAGR of around 8.2% during the forecast period, i.e., 2023-28. The market has witnessed a swift upsurge owing to the rapid explosion in consumers' interest in tempting yet healthier modern cuisines, particularly in commercial spaces. With corporate setups offering tantalizing food perks to attract and retain employees, the adoption of catering services has widened in the past few years. In response, food service providers across GCC have begun to garnish regular menus with healthy eating options such as organic ingredients, healthy snacks, organic foods, a balanced vegan diet, etc. This proliferation has led to more adoption and emergence of catering services across GCC.

Besides, the escalating vulnerability of the workforce towards mental disorders, including depression, anxiety, etc., has called for more onsite dining services that offer healthy and fresh cuisines, reducing dependency on frozen prepared foods. Further, the burgeoning trend of theme-based parties & weddings among foreign delegacies across gulf countries is prompting market growth during the forecast period. Besides, the convenience of catering services in restaurants, cafeterias, schools, colleges, etc., is likely to contribute to the market ascension in the coming years.

Moreover, the continuous influx of tourists in countries like Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, along with the notable presence of renowned catering service providers like Qatar Aircraft Catering Company, National Catering Services & Foodstuff, and Saudi Catering & Contracting Company, is likely to provide the necessary impetus required for the market growth during the forecast period.

Market Segmentation

By Type

• Contractual
• Non-contractual

Among others, Contractual Catering Services are likely to dominate the market during the forecast period. It predominantly ascribed to the mounting demand for food in canteens and corporate offices. Considering the utmost comfort needs of consumers, these contractual food service providers facilitate affordable foods accompanying enough seating arrangements. Other than this, they offer alluring schemes and programs in order to eliminate the need to outsource those additional facilities, which, in turn, propels the market growth. Moreover, frequent events such as weddings and buffet systems in hotels across GCC further drive the catering services market.

By End Users

• Corporate
• Education
• Healthcare
• Defense & Offshore
• Mining & EPC
• Sports & Leisure
• Event Management
• Others (Retail, Manufacturing, Aviation, etc.)

Here, Corporate Users are likely to garner the considerable attention with maximum market share in the coming years. It largely attributes to the ongoing establishment of multinational companies (MNCs) willing to make substantial investments in restructuring. It is primarily because of the region's strategic location and openness to international commerce, which has compelled the companies to select the countries like UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar for establishing their corporate headquarters. With growing offices, the need for more catering services to satiate emerging food requirements shall automatically arise, thereby pushing the market further in the coming years.

Regional Projection

Geographically, the GCC Catering Services Market expands across:

• Saudi Arabia
• The UAE
• Kuwait
• Qatar
• Bahrain
• Oman

Here, Saudi Arabia is expected to acquire the maximum popularity when it comes to catering services. It principally attributes to a growing affinity for fusion cuisine on menus owing to the developing propensity for a multicultural society. Besides, the presence of substantial ex-pats across the country has furthered the catering assistance in the past few years.

Moreover, the continuous construction of schools, hospitals, commercial buildings, and IT parks has necessitated more catering services in the forthcoming years. The growing urge for nutritious and healthy food in workplaces, schools, and restaurants again encourages catering companies to diversify their current portfolio and supply nutritional dietary foods in offices, restaurants, college messes, etc. Another factor stimulating the Saudi Arabian Market is the favorable regulations laid down by the Government of Saudi Arabia that aim to attract more Hajj pilgrims to the kingdom in the future. The need to feed the pilgrimages has bolstered the market growth in Saudi Arabia. For instance,

• Makkah’s municipality has approved some 195 catering companies, and kitchen owners to provide around 4.8 million meals per day to pilgrims during the Hajj season this year.

Recent Developments in the GCC Catering Services Market

GCC Services, a Dubai-based remote site services vendor, has been chosen by international engineering and construction giant McDermott to facilitate catering services for the Tilenga Project Upstream Facilities in the Lake Albert Basin of Uganda.

As a part of the Riyadh Season, Japanese restaurant Clap has inaugurated a pop-up venue on the rooftop and helipad of Majdoul Tower in Riyadh, and it will run until December 30, 2022. Already popular in Beirut and Dubai, the venue from Addmind is expecting an enlargement with a permanent location in Riyadh’s Ramla Tower in early 2023.

Market Dynamics

Key Driver: Growing Air Traffic Instigates More Inflight Catering Services

With prominent tourist destinations like Burj Khalifa, Sheikh Zayed, and muslim pilgrims such as Hajj and Umrah, the air traffic has intensified across the Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, among others. As such, several airlines are collaborating with catering service providers in order to cater to those emerging food needs. Therefore, the influx of tourists has paved the way for more inflight catering services in the historical period.

Growth Opportunities: Rapidly Growing Medical Sector to Prompt Catering Services across GCC

Hospital catering services have a crucial role when it comes to feeding admitted patients with the right and adequate meals. The food for patients must be healthy and hygienic while ensuring timely delivery to recover faster. Since the inclination for more nutritious and fresh foods has substantially increased after the covid, most hospitals have collaborated with catering owners and kitchen services to provide foods based on patients' requirements. Therefore, the hospital food catering service has a high demand for managing the dietary plan for the patients.

Key Questions Answered in the Market Research Report:

1. What are the overall statistics or estimates (Overview, Size- By Value, Forecast Numbers, Segmentation, Shares) of the GCC Catering Services Market?
2. What are the country-wise industry size, growth drivers, and challenges?
3. What are the key innovations, opportunities, current & future trends, and regulations in the GCC Catering Services Market?
4. Who are the key competitors, their key strengths & weaknesses, and how do they perform in the GCC Catering Services Market based on the competitive benchmarking matrix?
5. What are the key results derived from surveys conducted during the GCC Catering Services Market study?

Frequently Asked Questions