Behind the success of the diverse dining portfolio of Wasl Hospitaity and Leisure lies its Corporate Food & Beverage Director, Max Grenard. With over 192 outlets under his belt, spanning 32 hotels, residents, restaurants, and golf and country clubs in the region, Grenard’s days vary depending on the week, the months, and the projects in the pipeline.
I wake up and get ready for the coming day ahead. I cherish my mornings and consider it the only ‘me time’ I have to myself where my phone doesn’t ring and my girls are still in bed. I awake up every day and know that I am very lucky to be surrounded by amazing women, between my wife, my two daughters, and my two assistants at work – boring is not in my dictionary anymore, these superwomen keep me on my toes all the time.
Breakfast is a precious moment for me with my family as we gather at the table and share food and laughter. It’s the exact boost I need in the morning to keep my head above water as I go through my day. I prefer a light breakfast, typically a croissant or pain au chocolat and water is just enough to get me started, it is the invaluable time with my family at the start of the day that keeps me invigorated.
It’s showtime! Every day on my way to work, I drop my eldest daughter to school before heading to the office. This is another special moment where I get to connect with my daughter. Our morning car ritual involves us jamming out to music that I grew up with and newer songs she listens to. Those little moments where we update each other is an enjoyable bonding moment for us – and singing those songs together means I hit work in a good mood.
I arrive at wasl Hospitality & Leisure’s head office at Dubai Creek Resort with a cup of V60 Chemex Coffee in hand – a primordial morning ritual. I’m a firm believer that the coffee you drink usually sets the tone for the day. I go through my inbox, responding to any emails I received overnight and tend to phone calls before the day officially gets going for me.
I throw on my wasl Asset Management hat and meet with the project managers, going over all the restaurants and hotels in the pipeline. We review our performance and build a strategy to ensure we’re on track to meet deadlines and expectations. I spend some time with the team to identify what kind of support each asset needs, and together we map out how to facilitate that support.
Around this time, I leave my office to one of the sites for each of our 15+ projects in the pipeline. Meeting with the team at each site, I review our progress and ensure everything is on-track, providing aid to the team where needed, and tackle any crises that pop up along the way.
I currently spend much of my time at a site for two major developments in our pipeline: the wasl Tower, set to be managed by Mandarin Oriental, and MGM. Every Wednesday, I take a (long) trip down to Abu Dhabi where I manage and facilitate the expansion of the Crafty Fox and Carine, both of which are premiere brands under the wasl Management flag.
My favourite part of the workday, I attend business lunch meetings with several people from the industry or attend a food tasting at Bussola and Crafty Fox at Jumeirah Golf Estates. As an ex-chef, this is one of the best part of my day. I love exploring what today’s talented chefs are working on, and I cherish the opportunity to share a dish with a chef. We speak the same language and a thorough discussion on food is always riveting and energizing.
After an exciting lunch, I visit another site or property to meet with its operations teams, conducting one-on-one meetings where I discuss the on-going property’s development. I value honesty and straight-forwardness – tell me how it is and together we can work on a solution. No problem is too big for us as a team if we’re all on the same page.
Though I now sit in the corporate office, I love having my boots on the ground and getting my hands dirty with the team. I’m very involved with each teams’ day-to-day operations, though I try not to over-step and encourage the team to exercise their own creativity and find unique solutions to problems down the road to achieving our goals.
As of late, I’m especially involved with the Mina Seyahi complex, which is managed by W, Westin, and Le Meridien, and Hyatt Centric Jumeirah, managed by Eunoia by Carine and Kai Enzo with celebrity chef Izu Ani.
With the bulk of my day complete, I head back to my office and enjoy a white tea while debriefing my superstar assistants, tend to email that have come in during the day, and work on a few financial reports.
When I get home, I make it a point to spend as much quality time with my family as possible. We enjoy dinner together, watch a movie on occasion, and I help my kids with their homework. Despite spending the day at work, it’s always refreshing to help with my kids’ homework as it presents a new challenge and takes me back to my days at school, though I tend to stay away from the sciences as much as possible!
Two or three times a week, I switch my asset management hat out for my social hat, and head out to social gatherings, where I usually appear at prize giving ceremonies, restaurant openings, or business dinners.
I wind down for the night with another cup of tea. Then I’m off to bed, ready for a new day!
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