A mature market

Lebanon’s food and beverage (F&B) industry is finally getting the kudos it deserves: Beirut was named Travel and Leisure Magazine’s Best International City for Food in 2017, and the country has recently been recommended in many global publications for its food, wine, and nightlife. The country is developing into an F&B haven, as more establishments step out of the box with their culinary concepts. Meanwhile, Lebanon exports  nightlife trends to the region. Despite this, those who work in the industry still have to cope with the challenges of an increasingly competitive and unregulated market, and with consumers’ decreasing purchasing power. Summer Lovin’ The F&B operators Executive spoke to say summer 2017 was a good one, almost reminiscent of 2010—a record year for many in the industry. “We really felt a difference [compared to the last three years]: Everybody in the sector was working, hotels were fully booked. If it were