Dressed in white and blue shirts or in grey or black uniforms emblazoned with their company logos, valets scurry around the streets of Beirut, at the entrances of posh restaurants and fashionable clubs where the Lebanese, from jeunesse dorée to middle-aged businessmen, like to see and be seen. They have become a fixture in our life, an immutable service on which all venue owners heavily rely.
In a city where the nightlife industry prevails, winning over more traditional commercial sectors with time, finding a parking spot has become a tricky task. Fashionable areas such as Gemayzeh, Monot, Downtown, Abdel Wahab Street, as well as venues like Sky Bar, White, Riviera, Centrale and Buddha Bar boast a flurry of valets waiting to park the vehicles of customers going out for dinner, a dance or just to grab a quick drink.
Valet parking companies seem to have sprouted around Beirut. Primitive business models built on one freelancer managing a team of valets, have morphed into full-fledged companies, employing tens if not hundreds of people during the peak season. In most places, shabby young men valeting clients’ cars have been replaced by clean-cut employees, respectfully familiar with clients’ names, cars and social status. Although mom-and-pop-style operations still prevail in some areas, they have increasingly been replaced by large companies with names such as VIP, Private or VPS, the latter being owned by Mohamad Mazyad, a.k.a. “Abu Brahim.”
Abu Brahim got his first job parking cars in the early 1990s at the St. Georges resort. Later, employed by one of the ‘freelancers’, he also handled valet parking of the Trad Hospital, followed by the Caracas Bar. In the mid-nineties he was promoted by his employer to the position of supervisor. He was so good at it that in 1998 he decided to abandon his day job in a gas station to dedicate his time to work in valet parking, after taking over his former employer’s operation. “I signed my first contract with the Hard Rock Café and also started to offer this type of service for the McDonald’s food chain,” Abu Brahim said. In 1999, he got his big break after landing the valet parking of Circus, at the time one of the Lebanese capital’s hippest venues. Business then also expanded to managing valet parking for beaches, including Bamboo Bay resort. “Today I manage the parking facilities of some 45 places, which extend from Beirut to the South, if beaches are included, and in the various streets of Beirut such as Monot, Verdun and downtown areas. I also managed the valet parking services at the presidential palace for the wedding of Emile Emile Lahoud [the son of the former Lebanese president],” he said.
Pulling ahead
Abu Brahim believes that to succeed in this line of business, managers need to be wise, patient and acute to clients needs. In bars and clubs around town, the level of service valet parking provided has become inherent to the venue’s image, an efficient valet parking task force thus contributing to or impeding a location’s popularity. The relationship between venue owners and valet parking services is usually defined by a contract delineating conditions such as insurance or formal attire the valets are required to wear.
When asked about money changing hands between venue managers or owners and valet parking companies in order to be granted the deal, Abu Brahim denied the allegation. “I only pay a rental feel for the venue owner in case I use his parking when one is available,” he said. Nonetheless, Gemayzeh owners have said, without incriminating any company in particular, that they had been approached by valet parking providers who offered a financial compensation against being granted a contract. Some freelancers valet parking in Gemayzeh said that they earn around $2,500 dollars every month, and up to $4,000 dollars during peak season.
Of course, there is the question of accidents. “They happen when cars are involved, although not so frequently if compared to the actual size of the operation. We have had about 11 accidents in an 18 months period and they were covered by the insurance company,” said Abu Brahim, but refused to disclose the amount of the actual coverage.
Although contracts between venue owners and the valet parking services providers are supposed to be binding, they have known to be broken without contestation from the service provider.
“My public relations and marketing approach rests on my name in the market and my credibility as a service provider. I am neither a lord nor the son of a lord,” said Abu Brahim.
Valet parking providers around Beirut run the risks of theft or vandalism perpetrated against their clients’ cars. In order to curb that risk, and avoid complaints or police intervention, valet parking companies have put in place certain security procedures. As Abu Brahim explained, “I have established a system of control, whereby every car picked up from a client is given a number and a card that indicates the name of the person who received the car and parked it as well as the name of the person who dropped it off. This particular system allows a better control on the actual flow of vehicles.”
Besides a team of valets Abu Brahim has one supervisor at every venue and an assistant who controls payments made by clients. A patrol also goes around the different venues and makes sure the operation is running smoothly. “I personally visit all the venues on the weekends starting Thursday during winter, while I am on call all week during summertime,” he added.
According to Abu Brahim, the peak of the season for valet parking services remains the summer, when foreign tourists — mostly from the Gulf — come to Lebanon and Lebanese expatriates flock back to their hometowns. In the various bars and clubs, valet parking rates are about LL5,000 ($3.33) per car. Clients who want to show off their cars at entrance of clubs tend to be generous tippers and among the various nationalities whose cars the valets park, the Lebanese remain the best tippers. “I have one client who pays hundreds of dollars but good tippers tend to pay LL100,000 ($65),” said Abu Brahim.
Location, location, location
The location of venues and bars are indicators of the importance of the valet service. Big clubs such as Sky Bar, White, or Riviera will attract many partygoers and hence generate a handsome return for companies managing their valet parking.
“Managing valet services for a club such as Sky Bar is great, as the venue has all the right elements to be successful: a mix of the right people, the right venue, the proper management and a parking spot that can accommodate enough cars. Verdun is another area that attracts many city dwellers as it is constantly bustling with activity whether during the day or at night, as well as all year round,” Abu Brahim pointed out.
The entrepreneur explained that he has avoided providing valet services in Gemyazeh, one of Beirut’s most popular streets, known for its many bars and old buildings. “There are not enough parking spots in the area and we end up clogging the street and using residents’ parking spots,” he said. He prefers not to provide valet services for a venue that does not have a proper parking lot in the vicinity, which could be used as a last resort when activity is at its peak.
VPS employs a secretary, a human resource manager and accountant, as well as a team of valets, a large number of which are employed permanently. During summer Abu Brahim also employs university students who possess a driving license and have undergone three days training, after which they are hired for $500 a month.
Abu Brahim explains that valet parking is about creating a good atmosphere, saying, “At the end of the day, our company is providing a service and a good one. I make sure that everyone leaving a venue is happy and I do not allow my men to ask clients for payment if they inadvertently forget to tip them. This is not what our company is about.”
