Dubai: Every Friday afternoon, hundreds of foodies drive through the bylanes of Al Quoz’s Industrial area, rushing to find a parking spot in front of warehouse number 30.
Suddenly, what used to be an old chocolate factory transforms into a buzzing hotspot for food enthusiasts from all across the UAE, queuing up.
If they don’t reach in time, they will miss out on the succulent barbecued brisket, at this secret weekend restaurant that one can only know of through Instagram.
Over the last few weeks, food vloggers who discovered the barbecue restaurant on social media have been visiting it and raving about the brisket and the sides offered at the Big T BBQ Kitchen.
Driving on street number 24 of Al Quoz, if you don’t pay extra attention to the name of the restaurant spray painted like graffiti on top, it’s easy to miss it, as it opens only on weekends.
Enter through the door, and the aroma of freshly barbecued meat mixed with the woody scent from a huge fired-up smoker hits your olfactory senses.
Customers are ready to wait even 30 to 45 minutes to place their order and taste the brisket they see in the viral videos.
A team of around 15 staff rushes to cook and serve as fast as possible.
Meanwhile, a small, dimly lit corridor on the right leads to a dining area, which gets packed, just within a few minutes of opening.
“My father used to run a chocolate business here. The dining area used to be a huge freezer for storing chocolates,” said Fadel Faour, the 34-year-old Palestinian expatriate who runs and owns the kitchen, pointing to the panelled walls.
“My family moved to the UAE four decades ago. I was born here, I spent my childhood playing in this warehouse, while my dad worked,” he said.
Fadel had dreamed of owning a restaurant since he was a small boy. He recalled how he always loved to cook.
“I can't remember a time in my life when I wasn't attracted to cooking. I started experimenting with it when I was five – that's when I made my first omelette. I was always attracted to the kitchen, heat, and cooking fire.
“It just came naturally. I didn't just want to become a cook, I was just born a cook.
"I got into a lot of trouble as a kid for starting fires and building fire pits. Once I burned my whole Eid outfit because I made a huge fire pit with gasoline," he laughed.
Learning about food
It was his love for cooking that motivated him to leave Dubai and travel to the US to master the culinary arts.
“I've always wanted to own a restaurant, so everything I did was to make that happen. I needed the experience and knowledge because I wanted my restaurant to succeed. So, in 2008, I left Dubai at the age of 19. I went to the US to look for a job and study in New York City (NYC).
“I joined a culinary school. My parents helped me with my finances. Some friends loaned me some money. My cousins in NYC let me stay at their place for free and helped me with food and necessities when I couldn't afford them.
"It was very difficult because the city was so expensive and I was working part-time for either very low pay or free, but I didn't care I just wanted to learn.
“I later followed up my education with some work experience at various restaurants in both NYC and Texas. I didn't want to return, I was happy cooking anywhere, I didn't get motivated by money, I just wanted to cook.”
It was in Texas that Fadel learnt more about barbecues.
“The idea [of opening a barbecue restaurant] came to me about 10 years ago when I was attracted to smoking meats and owning a smoker.”
Slowly, Fadel managed to make enough money to purchase a smoker. He was also helping his father with his chocolate business in Dubai, handling the online sales.
With the money he saved up, he bought an apartment in Dubai and started travelling to countries like India and other parts of the world, to learn more about food.
“I had a chance to travel to India and I loved the food there. I wanted to travel everywhere, to expand my palate.”
Returning to Dubai
In 2019, Fadel’s father urged him to return to Dubai.
“I came back to Dubai at the age of 30…. My dad wanted me back to be near my mum and him. So, he offered me financial help to own my new restaurant and that was enough motivation for me. Owning a commercial kitchen would mean more freedom.”
His excitement was short-lived.
“My dad did not really like the idea [of me opening a restaurant], he wanted me to help him with his chocolate business. He did not see a future in cooking. But, my mum was very supportive.”
But, for Fadel, it was cooking or nothing at all.
“I didn't want to do anything else. My mentality was either cook or just sit at home.
“The main challenge was that I didn't have any contacts in Dubai and no one to help me or give me advice on where to source anything or get anything done, I did not know anything about the paperwork needed to set up a business and get started.
“Finding a job as a chef was also not easy. In the US, I could walk into a restaurant and tell them I want to work there and they would let me try out and hire me if they found me to be good. But, in Dubai, why would they hire me? I was no one. I had to prove myself.”
Fadel decided that the best way to prove himself would be to choose a difficult cuisine – brisket barbecue was no child’s play. He wanted to prove how seriously he took his art.
It was around this time that the pandemic hit and the chocolate business went bust.
“I couldn't afford a nice prime location – my restaurant is self-funded so I was on a tight budget. I thought I'd just open here and try my luck, if the food is good enough it should pull people in, regardless of the location. Plus the warehouse was familiar to me, there was history, and it had character…”
But, Fadel needed a lot more money to start the restaurant.
Beginning a self-funded restaurant
“My restaurant looks cheap, but trust me every piece of equipment here is very costly. Even the fryer alone costs Dh120,000,” said Fadel, who added that he started the restaurant with Dh1.7 million.
So he decided to sell his apartment, which had appreciated in cost.
While he used some of the money to invest in the restaurant, he planned to use the rest to buy another apartment.
He ended up losing that money in a property scam.
Not allowing this experience to dampen his spirits, Fadel focused on working towards opening the restaurant. He borrowed some money from his parents and friends whenever he fell short of funds along the way.
The smoker was brought from the US to the UAE and installed in the new kitchen.
A little brainstorming with a friend helped him to see that he didn’t have to look too far for a good name for the eatery.
“I was overweight and I used to power lift. My friends had given me the name Big Tasty… they would call me Big T. The name stuck with me, so I named this place Big T.”
Fadel decided that the restaurant would only operate on three days, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. “We would open for lunch and close when stocks would finish.
Why just the weekends?
"Brisket barbecue is not something you eat on a weekday for lunch and head back to work. It is a heavy meal to enjoy on weekends when you can go back home and relax and don't have to be somewhere else afterwards.
“Most privately owned barbecue places in Texas operate for three days. Barbecue is a very labour-intensive and slow process. And, I've decided to do all the dishes in-house and not outsource anything. The fries alone take us over 50 hours of preparation. We do big volumes and have a small kitchen.”
He recalled that during the intial days after opening, he had more customers than he could handle alone.
"There were days I cried with the amount of work. I was alone cooking, taking orders, ad serving, with a person helping me do the dishes."
“Today, we prepare anything from one to two metric tons of meat per week. It takes me about four days to make it happen – I trim and prepare the meat, season, brine, and marinade, and then cook everything fresh every day we are open.”
On most days, the brisket is sold out by 4pm. Other dishes such as ribs, cheek, and pastrami finish by 5pm. Those who are late barely manage to get a portion of sausages and sides like fries and cornbread, or mac and cheese.
“After 7pm, you’ll find only burgers and fries, we run out of everything else,” said Fadel.
Apart from the affordable prices, there seems to be a special reason behind the restaurant’s success, despite a lack of marketing.
No advertisements, only Instagram posts
Due to a small budget, the only marketing that Fadel does is through Instagram. Not only does he share updates on the brisket preparation and the week’s stock, but he also discusses with his customers what was good or what needs more attention next weekend.
Sometimes, he says he boosts an Instagram reel to gain more traction from foodies in the country.
And customers are loving his transparency on his social media page.
Hundreds of comments on his posts compliment him on the food and his work ethic.
“I read all comments and reviews and take people's input…. Sometimes people will point out something important. And, I like knowing what people think about when eating my food, it helps me understand how people consume my food and helps me provide a better experience overall. I also enjoy personally knowing my customers and understanding them, that's why my army of 15 to 20 staff and me at the restaurant know over 50 per cent of our customers who are regulars.
“We get many good comments every day. I like the ones where people show appreciation for this food. We get many barbecue enthusiasts… the best compliment is when people drive here from Oman, Saudi, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi to have our food, we have regulars who come from Abu Dhabi and Oman every week, and I thank them for this.
“We also get compliments from people who are from Texas and who compare us to big barbecue spots in Texas and tell us that we are at par. I love those compliments and they keep me working hard.”
Fadel added that he was happy that the restaurant has started making good money.
“I will be able to buy more equipment and hire more people, so I can cook different things and master new skills. I only care that my food and my skills improve,” he said, adding that his future plans involved opening more restaurants in Dubai specialising in other cuisines.
