Cook and deliver: Dubai restaurants turn creative in cut-throat market

Empty seats and tables are seen in a restaurant after its reopening at 30% capacity, following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Dubai, United Arab Emirates May 13, 2020. Picture taken May 13, 2020. REUTERS/Abdel Hadi Ramahi

DUBAI (Reuters) - Running a restaurant in Dubai, where a discerning international clientele has more than twice as many dining options per head as in New York, was a cut-throat business even before the coronavirus struck.

Now restaurateurs are having to adapt fast by learning how to make money delivering their food, a service new for some and for others more familiar as a marketing tool than a profitable sideline.