Dinner in the Sky Georgia – An Ideal Venue for a Unique Dinning Experience
Interview
When it seems all the dining opportunities have already been tried in Georgia, yet another venue is brought in to excite locals and guests! Dinner in the Sky, which opened in is a totally innovative concept, offering you a chance to move beyond the limits and enjoy a menu of mouthwatering dishes while flying in the sky over stunning Georgian landscapes.
Dinner in the Sky is certainly a new and courageous statement on the Georgian gastronomic market and, as it has been up and running successfully for two months already, GEORGIA TODAY decided to check in with the co-founders of Dinner in the Sky Georgia, Sogol Davari and Abtin Baharali, to find out about the exclusive concept and discover what clientele should expect of the truly divine venue.
Why did you decide to launch Dinner in the Sky in Georgia and how successful do you expect it to be?
Undoubtedly, the main and definitive motive behind this decision has been the peculiarity of Georgia in different respects. Featuring a very rich culture, Georgia is veritably renowned as being tolerant and accommodating to foreign visitors. I, personally, have a great experience of Georgian people’s hospitality since the very first day of my arrival. Georgia’s amazing nature and mild climate, interesting monuments and architecture as the reminiscences of a dramatic history, long story of wine production (dated 8000 years B. C.), to name but a few, are the essential characteristics which intrigue people to visit this prosperous, beautiful country. Moreover, its diverse, yet distinct gastronomy reflecting the fusion of different customs and traditions, as well as the abundance of natural local ingredients owing to Georgia’s fertile agriculture, guarantee success to any investment in food industry and gastronomy. Every single feature integrated into Georgian ethnic identity is exactly what we needed to develop the Belgian concept of Dinner in the Sky®. Going up to 50 meters off the ground to offer a breathtaking panorama of the natural environment and urban landmarks, serving authentic Georgian cuisines and wines, playing folklore music and performing ethnic traditions in the air, applying local potential in an entirely modern and innovative style, is what we do at Dinner in the Sky®.
Dinner in the Sky® is an originally Belgian franchise restaurant which has been successfully operating in 71 countries over the last 13 years. Regarding the promising growth of Georgia’s tourism rate, and thanks to the special geographical and cultural status which makes it “one of the most beautiful places in the world,” as the Belgian founder of DITS said on his first visit, we strongly believe that our installation in this marvelous land is going to be one of the best Dinner in the Sky® experiences ever, worldwide!
How much do you think Dinner in the Sky can contribute to the development of tourism in Georgia?
Dinner in the Sky® has received many awards in the field of tourism and guest service excellence several times during these 13 years of operation in 71 countries. We know how to attract tourists with an innovative approach and international reputation. Media buzz, positive reviews written by rigorous critiques of CNN, Forbes, New York Times, and Food and Travel, as well as being first ranked by TripAdvisor for several years in different countries, all bear witness to such capacity. On the other hand, Georgia is itself an amazing destination for tourists thank to its prosperous nature, culture and architecture, so that has reached the 4th place in the list of world’s fastest-growing tourism destinations. Dinner in the Sky® Georgia gives its participants the opportunity to see all the iconic landmarks of Tbilisi as well as its eye-catching nature in one single frame and at the same time experience the fabulous taste of Georgian gastronomy. That’s why travel agencies choose Dinner in the Sky® as one of their must-go spots for their tourists, and why people who have spent a session with us tend to do it over and over, explicitly admitting the uniqueness of such an experience which is “worth every penny.” Moreover, being an international franchise restaurant, Dinner in the Sky® Georgia encourages other international trademarks to invest in this beautiful country and promote Georgia’s tourism industry even more rapidly.
Georgian cuisine is quite diverse, making it perhaps difficult to surprise Georgians in terms of gastronomy. What are the outstanding features of your menu?
Georgia is the land of tasty foods and wines. Of course any restaurant who wants to find its market must present a distinguished menu to satisfy the demands of the client. Dinner in the Sky® is definitely no exception! Our 5-star menu, which encompasses a wide variety of Georgian-touch cuisines made using genuinely organic, local products and ingredients, is exclusively designed by our artful chef. Additionally, in certain sessions, we perform a “Supra in the Sky” offering both the traditional Georgian menu and the local customs. Live preparation of the meal during the flight session before clients’ eyes and the serving of Georgian wines and spirits are other features that have gained a lot of admiration among participants from the very beginning of Dinner in the Sky’s operation in Georgia. As Dinner in the Sky® is a European concept, Georgian haute cuisine has been delicately interwoven with modern serving styles and so has left a unique signature in Georgian gastronomy which attracts the attentions of both residents and tourists. Having said that, what matters most about Dinner in the Sky®, something which sharply distinguishes it from other ordinary restaurants, is its innovative concept and extraordinary experience. People participating in our events from the start declare that their experience is inexpressibly beyond what they previously expected, a memorable exhilarating experience they had never tried before. People have had enough of ordinary restaurants, it’s time to experience something new. It is because of its bold, fresh and innovative idea that Dinner in the Sky® was selected by Forbes for its list of 10 most extraordinary restaurants in the world.
How do you ensure customer safety?
Dinner in the Sky® is entirely safe and perfectly protected. All the equipment and parts of the platform, as well as the mechanism which raises and holds it in the sky, are designed and implemented according to world standards, among them European model EN 13814 and German norm DIN 4112. Dinner in the Sky’s platform is made in Belgium and all the plans and calculations are performed under the supervision of TÜV (the German Association for Technical Inspection). In order to completely secure the weight tolerance of the flight, Dinner in the Sky always employs a 120-ton crane to lift the platform, people and staff with a maximum total weight of 7 tons. Moreover, months before the first operation of Dinner in the Sky® in Georgia, the Belgian team came to Georgia to install the platform and train the Georgian crew. Before every flight, the whole construction and the flying mechanism is carefully checked. All the safety tips and instructions are given to guests by the safety supervisor prior to each flight. In doing so, all the crew, from the flight attendants to the engineers on the crane, do their utmost to maintain the level of safety and to ensure the physical and emotional well-being of guests during the flight. Thanks to the safety standards considered by Dinner in the Sky®, there has been not a single accident, not even a minor one, in its outstanding résumé of more than 16800 event days performed in 71 countries across the world during these 13 years.
More evidence which confirms Dinner in the Sky’s perfect safety is the fact that even European countries, well-known for the strictest safety regulations and standards in the world, have warmly welcomed Dinner in the Sky’s events from the very beginning of our story. The presence of important figures, such as Prince Albert of Monaco, at Dinner in the Sky® and having the Japan and US ambassadors among our guests at the Georgian Dinner in the Sky®, fully illustrates the high level of safety in our concept.
Aside from a distinguished venue, do you have any special features that make it a go-to destination?
This is not just about a venue: Dinner in the Sky® is a whole new event which is meticulously organized to transform a typical dinner setting into the most exciting memory in your lifetime. It has to do with a dining experience 50 meters up in the sky, when you sit back relaxed in your leather seat surrounded by picturesque nature, listen to the live Jazz music, often accompanied by the hilarious dancing of the crew, served with famous Georgian wines and, at the same time, watching as our chef prepares you a fancy meal in the pop-up kitchen! Experiencing the flight, views, music, dance, wine and dinner, all together in an amiable atmosphere is something that engages all your senses, and that’s exactly what distinguishes Dinner in the Sky® Georgia from other restaurants. According to our guests, it’s the best selfie opportunity!
Who is the target audience?
Dinner in the Sky is the most talked-about dining experience in Tbilisi right now. As it’s a unique concept, people keep sharing our videos all over social media.
In a word, all those who want to transform the ordinary into an extraordinary experience, are welcome to Dinner in the Sky® Georgia! Generally, in public events, almost 70% of the guests are tourists who want to taste a 5-star Georgian dinner while enjoying the best view of their travel destination. However, Georgians are also attracted by Dinner in the Sky® for its novel concept and exceptional offers which fuse traditional Georgian elements with modern, global-class services. After all, Dinner in the Sky is not only a dinner served in the sky: it’s all about an unforgettable, unique experience and breath-taking panoramic views of Tbilisi. It’s so satisfying to us when we talk to our guests after the flights. They all believe that it’s a feeling they never had in their lives before, a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
In addition, Dinner in the Sky® embraces Georgian companies, brands, and even individuals who aim to offer a luxurious, distinguished event with VIP services.
What about special events? Can people celebrate New Year’s, birthdays etc.?
Dinner in the Sky® is a perfect venue for VIP events of any sort. So far in Georgia, we have organized lots of birthday parties in the sky, proposal occasions, anniversaries, business reunions, diplomatic meetings and product launch programs with commercial purposes, as well as celebrating International Children’s Day, and we are fully ready to celebrate city festivals like Tbilisoba, Independence Day, Batumoba, Rtveli, Cheese Festival, Christmas, and other national or regional celebrations in the SKY.
Dinner in the Sky’s event-platform is portable and can be taken to any location in the city. It can have up to 16 flights in eight hours, taking 22 passengers to the sky in each flight. So we can host up to 352 guests in one event day based on client’s demands.
When in the Sky, there is no limit to your imagination!
Tell us more about your future plans.
We have thoroughly planned our upcoming activities, so that we know exactly what our next step needs to be while operating in Georgia. As is apparent from the tourism rates, Georgia has a very brilliant future, in that more people will be visiting this country in the course of time. We are ready to develop Dinner in the Sky® in multiple sites and cities, as already planned. Of course, infinite facets of ethnic potential guarantee our success and pave the way for our persistence in Georgia and, as an investor, we are ready to invest more time and money in building the equity of other brands in this beautiful country as well.
By Ketevan Kvaratskheliya
