Abu Dhabi to get a fleet of ‘meals on wheels’
abu dhabi — Now residents of the Capital can have ‘meals on wheels,’ a lifestyle phenomenon gaining popularity around the world.
Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED) announced that licences to run mobile restaurants or food trucks will be given to an existing restaurant or catering firm that is either owned 100 per cent by a UAE citizen or with a local partner.
Mohammed Munif Al Mansouri, Executive Director of ADDED’s Abu Dhabi Business Centre, said that this decision reflects the department’s commitment to promote the contribution of service activities creating additional services for the community. The decision to issue licences will be subject to several conditions that would regulate the restaurant on wheels.
It will start with the initial approval from the ADDED’s Commercial Protection Directorate; an approval that doesn’t allow the client to start business until the final permit is issued by ADDED’s Permits and Advertising Section.
“The ADDED’s Directorate of Commercial Protection will be mandated to decide on the locations where vehicles or trucks can carry out this activity and to stop such a permit if it detects any violation by the licencee. Moreover, there are certain specifications to be observed by vehicle manufacturers as they should be exclusively designed to do such an activity,” added Al Mansouri.
All ADDED branches will receive applications for mobile restaurant permits which will be sent to the ADDED Headquarters for initial approval while clients complete other requirements and procedures for this activity. Ahmed Tarish Al Qubaisi, Acting Director of ADDED’s Directorate of Commercial Protection, said that there are several stages for the issuance of a permit for such an activity, starting with the client’s review of the application form on the inquiry page at the ADDED website, which includes all requirements and controls for practising this activity. The Directorate of Commercial Protection will review applications to decide approval or refusal as per the terms and conditions.
Once approved, the application is referred to the permits and advertisements section, which will issue letters to external bodies for their approvals, followed by the final permit from the permits and advertisements section.
Al Qubaisi said ADDED is developing a software that covers all the procedures for issuing a permit for restaurants on wheels.
haseeb@khaleejtimes.com