Have you seen the nonsense on the homepage about the new Ducati Cafe in Dubai, what a load of corporate bollix!. Ducati, a company with a tremendous heritage selling it`s soul in a desert theme park/shopping centre, it is enough to make me buy a Moto Guzzi!
I saw this post, and as Mr SC was in Dubai with a bit of time to kill, I told him to get over there and check it out. There were more staff than customers, no t-shirts (pour moi) as they had given them all away free on launch day, and NO PERONI so a bit fat nul points from him (or almost :biggrin
I hate the idea of this ....but ... I'm due to be in Dubai on business shortly so I might check it out to have my prejudices blown apart / confirmed. Will take pics and report back if I go there :wink:
I see nothing wrong with it. Is there something wrong with the Hard Rock Café? (not that I've ever been to one - just cycled frequently past the queue on Piccadilly) It's all good marketing to me: raises profile, creates brand loyalty and frankly, what goes on in a desert a few thousand miles away is little concern of mine.
I find it all a bit ott and also doomed to failure. This all started a few years ago, back in 2008 at Festa Ducati at the Nurburgring they launched 'Ducati wine' that didn't get anywhere. Ducati should stick to making bikes and stop putting their name to anything they think might sell.
why the mall i dont see anything wrong with some shameful promotion but having been there I am surprised at the location..smack bang in the Dubai Mall Better to have been in a place accessible to the ducati riders who could get breakfast there and do a ride out ....poor choice, I wonder how long it will stay open!
there are a few ducatis knocking about, a mate of mine has a yellow 1098 but as the temps reach mid 40c he puts it on storage cos it is unbearable to ride around in that heat probably not good for the bike either he does a fair few track days too, they have some nice tracks out there/nearby but the cafe is a waste
I been to the Cafe today, not a lot of customers but we went in for a coffee. Some stuff for sale and it looks amazing in my opinion, ok I might admit the location for bikers is not ideal, should be more like the Bikers cafe in Dubai, main road kinda thing, but as to appeal to general public is great, while I was there there was a couple just having lunch and some one else came in to look at clothing and then 3 ladies just came in for lunch. I think its a good idea and to spread the "word" . Oh and the coffees here great ;-)
Hey guys, After 7 years of owning my Montster in the UK, I shipped it over to Dubai and ride, like back in the UK, all year round. It's not as bad as some people make out (temp). Think where some of the manufacturer's biggest market are! In terms of the Cafe it's a semi good idea but in an awful location (as far as biker cafes go). The place is always dead and the staff are clearly bored. Ducati UAE don't seem to have the passion that you find back in the UK (Moto Rapido, Snells, Rosso Corse etc). Service quality is s*ite at best but is slowly improving - we're talking much worse than the usual Franchised operations in the UK. Ducati have been going down the Ferrari route for a while now (luggage, clothing, random branded items, which people seem to buy because they want to buy into the brand) and now clearly gone into F&B industry. As through and through Ducatisti, I agree with the OP about selling its soul but unfortunately it seems to be a case of having to do so in terms of the times we live in.
Of course it's necessary. There are one or two numbnut purists on here who want Ducati to only build race bikes, but how are they supposed to get the money to do that? Accessories and ducati muffins are keeping the company afloat, allowing them to build the bikes that these purists desire. But are they really purists..? Can they honestly say they don't own a Ducati T-shirt or keyring, bike cover or watch? I very much doubt it.
