Can alcohol revive the Pearl?

We better without alcohol. Don't change my country to usa. I like it this way so stay away

And Those really rich dont even care to stay in qatar even when there is a day off

They just need to make up their minds and stick to their decisions so that people know what they are buying into, with or without alcohol.

Alcohol will definitely help in reviving interest at the Pearl. Imagine walking into a place that resembles a European town only to find that alcohol is banned! Doesn't make any sense at all.

the availability of liquor would enable the poor souls who have leased shops at the Pearl to drown their sorrows !!

if cheaper without alcohol, pearl would be busy. So alcohol is not the major factor.

I've been there twice, that was enough.

Concrete and boredom.

brit...no worries, soon they may provide free ride in RR to show around the proeprty to bring in customers..:)

They told me to move my Pink KIA because it was parked in front of the Rolls Royce showroom :O(

fubar...I know and I agree and wouldnt want it to be spoiled either not to the extent..I was just kidding...it is a nice place to be just that it needs to be made more happening, more involved and somewhat less pricier so that I can also then move in there...:) Couldnt do it last year for the reasons other than alcohol availability on this thread.

Quoting directly from the article in the link: "Alcohol was permanently banned from the Pearl-Qatar in December 2011, causing a slump in revenues for a number of restaurants and subsequent closures".

Suggests that businesses were doing fine before the ban.

Now what? Tough decision!

The sad truth Happy is that the concept of The Pearl was probably to create a place where there were no 'regular' people. Just rich people who only shop at Missoni and Stella McCartney and only eat at the Armani cafe.

Problem turned out that there aren't that many rich people in Qatar.

Well said happygolucky - and reduce the rents a little and the guys stuck in Najma and Mansoura might want to shift over to that part of Doha or also Instead it could be made a area for only bachelors whre they could have a fun time, fishing, wandering around, etc

Just allow an regular corner tea shop and a grocery there...see how buzzing that place would become...:)

We all know the truth!

Well it goes without saying that the price's got to be making sense too.

Well-controlled, for indoor drinking only availability of alcohol in selected outlets would do no harm. And might help some F&B businesses. The QDC shop, if re-opened, would attract people at least some of whom would patronise other establishments.

The place is dead at present. You can buy a Rolls Royce but not a newspaper! Anything to attract residents or visitors to the public areas is worth trying.

The huge Qanat Quarter seems to be complete - but no-one lives there. The Medinat Centrale shopping centre is nearly ready - will the outlets be let and will anyone shop there? There is apparently a multi-screen cinema somewhere on the Pearl but not yet open.

I dont know if alcohol would do wonders for the Pearl but for sure it would do a lot of good and raise their spirits for the guys at the Industrial area who I suppose have had a lot of dry days since they got to this place

I heard from some staff working in the retail stores that many of them will get closed soon, possibly by the end of 2013.

Arien, even rich people are not willing to dine there regularly for the sake of alcohol as it is damn expensive. You can have two dinners in any of the Star hotels for the price of one at Pearl

i think this is from Machiavelli's theory that says... the end justifies the means... :)

Exactly Fubar. When I'm in Qatar we go to Souq Waqif and Katara all the time for dinner. There's no alcohol, but the food is good and the atmosphere is nice. All things missing from the Pearl.

Agreed there are lots of tourists, but there are also lots of residents as well in Dubai Marina as it is considered one of the leading places to live in Dubai.

You have a mix in Dubai Marina of everything, tourists, residents, restaurants in all price categories, bars, hotels and cool places to chill out and relax. You don't have options on the Pearl. It is just expensive with no alternatives and there are no places/hotels for the residents to let their hair down if they wish too.

The problem was there was the start of something and then it was taken away.

Alcohol will turn it around. Because It took a nose dive when they stopped it.. simple.

Overpriced .. yes.. They should bring it down.

A splash or a MAX or... with some reasonable eating joints can bring the change.

Exactly Mimi. The alcohol might make a few of the restaurants a little busier, but it's just the tip of the iceberg.

I've said it before and I'll say it again... if the management really wants people to come to the Pearl to spend money, they should get over themselves and this misguided notion of all the wealth in Qatar, and open an Applebees or a Fridays.

A cinema is allegedly coming (coming soon... famous last words) so that might help.

But the biggest problem of all is all the retail selling clothes that no one in Doha can afford.

I hate to burst the bubble, but I'm starting to think that this isn't the richest country in the world.

The restaurants are overpriced, the food is mediocre at best, even with alcohol I never saw the point of going. Why? So I can look at clothes I can't afford? Look at yachts I'll never go on and apartments I'll never live in.

There's no point to it. Not when you can go to Katara now and enjoy better and cheaper food.

Do you honestly need it? --- no.

Should it be visable? --- no.

Should there be places for the thousands of residents on the pearl who wish to have a glass of wine with their meal to go (nice hotels perhaps) --- Yes.

There is no much entertainment in Perl Qatar.

Alcohol is not the answer for the current situation. Something to attract the kids. Some shops to attract low income ppl are also the need of the time.

There is a merry go around in the pearl. The advt hoarding were too colorful and attractive by its name. Someone could feel there is something new and more to that than wat we see in the pic. Unfortunaetly it was a DRY place. Wonder the kids on the merry go around WITHOUT any music and WITH some dull lights only. And to add this the ppl who worked for that looked more like a COPS than entertainers. Whatever it is the CHARGE was HIGH that matched the standards of the place. Whatelse is there to visit again and again???

There are lot of things that can pull the crowd. Distance in qatar is not a big issue. Ppl in UAE drive 100s of km to enjoy.

- One Movie Theater.

- A boat riding area - small one.

- A small park with some slides and swings that is not seen in this part of this world.

- Some exhibition hall or a small time museume.

- Some Amusement park - for both kids n adults

OOooo so many entertainment options and some ppl find only ALCOHOL that can revive the world from crisis - Pity

Once ppl start flowing to this areas for entertainment naturally the business will also grow. TRY IT!!

tahsin, but i luv bad things :P

camelme, valid point.

Your logic is sound. However, Dubai focuses on high turnover and fast flowing tourist trade. Qatar can't hope to come close.

With the development of Lusail the whole centre of Doha will shift outwards, much like it did in Dubai. In 2000 in Dubai the city revolved around Diera and a few towers along Sheikh Zayed Road.

Now there is Media City, Internet City, JAFZ, JLT, Dubai Marina, etc and now the city has shifted. I know people who have lived in Dubai Marina for years and work in the media city that have not ventured into Dubai City Centre Mall for years or even venture into old Diera. There is just no need too as that area has everything they need - work, rest and play.

I expect the same will happen in Doha. When this happens the Pearl will take off as it will be near the new centre of Doha, but they need more variety in the restaurants. Jumeirah Walk's restaruants in Dubai do not sell alcohol outside of the hotels and yet they are busy. Part of this is the variety and that they are charging resonable prices. The Pearl's prices are not reasonable. They were pricey when you could get a glass of wine with your meal, but outragously overpriced when you cannot.

alcohol is bad for health, it's haram too.

:P

I go with the opinion of brite, It might help only a little bit and for the information of all boozers forget about drinking wine with steak in pearl as it is almost impossible.

all that is subjective; bring in the numbers: how much did the dineries out there made in december 2013 compared to 2012, 2011,... than we can have a clearer objective image.

Pearl concept was all wrong. They wanted to cater for a niche customer and client.

No and people who say it will are making a big mistake. What it needs is atmosphere; communal spaces, plazas with cafes. There is little to attract me to The Pearl and the re-introduction of alcohol would be one less reason for going back.

its way too expensive!!

bring it down to affordable level it will thrive big time!!

out of town is not a problem!

Will returning alcohol to the Pearl help? Yes, I think it might draw back higher spending patrons to restaurants.

But ultimately I think the whole model of the Pearl is flawed.

Everything about it is wrong. It's too far out of town, the parking is difficult to get a grasp on, and, *gasp* you have to walk everywhere. And in summer, most of the walking has to be done outdoors.

Whoever designed the place didn't live in Doha.

But strangely the people in charge of it, and who approved it, do. Makes you wonder.

Is alcohol so important to the ambience of the place or the taste of the food ?

I agree with thexonic .... specially this part "the whole country needs to calm the hell down on the real estate prices! so there can be affordable places to go to"

Alcohol does make a difference. If I am going to spend money to eat at an high end restaurant one at the Pearl without wine or one at any of the five star hotel's restaurants, I would certainly go for the later. There is nothing like a glass of red wine with your steak...

If music be the food of love then booze, sweet booze is the air we breathe

Pearl is fine the way it is, it should stay this way. They just need to advertise more and the whole country needs to calm the hell down on the real estate prices! so there can be affordable places to go to.

The return of alcohol might help a little, but can't see it making much difference.

The whole business model of The Pearl was wrong - especially , given the economic climate and the downturn in Dubai.