Bice restaurant pulls out of Opera House mall

The prestigious Bice Restaurant chain has pulled out of a deal to open a branch at the Royal Opera House mall following the denial of alcohol licenses for the premises.

When contacted by Muscat Daily, Roberto Ruggeri, president of Bice International, confirmed that the group had pulled out of the deal signed in December 2010. The chain still harbours plans to enter the Omani market at a future date, said Ruggeri. He added that they are also looking for a new partner for another endeavour in the sultanate.

“Unfortunately, the very nice project we had in mind at the Opera House has been cancelled, because liquor licenses at the mall were denied all of a sudden,” said Ruggeri.  “We are still very much interested in Muscat and looking around to find an alternative solution. We are also looking for some alternative partners (in Oman).”

At a press conference in Oman last year to announce the deal, Raffaele Ruggeri, executive vice president of the Bice group,  had said that he was looking forward to the official opening scheduled for the second half of 2011. Describing it as 'contemporary, classical and elegant,' Raffaele had said that the Bice restaurant would be unique among options currently available in Muscat. 

“We are high quality and have had success all over the world. We are bringing something that is not here yet. In this part of the world, we are the first of our kind, and when you are the first, it is a good place to be.”

The first Bice restaurant was opened by Beatrice Ruggeri in Milan, Italy, in 1926. The family-run group currently operates a chain of more than 35 restaurants worldwide.