Hospitality advisory · UAE and MENA

Senior operational counsel for hospitality owners and investors.

Aponic Solutions advises restaurant groups, owners and investors on performance, operating standards and regional growth. Every engagement is led personally by its founder, Ashley Poulter, drawing on more than two decades in senior hospitality operations.

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18Restaurant concepts opened, leading the opening team

4 → 12Locations, growing a restaurant group across four countries

18–22%Average annual revenue growth, through lean management and menu engineering

90%First-year occupancy at a luxury boutique hotel in Zanzibar

Selected clients and affiliations

Wynn Al Marjan
Paris Society
Mondaine
Bambini
Perruche
The Hamptons
ABC Coffee Roasters
Kloof Street House

Services

Advisory built on operating experience

Each engagement is scoped against defined commercial outcomes. Measures are agreed at the outset and reported against throughout.

Operational turnaround

A structured diagnostic and recovery programme for venues and groups where revenue, margin or guest sentiment has declined.

Commercial and P&L diagnostic
Labour, cost of sales and controls review
Phased recovery plan with agreed KPIs
On-site implementation and leadership support

Typically engaged byIndependent operators, multi-site groups and their boards

Standards, SOPs and training

Bespoke operating standards and training, written for the venue and designed to hold under the pressure of full service.

Front and back of house SOP manuals
Service standards and brand behaviours
Training programmes and competency assessment
Audit framework for ongoing compliance

Typically engaged byPre-opening teams, expanding groups and franchise operators

Owner representation

Independent, operator-grade oversight that protects the owner's interests from pre-opening through to stabilised trading.

Operator selection and performance review
Pre-opening and fit-out oversight
Capital expenditure review
Monthly owner reporting

Typically engaged byAsset owners, family offices and private investors

Retained business development

Senior regional representation for hospitality suppliers and operators pursuing growth across the UAE and MENA.

Market entry and positioning
Pipeline development with developers and operators
Senior introductions and account management
Quarterly pipeline reporting

Typically engaged byInternational suppliers, brands and operators

A restaurant dining room set for service, with cane chairs, tufted banquettes and pendant lights

Methodology

The 3 Ps framework

Every engagement is assessed against three interdependent disciplines. A weakness in one is rarely resolved without addressing the others, so the diagnosis always covers all three.

People

Leadership, structure and capability. How teams are recruited, developed, managed and retained.

Policies and procedures

The operating system of the business. Standards, controls and reporting, and the discipline with which they are applied.

Property

The physical asset. Layout, back of house flow, maintenance and the quality of the guest environment.

Engagement process

01DiscoveryObjectives, constraints and stakeholder priorities are established before any recommendation is made.
02DiagnosticFinancial, operational and on-site review to identify where value is being lost.
03DesignA prioritised plan with clear ownership, timelines and measures of success.
04DeliveryHands-on implementation alongside the client's team, with progress reported against agreed KPIs.

Principal

Ashley Poulter

Founder and Principal Consultant

Ashley founded Aponic Solutions in 2021 after two decades in senior hospitality operations. He began as Restaurant General Manager at Sun International's Boardwalk complex in Port Elizabeth, then joined Le Caprice in London as Senior Manager and Maître d'.

He went on to run multi-site operations for Kove Collection and Tourvest in Cape Town, and to serve as General Manager of Katsuya by Starck for M.H. Alshaya in Kuwait, Xanadu Luxury Villas in Zanzibar and Asia Asia for Solutions Leisure Group in Dubai. In 2025, as Group Operations Manager at The Hamptons in Dubai, he led a four-branch turnaround.

He has led teams of more than 300, written brand and operations manuals for seven luxury brands, and run hospitality for the 2010 FIFA World Cup Fan Park in Port Elizabeth and Vogue UK's 21st anniversary event in Mayfair. He leads every Aponic engagement personally, from initial diagnostic to final handover.

Markets: UAE, Kuwait, South Africa, United Kingdom, Zanzibar
Sectors: Fine dining, multi-site restaurant groups, luxury boutique hotels, casino and entertainment, hospitality supply

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Perspectives

Analysis for owners and operators

Operations

Why restaurant SOPs fail, and what makes them work

Performance

When does a restaurant need an operational turnaround?

Growth

Entering the UAE hospitality market: what international businesses often underestimate

Engagement

Engaging Aponic Solutions

IInitial consultationA confidential discussion to understand the business, its current position and its objectives.
IIWritten assessmentA concise summary of the issues, priorities and recommended scope of work.
IIIProposalA fixed-scope proposal setting out deliverables, timeline, reporting and fees.

Contact

Arrange a consultation

All enquiries are treated in confidence and answered personally by the principal.

Telephone: +971 58 522 0250
Email: ashley@aponicsolutions.com
Coverage: United Arab Emirates and the wider MENA region