Sorrel
In DevelopmentAbu Dhabi, UAE
A complete all-day dining brand for Abu Dhabi, built with Zeora and run by Zeora from its opening in November 2026.
03/RUN · Hospitality management & operations
Your business. We run it.
We manage the day-to-day operations of hospitality businesses, from people and processes to financial performance and guest experience. You take the week off. It doesn’t fall apart.
Who we work with
Built for owners who want to step back.
Whether you’re an investor, an established hospitality owner or a growing brand, we run your business without requiring your daily involvement, or build the systems that let your own team run it without you.
Zeora’s RUN work is led by Mark Towning, who has spent 20+ years running hospitality operations in the UK and UAE, from multiple McDonald’s outlets to casual dining and dark kitchens. Whoever runs your business day to day works inside Zeora’s systems and accountability, never alone.
Investors & Non-Operating Owners
You own or invest in a hospitality business but don’t want to manage its daily operations. We provide professional management, operational oversight and transparent reporting.
Established Hospitality Owners
You’re ready to step back from daily management without losing visibility or control. We manage operations while keeping you involved in key business decisions.
Multi-Unit Brands & Growing Groups
You’re operating or expanding across multiple locations and need consistent standards, effective management and reliable operational oversight.
How we operate
Your vision. Our responsibility.
We bring every part of your hospitality operation together under one management structure, coordinating the people, systems and daily decisions while keeping you informed and in control.
The Owner
Strategic Direction & Oversight
- Strategic direction
- Major approvals
- Investment decisions
- Performance visibility
From the owner to Zeora: Strategic direction & approvals
From Zeora to the owner: Reporting & accountability
Management & Accountability
- Dedicated project leader
- Operational management
- Team oversight
- Financial monitoring
From the operating functions to Zeora: Operational information
Operating functions
- People & HR
- Finance & Reporting
- Purchasing & Suppliers
- Kitchen Operations
- Service & Guest Experience
- Marketing & Revenue
- Quality Control & SOPs
- Maintenance & Compliance
One operating partner. Every moving part.
Under a management contract: your licence and the big decisions stay yours, with weekly or monthly reports on agreed numbers and notice terms set at the start.
Our RUN services
Everything it takes to run it right.
From daily operations and team leadership to financial oversight and guest experience, we manage the moving parts that keep hospitality businesses performing.
One partner. Three ways to work with us.
We run it for you: the operation handed over, the ownership and the big decisions kept. Run it better: systems your own team runs, with Zeora on call. Exit: sold as it is, or improved first. Owners move between them as their plans change.
We run it for you
The work handed over; the ownership and the big decisions stay yours.
Full Operational Management
Day-to-day running of the business, after a structured handover with a clear first-30-days plan.
Team & Staffing Structure
Usually a supervisor on site, or a manager in larger groups, led by a Zeora project leader.
Cost & Margin Control
Costs and margins watched every month, not once a year, within the budget you approve.
Supplier & Procurement Management
Supplier relationships and purchasing managed for you, from orders to pricing and quality.
Owner Reporting & Visibility
Weekly or monthly reports on agreed numbers, and a recommendation on every call that stays yours.
Run it better
Systems that run without you, handed to your team, with Zeora on call.
Systems & SOP Development
We map what still depends on you, then build the SOPs and reporting any competent team can follow.
Multi-Site Standardisation
Standards, SOPs and reporting made consistent, so every location runs the same way.
Franchise System Documentation
The operation documented as a system, ready to be franchised or licensed.
Exit
Leaving on your terms: sold as it is, or improved first.
Valuation & Sale Readiness
A formal valuation and a sale-ready information pack, so serious buyers can move quickly.
Buyer Search & Sale Management
The sale run end to end: buyer search, negotiation and completion, with every offer decision yours.
Our work
Businesses we help run.
A selection of hospitality businesses where we take an active role in operations, management and ongoing performance.
Middle Café
Under ManagementDubai & Al Ain, UAE
Improving and running an established grab-and-go speciality coffee business across Dubai and Al Ain.
The HOST
Under ManagementDubai & Al Ain, UAE
Running daily operations and improving performance at an established café and catering business, since January 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Your business.Your questions.
Practical answers about handing over day-to-day operations, maintaining oversight and working with Zeora as your management partner.
No. We operate, we manage, we propose, we plan. Every decision that shapes the direction, investment or brand of your business stays with you. The handover transfers the work, not the decisions.
A general manager is one person on their own. Whoever runs your operation day to day for us works inside our systems and accountability, never alone. The real risk is a single manager left with no system or company behind them.
It depends on the complexity of what’s transferring: staff, supplier relationships, systems, reporting. We operate under a management contract, so your licence stays exactly as it is. We’d rather take the time to do the handover properly than rush it and leave gaps in the first month. The handover itself follows a clear first-30-days plan.
Yes. Owners move between the two more often than you’d think. Some start wanting to keep control and realise they’d rather hand it over; others start with full handover and later want their own team trained up. Neither path is locked in.
It depends on how you work with us and the scope: a fixed monthly fee, a percentage of revenue, a combination of both, or a fixed fee with a success component. It’s set once we understand what’s actually being handed over.
Yes, on the notice terms agreed at the start. Terminating is always your call, and the reporting set up during the handover means you never find out late that something’s wrong.
Yes. Preparing a sale starts with a real valuation, not a hopeful one. If improving it first is the better path, we’ll say so before you list it, not after a buyer tells you.
No. Run it better exists specifically for owners who want to stay in control but stop being the single point of failure holding the business together.
Doing fine, spread too thin or ready to step back entirely?
You keep the ownership, the direction and the decisions that matter. 30 minutes with Mark will tell you what handing over actually looks like for your business. No charge, no pitch.