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Alcohol-free Irish bar to open Abu Dhabi outpost
Dublin-based zero-alcohol bar The Virgin Mary is going global with a new venue in Abu Dhabi.
The Irish bar has partnered with hospitality group MBT Restaurant Management to franchise its concept in the UAE capital, where it will be called TVM.
The new bar is set to launch in summer 2021 in The Galleria Al Maryah Island shopping centre with the same alcohol-free ethos as the flagship Irish venue.
The Virgin Mary was founded by Vaughan Yates in 2019. Yates said: “When we first opened The Virgin Mary in Ireland, it was always our goal to see it spread to cosmopolitan cities worldwide, and with the launch of TVM Abu Dhabi this summer, we are thrilled to realise this ambition so soon.”
Bartender Anna Walsh, who developed the non-alcoholic cocktail offering at the original location in Dublin, has also created the menu for TVM Abu Dhabi.
Niveen Ibrahim, executive director of MBT Restaurant Management, commented: “MBT Restaurant Management believes in building and creating innovative home-grown brands as opposed to franchising, but The Virgin Mary’s concept was so unique and different that we made an exception.
“We were delighted to acquire the franchise of TVM in Abu Dhabi. People in the UAE will now get to experience a fully fledged refined bar in a mall, and we will teach them how to drink differently.”