However, most of the expat dominated private sector will still work the full day on a Friday — hence restaurants switching brunches to a Saturday — a change that Dubai's foodies appear to have adjusted to with a shrug.
"I don't think people needed the slightest encouragement to go back to brunches after the weekend change," David Tully, head of media at Dubai's Middlesex University, told CNBC. Meanwhile, Stephanie Hughes, the British managing director of a Dubai communications firm who has been an avid brunch-goer since moving to the UAE in 2014, says the new Saturday brunch is a good thing.
Swedish expat Victoria Stevenson, who goes to brunch most weekends with her Scottish husband, says she's also noticed Dubai venues have upped their game to pull in the punters. Many of the stricter protocols have now been dropped by Dubai's hotels — although it may be some time before table service gives way to the usual buffet and multiple food stations set up.
Yazoglu says the hotel's brunch moving to a Saturday has been smooth sailing in terms of guest acceptance.