This week, Emirates Man speaks to Artemiy Vasilchuck, the CEO of Vasilchuki Restaurant Group in the UAE.
Welcome to the Emirates Man weekly series ‘How I got my job as…’ where we speak to incredible entrepreneurs, and businessmen both based in the UAE and globally to find out about their career paths that led them to where they are now; what their daily routines look like; the advice they’d give to those starting out; and the hurdles they’ve had to overcome.
Opened in the heart of Dubai, Vasilchuki Restaurant Group in the UAE has launched two niche concepts in the F&B space – GABA & Chaihona No1 By Vasilchuki. GABA is an Asian tea room that leads to the hidden vintage glamour cocktail bar. By taking cues from the golden age of vintage glamour, the spaces reimagines classic textures, iconic details and a refined style. Known for taking the best from Asia’s underground food scene, this space offers a vibrant take on street food.
To delve into her journey as an entrepreneur, Emirates Man sat down with him to discuss how it all began.
What was your favourite subject at school?
My two favorite subjects were mathematics and crafts. Math sharpened my logic and problem-solving skills, which became essential in business. Crafts taught me to work with my hands and enjoy the process of building and creating, a balance between precision and creativity that I still apply today.
What was your first job?
I started working in my father’s restaurants when I was 14, taking on roles as a waiter, chef and bartender. By the age of 18, I was managing full-time. Those years gave me invaluable experience, allowing me to understand every layer of hospitality from operations to people management.
What brought you to Dubai?
Opportunity. Dubai is one of the fastest-growing cities in the world, with fierce competition and enormous potential. The market is tough, but that’s exactly what makes it exciting, it pushes you to innovate and deliver at the highest level.
What inspired you to enter the hospitality industry & launch GABA?
I grew up in hospitality, inspired by my father who has been in the business for more than 25 years. GABA started as a small idea for a bar next to Chaihona №1, but along the way it evolved into something much bigger, a full concept driven by design, music, and storytelling.
Talk us through the concept.
The name comes from GABA tea, which is fermented without air or light. We mirrored that idea in the space: hidden, intimate, and atmospheric. By day, GABA offers rare teas and rituals. By night, it transforms into a speakeasy with Japanese-inspired plates, cocktails built on tea pairings, and interiors featuring collaborations with Asian artists. The aim is to create a complete experience: stylish, refined, but never pretentious.
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What are the key elements of your role?
My role is to lead the team. I focus on amplifying strengths, building synergy, and closing growth gaps. While I make the final decisions, I rely on trust and professionalism, leadership for me is about empowering people, not micromanaging them.
Talk us through your daily routine.
My mornings start with a workout and breakfast at one of our restaurants. The day is usually packed with meetings, operations, marketing, and finance. In the evenings, I prefer to spend time with friends. I thrive on energy and movement, I don’t like staying still.
What advice do you have for anyone looking to follow in the same footsteps?
You need to love what you do because this business is tough and unpredictable. Work across different roles, study the market, and choose a niche where you can compete. Plan boldly, but manage conservatively. Aim high, but make sure each step is thought through.
Tell us more about the menu.
The menu is compact and curated. After countless tests, we kept only the best dishes. Anything that received average feedback was reworked until it was perfect. My personal favorites are the Chili-Pu’er and the Lavender-Lychee cocktails. We also serve more than 40 varieties of tea, which I often prefer over alcohol. The food menu is concise, Japanese-inspired, and designed for easy sharing.
What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
“If you want prestige, serve the few. If you want stability and growth, serve the many.” Prestige comes from exclusivity, but real success comes from scale. In Dubai, competition for wealthy clientele is overwhelming, but long-term strength and opportunity come from building connections with a wider community.
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And what is the worst?
The worst advice I’ve heard was to add garlic croutons and German beer to our Asian concept, or even install a wrestling ring for oil fights in the middle of the venue. Extreme examples, but they reminded me how important it is to protect the integrity of your brand.
What’s the biggest challenge you have had to overcome?
Relocating to Dubai was the toughest challenges. It meant adapting to a completely new market, learning its dynamics, and building a strong team from scratch. Today, I can confidently say I’ve achieved it, my team is one of the strongest out there, and I know this market inside out.
What lies ahead for the brand?
We’re focused on growth and evolution. Expect seasonal collaborations, creative marketing activations, and unique pop-ups that keep the experience fresh and engaging. We are also developing two highly conceptual projects in prime locations, both designed to elevate what we’ve already built and introduce new ways for guests to connect with our brand.
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Images: Supplied & Feature Image: Supplied
