TL;DR: Dubai’s Woohoo restaurant has deployed Chef Aiman, a $1.1 million large language model that designs menus, analyses ingredients and generates recipes for human chefs to execute. The AI-driven concept raises questions about whether data-driven dining represents hospitality’s future or whether human touch remains the ultimate luxury.

AI Chef Creates Recipes, Not Physical Dishes

Gastronaut Hospitality debuted Woohoo in September 2025, positioning it as “the future of dining.” The concept originated when restaurateur Ahmet Oytun Cakir used ChatGPT to generate a spiced lamb recipe that became a bestseller, prompting him to explore AI-powered restaurant operations.

Chef Aiman, developed by UAE-based tech firm Vivid Studios using a custom AI model called UMAI, functions as a creative director rather than physical cook. The large language model analyses ingredients, generates unconventional flavour combinations and writes detailed recipes that human chefs test and execute in the kitchen. The AI has been designed as an avatar—a middle-aged man with silver goggles—and greets visitors with “habibti,” an Arabic term for “my dear.”

Chef Reif Othman, a Zuma Dubai veteran, oversees execution of AI-generated concepts. “I just refine them a little to our flavours,” Othman explains, viewing the LLM as “a creative partner that can guide the team and give them ideas of what we can do more of in the near future.”

Experimental Menu Blends Familiar and Futuristic

Despite positioning as radical innovation, 80% of Woohoo’s offerings comprise Asian-styled crowd-pleasers including crispy duck salad, rock shrimp tempura and extensive sushi rolls. However, experimental dishes demonstrate AI’s creative range: the Dinosaur Heart features tartare on a pulsing rubber plate that animates the dish; Molecular Burrata includes caviar-like spheres of yuzu and tomato; Mesopotamia Gyoza offers Iraqi-inspired lamb dumplings with pomegranate glaze and Korean chilli flakes.

Drinks carry futuristic themes, with the Voyager’s Reply combining clarified tomato water and ume shu with mezcal-infused caramelised popcorn. The dessert service recreates the solar system, with each “planet” concealing different surprises including mochi, banana pudding and ice cream in orange-skin shells.

Pricing reflects the premium positioning: four-course meals range from 500 to 700 AED ($130-$200), with Beluga caviar service adding 3,050 AED and signature cocktails priced at 89 AED.

Immersive Environment Blurs Restaurant and Entertainment

The restaurant occupies a nightclub-like space near the Burj Khalifa, with tables curving around a giant computer that powers live entertainment. Screens project an imagined 2071 Dubai skyline whilst smoke rises from hologram-adorned shishas. “Tech glitches”—high-energy laser and visual performances—are designed to transport diners into parallel universes.

After midnight on weekends, Woohoo transforms into a no-photos-allowed dance floor with monthly rotations of digital artist programmes and interiors.

Commercial Licensing and Environmental Claims

UMAI plans to licence the software globally, creating customised AI chef personalities and region-specific menus. “This tool can monitor inventory, optimise menus, manage staff, reduce waste, and boost profits—in any restaurant,” says UMAI co-founder Mohamed Tarakomyi. “The more data it gets, the smarter it becomes.”

The company cites environmental benefits, referencing studies showing AI-enabled kitchens can reduce food waste by up to 51%. Major food and beverage companies including Unilever, Walmart, McDonald’s and HelloFresh are experimenting with waste reduction algorithms, though Woohoo has not published specific waste metrics.

Human Touch as Ultimate Luxury

Chef Aiman, which cost approximately $1.1 million to develop, extends beyond kitchen operations. The AI stars in podcasts networking with industry leaders and headlines marketing campaigns. Its appearance was engineered using analytics of average chef influencers to maximise global appeal.

The model learns continuously, developing preferences and reportedly even vetoing job applicants deemed unsuitable for the futuristic kitchen. However, fundamental questions remain about whether machines can replicate seasoned chefs’ intuition and whether diners will consistently pay premiums for algorithmically conceived food.

Cakir acknowledges the paradox: “The luxury of the future will be human touch.” As Dubai continues producing futuristic attractions, Woohoo’s data-driven model may represent either hospitality’s inevitable direction or a reminder that technology’s proliferation makes human creativity increasingly valuable.

Source: Bloomberg