Dubai to Open First Restaurant Run by an AI Chef

In September 2025, the revolutionary WOOHOO restaurant, which presents itself as “dining in the future,” will open in downtown Dubai, close to the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa. This restaurant will introduce an entirely new approach to gastronomy, with artificial intelligence designing the menu, atmosphere, and service.

Chef Aiman/Head Chef Aiman

At the heart of this innovation is Chef Aiman—an advanced large language model (LLM) specializing in the culinary arts. The name Aiman combines the words “AI” (artificial intelligence) and “man” (human), symbolizing the connection between technology and human creativity. While the food will be prepared by human chefs, everything else—from the menu to the restaurant's overall atmosphere—will be the work of this artificial intelligence.

Chef Aiman was trained on decades of research in food science, molecular data, and more than a thousand recipes from culinary traditions around the world. As explained by Ahmet Oytun Cakir, one of the founders of the WOOHOO restaurant and CEO of the hospitality company Gastronaut: “AI cannot taste, smell, or work directly with food like a regular chef, but it can break cuisine down into its basic components.”

So How Does the AI Chef Work?

The model works by breaking cuisine down into basic elements such as texture, acidity, and savory flavor, then using these components to create new and often unusual combinations of flavors and ingredients. These prototypes are subsequently tested by human chefs, who taste the dishes and provide feedback.

The entire process is overseen by renowned Dubai-based chef Reif Othman. As Chef Aiman himself explains in an interview: “Their responses to my suggestions help me refine my understanding of what works beyond mere data.”

Sustainability and Innovation as Standard

One of Chef Aiman's key features is his ability to design recipes that make efficient use of ingredients often discarded by restaurants, such as meat trimmings or fat. In this way, AI helps reduce waste and promotes sustainability in gastronomy.

In the long term, the founders of the WOOHOO restaurant envision Chef Aiman being licensed to restaurants around the world, helping to reduce kitchen waste and improve the sustainability of the entire industry.

Complementing People, Not Replacing Them

Chef Aiman's goal is not to replace the human element in cooking, but to complement it. As Oytun Cakir emphasizes: “Human cooking will not be replaced, but we believe that (Aiman) will elevate ideas and creativity.”

The WOOHOO restaurant therefore represents a groundbreaking experiment that could define the future of gastronomy. Combining advanced AI technologies with human culinary artistry creates an entirely new restaurant operating model, in which artificial intelligence takes over the creative and planning processes while people focus on preparing the dishes themselves.