A Conversation at the Dinner Table: Moyasser Zueter & Sudqi Naddaf

Executive Chef Sudqi Naddaf is a whirlwind of energy. Beside him, Director of Food & Beverage Moyasser Zueter exudes a calculated, complete calm. Seated at the center of Kenz, amidst the vibrant clatter of shared mezze and the timeless ritual of the family gathering over lunch. “Why hide in a quiet corner when you can sit in the middle of the livelihood?”… A question that remains unuttered, but the answer is written in the duo’s opposite energies and united vision. 

Sudqi: I find it fascinating that it took us this long to work together. We’ve been in this industry for over 25 years, yet we never overlapped… until now that is.

Moyasser: We go way back, though. The F&B world in Jordan is a small circle. Our paths crossed many times socially before finally landing here.

They have long moved through the same kitchens and corridors, though their tenures took place at different time periods. Their paths have finally converged at The Ritz-Carlton, Amman as Sudqi joined in September 2023, followed by Moyasser in September 2025. The result has been an undeniable elevation of the hotel’s F&B experience.

Sudqi: It’s about time, don’t you think? I can confidently say that since you joined, I’ve learned a lot. Watching you work in the middle of a storm... you remain so collected. The world could be burning down outside these walls and your reaction is always, “Everything is going to be fine.”

Moyasser: (Laughs) Isn’t it also the same quality that gets on your nerves?

Sudqi: You’re not wrong. I’m hot-headed. I want everything to keep moving.

Moyasser: But it’s why we work. We balance each other. I’ve learned a lot from you, too. You take action instantly, yet you never overlook the small details. That makes my job easier because I trust your level of perfection. I can, then, give you your space for creative freedom.
Sudqi: Trust is the mandatory ingredient. I can only do my part when I know your strategy aligns with the goals we are all working toward.

The General Manager passes by with a welcoming smile, one that subtly acknowledges the operational shift this duo has spearheaded. Chef Sudqi invites him to join, but he gently turns down the offer with a joke about the Chef’s love for talking being equal to his love for creating food.

Moyasser: (Laughs) I have to side with him on this one. What do you feel has fundamentally changed since we paired up?

Sudqi: The food and service have reached a new level of maturity. For me, the place to start is always staff dining. It’s a matter of internal branding. If the team serving the food doesn't feel the luxury themselves, they can’t authentically deliver it.

Moyasser: I agree. By prioritizing the staff’s experience, you effectively turned the entire workforce into a focus group for our standards. 

Sudqi: The real breakthrough happened when you arrived: tearing down the silos. Marketing lived on one island, the Kitchen was on another, and the F&B team was just waiting for business to come to them. 

Moyasser: Everyone was working separately and nobody knew what the others did. My priority was to make sure everyone was on the same page. Today, we have a clear roadmap for every single day until the end of the year.

Sudqi: You completed the loop. 

As if to illustrate the point, the Director of Sales catches Sudqi’s eye from across the room. The Chef waves and calls him over to introduce him to us before heading to his next meeting. In many luxury properties, Sales and F&B exist in a perpetual tug-of-war, where one promises the moon and the other struggles to cook it. Here, it is a partnership anchored by a simple philosophy shared between the Sales Director and the Chef: ‘My job is to bring them through the door. Your job is to make them return.’

Sudqi: Take the barbecue project for instance. Everyone wanted it—the GM, sales, marketing, the kitchen—but from a kitchen perspective, it was a logistical nightmare. I thought it would take a year to build. 

Sudqi leans forward, his hand tracing the floor plan in the air.

Sudqi: You walked in, looked at the flow, carved out a space from the service area I didn't even know we could use, and we executed it in two weeks. That’s the difference between a theorist and someone who actually knows the floor.

Moyasser: Neither of us was born into these executive roles. We both started doing the very jobs the teams we lead are now doing. That gives us a perspective grounded in reality. At this point, my job is to clear the obstacles so you can be the perfectionist you are. I don’t need to micro-manage your seasoning. I need to make sure you have the right eighteen people in the kitchen during a Ramadan rush.

Sudqi: I’ll admit, this past Ramadan, I was ready to throw in the towel. I couldn't see how we could open every venue and the ballroom simultaneously. You took me aside and just broke the numbers down. You found the staff, you found the solutions, and we had a remarkable month. One could say, you’re the brain and I’m the brawn.

Moyassar smiles and leans backwards.

Moyasser: 'Brawn' is an understatement. We all see you more like a ‘Master of the Craft.’ And this only works when we have a clear, shared goal.

Sudqi: Exactly. One of the biggest challenges I faced was an unclear identity. This venue used to serve a vague “Farm-to-Table” menu. But what does that mean in a region where fresh, local produce is already the baseline? It didn't resonate with the local guests.

The Amman dining scene has always been deep-rooted. Luxury guests are seeking a localized soul, authentic heritage, and a distinct sense of place—executed with the precision of international fine dining. The pivot to Kenz represents this shift: a move from being a 'Global Brand in Jordan' to a 'Jordanian Brand for the World.'

Moyasser: You turned this into the Lebanese restaurant it is today because you understood that while locals relish a well-made Levantine dish, international visitors want to explore our culture through food. It was, as you describe it, a "low-hanging fruit" that just needed the right hands to pick it.

Sudqi: Because we are from this culture, we are aware of the nuances. But that deep understanding doesn’t stop us from trying new things. If anything, it’s a license to push boundaries. 

Moyasser: (Looks up to the ceiling) Now I’m thinking about the olive oil ice-cream.

Sudqi: (Laughs) The olive oil ice cream we serve here sounds like an odd pairing, but it’s pure Jordanian soul. We use a specific oil from the Kafarat region with a unique low acidity you won't find in Italian or Spanish imports. It’s a signature that tells a local story on a spoon, and for me, it’s about bridging that gap between our traditional heritage and the global standards of The Ritz-Carlton.

Moyasser: That same logic applied to Legends. The venue had changed so many times it had lost its identity. We had to rethink everything from audience and activations to menu and pricing.

Sudqi: And the beauty is that the changes you eventually made were subtle. They are the type of tweaks that guests don’t necessarily see, but feel the seismic influence of them on the experience.

This partnership is yielding high-stakes results. TripAdvisor now shows four hotel venues claiming spots in the city’s Top 20 Restaurants—a massive jump in just six months. In a tight-knit market like Amman, where word-of-mouth moves at the speed of light, such a shift is an operational miracle.

Moyasser: The guest isn't concerned with our inner workings. They care about service excellence and a memorable experience, which are core values here at The Ritz-Carlton, Amman.

Sudqi: Exactly. My obsession is making them want to come back.

The conversation is briefly paused by a guest walking to the table to greet Moyasser and Sudqi by name. It is a live demonstration of their philosophy. The guest doesn't see a Director and a Chef, but the hosts of their ‘home away from home.’

Sudqi: (Grins) What perfect timing. 

Moyasser: Indeed. This might seem like a happy accident but it is truly the result our efforts. To foster a sense of guest loyalty, we shifted the internal culture toward “approaching.”
Sudqi interjects, raising a hand in playful testimony.

Sudqi: I hereby vouch for that (Laughs).

Moyasser: The guest experience starts way before they enter our venues; it starts with the very first phone call. By the time they walk into Legends or Kenz, our staff already knows their table, their allergies, and their favorite drink. We are building relationships. It’s all in the details.

Sudqi: It’s also the details that haunt us. When we sit in any restaurant, you’re looking at the uniform or the timing of the water pour. I’m looking at the plate. If a garnish is flipped the wrong way, it kills me.

Moyasser: My wife won't go out to eat with me anymore because I can't stop "working." I see a chair pull, I notice if the service sequence is off by ten seconds. It’s a curse, but it’s why the brand works. It’s about creating moments that stay with the guest long after they have left.
Sudqi: (Smiles) That’s the price of the loop. We wouldn't have it any other way.

The energy at Kenz reflects a hotel that has truly found its rhythm. Across its varied venues—Roberto’s, Legends, Kenz, The Founder’s Room, and Ambros Bistro—a newfound cohesion now drives the property’s unique standing in Jordan. It is the result of a vision that prioritizes the guest experience above all else. By bridging world-class standards with a local heart, the hotel has managed to fuse global luxury with Jordanian soul. Under this stewardship, The Ritz-Carlton, Amman has cemented itself as the city’s premier destination, where the Gold Standard' is the living, breathing reality of the hotel itself.