KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA: In the final filming session of his masterclass series with Ajinomoto (Malaysia) Berhad (AMB), Chef Rakan Aloraifi turned to the defining moment of the dining experience: the execution of the main course and celebratory centrepieces. The award-winning architect of modern Saudi gastronomy used the closing session to highlight a fundamental truth of hospitality: that the delivery of your core dish literally makes or breaks whether a guest becomes a returning consumer.

"Guests anchor their entire memory of a restaurant to the main event," Chef Rakan said. "You can have flawless service and beautiful starters, but if the central dish disappoints, the entire experience falls apart. That signature plate is your ultimate statement, and it has to deliver complete satisfaction."


Chef Rakan noted that while rising food costs and tighter consumer budgets are very real operational pressures in today's market, dining psychology follows its own set of rules. Regardless of the broader financial climate, guests dining out are fundamentally searching for comfort and when a kitchen masters the intersection of exceptional taste and appropriate cost, standard price sensitivity begins to fade.

"People will always find the money to spend at their favourite place to eat," Chef Rakan explained. "When a restaurant consistently delivers a deeply comforting, high-value main course, the guest stops looking at the bill as an expense and starts viewing it as an investment in their own satisfaction. That level of repeat loyalty is bulletproof."


This is why the execution of your primary dishes carries such immense commercial weight. Centerpiece mains represent the emotional high point of the guest's visit and justify the core pricing of the entire menu.

"A signature main course is not just a recipe, it is the foundation of your business," Chef Rakan emphasized. "It anchors the average check, it builds your reputation, and it is the exact reason a guest tells their friends they have to book a table."

For HORECA operators, the centerpiece course is where loyalty and profitability meet. Yet, during peak rush hours, it is precisely where kitchen consistency is most vulnerable to slipping under pressure. This is where AJINOMOTO's range of professional seasonings becomes a vital operating tool. By building reliable umami depth and balance into the foundation of savoury showpieces, kitchens can guarantee that every signature main lands with the exact same high-impact quality across every shift. It allows operators to streamline execution on the hot line, protect their food cost margins, and deliver the kind of dependable, comforting luxury that turns first-time visitors into lifelong regulars.

Industry professionals, restaurateurs, and chefs who wish to follow the full series can register their interest now on the Ajinomoto KSA website to receive masterclass updates and secure early access as new sessions are released.