Listen to This Article Enhance your reading experience by listening to this article.

How did you end up as an entrepreneur, particularly in the hotel industry?

I would say I had the drive and passion to do more —over and above employment— and have something I could call my own.

I was in an employment where I felt my efforts were not being appreciated, so at one point during the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, I quit and started a chicken rearing business, thanks to my family’s support.

I kicked off with 50 broiler chicks, and learnt the new venture while at it, getting tips from Google and YouTube.

It didn’t take me long before I increased the numbers, and with the returns from selling the chicken and a small loan, I established my restaurant, The Kings Kitchen.

My heart has always been in the hospitality industry. As much as the chicken business is good, I had to invest where my passion is.

How did your experience as a hotelier help you in setting up your business?

Actually, I quit my job at one of the most classy restaurants in town, so I have the know-how on giving classy services.

I have also worked for many companies as a mixologist. My speciality though is on pastries, but I believe working in the industry is always a learning process, where you learn something new and perfect on others.

Would you say Kenyans have embraced take outs and deliveries in the pandemic?

Not so many people are for the take-out idea. You see, restaurants give that chill vibe, so people prefer having a sit-down to have their meals in an relaxed environment away from home. So, take-out is basically working for fast food joints, but not restaurants.

Also, when at home, people prefer or would rather prepare their own meals than place orders.  Plus, you know, for dinners, people order between 7pm and 9pm.

That is the time everyone is busy on the road trying to beat the curfew. It is also time to close restaurants.

What are some of the frustrations your colleagues go through, yet remain unspoken?

To be honest, most people working in restaurants survive on tips as they are poorly paid and then there are deductions at the end of the month coming from broken plates and glasses and so on.

Most of them work without contracts and I think this is why they are subjected to victimisation and mistreatment.