If there is anything consistent in Nigeria, it is the fact that there is a restaurant to grab a quick bite or a full-blown menu. Whether it is rice and beef from Item 7(Go), bread and beans from Agoyin Palace, or a combo of rice and chicken from The Place, there is almost a restaurant in every location to get food in Nigeria.

However, nobody really talks about how fast restaurants creep into the Nigerian economy quietly, and also how fast some of them leave the scene as fast as they come onto it. Nigerians born after 2010 find it difficult to believe that, before Chicken Republic’s refuel combo became a thing, there was a time when meat pie ruled the food service industry. 

While it highlights the growth of the industry and how producer innovations/consumer taste evolve, it also points out the volatility of the food industry. Restaurants that we once thought were immortal have now faded, and it seems like they never existed. 

How early restaurants gained so much prominence in Nigeria 

Before advertisements and food delivery agents like Glovo and Chowdeck became a thing in Nigeria, you will be surprised what the Nigerian food service industry thrived on. Do not be shocked, but, yes, the earliest restaurants grew their brand names on the backs of a single menu; that is, most of them sold one type of food, and it made them popular.

Mr Bigg’s ruled the streets with meat pie, and Sweet Sensation held their forte with jollof rice. Chicken Republic came with chicken menu combos, and Tantalizers had this richness that kept dragging customers to the restaurant. Then, in the late 2000s, KFC arrived with their wholesome foreign chicken menu. 

The tactic to gain popularity was easy. They thrived at a time when they just needed to come up with something unique: a trademark dish, affordable food, branding, branches in strategic places, and audience focus. There were hardly any TV commercials or huge advertisements. They simply grew to become household names. If you mentioned a type of food, everyone knew which restaurant you were talking about.

They had the popularity, but they still went out of business

You can do everything right and still go out of business. Even though they were able to tap into the Nigerian market, it was not enough to keep them around long enough. The growing unstable nature of the economy might have played a part, but hyper dependence on brand name, poor management, and others, played a bigger part in the fall through.

Mr Bigg’s meat pie, for example, was unsustainable. It was not long before everyone could make a meat pie. While new restaurants made use of advertisements, recruited active promoters, held campaigns and maintained publicity, they recycled the same strategies. And, when you do not find new ways to stick in people’s faces, you will most likely be forgotten.

Also Read: Mama Put: The meals we love, the risk we ignore

Not to mention, even local food sellers began to learn the menus of the big restaurants and sell similar food in affordable quantities on the streets. This was also partly responsible for the loss of customers. People saw no reason to spend so much in a restaurant when they could get the same thing in a bigger quantity just down their street.

Sometimes you just need a little touch to keep going

It is what has kept many modern restaurants in business. New menus, special packs, promos, extra packs for lesser prices, these are some of the strategies that restaurants have employed to keep themselves in business despite the nature of the economy. 

Chicken Republic is a good example. It came up with new trends such as refuel packs, jumbo packs, and combo menus (a specialised pack of varieties of food). These kept the consumers attracted and patronage consistent. It was on the brink of losing relevance, but it transitioned quickly to maintain its place in the market.

Even street food sellers are not left out. They have evolved from selling food on leaves or plates to letting customers buy food in packs and take it to their locations. The lesson has become clear over time: it is either you pick up and grow with the market, or you get left behind. 

Meiza Nigeria