Grillhaus grows bigger and better

Omphile Valela’s passion for owning a flame and grill food joint has finally come true after many years of being sidelined, a dream he has always had from his adolescent years. His grill and flame joint, Grillhaus, serves grilled meat and fast food edibles.

For as long as he can remember, Valela has always had a savouring passion of operating a grill and flame chesanyama joint, a dream he had put on hold until an opportune moment presented itself.

A former photographer and graphic designer, Valela explains it all started when he got retrenched by his previous employer.

With the removal of the soft cushion that his job provided for him, he was left exposed to the harsh realities of a world with zero income. “After I was retrenched, life became very hard and unbearable,” he told BusinessMonitor.

“I had to think deep about what to do and what I am passionate about in order to continue surviving and meeting my needs.” He recalls starting with just a mobile kitchen, moving from one spot to the other in Gaborone providing lunch meals to different markets.

The decision to operate a mobile kitchen outlet had roots in his passion for running his own grill joint.

“I operated in a mobile kitchen and it was not easy because the money was not enough for my needs but I continued until I found a spot in Phase 2, Gaborone and erected a small structure to sell food from there,” said Valela.

Filled with emotion as he recalls his trying times after losing his formal employment, he says depending on God and being hopeful helped him to persevere. Today Grillhaus operates in Tlokweng and has currently been undergoing a major facelift ready to add more variety to their menu. To make the major shift to the current operating space in Tlokweng, Valela says the business had to overcome hurdles such as lack of start-up capital. ‘’Angel Investors helped contribute the much needed capital for the purchase of equipment that we needed to align ourselves with our new brand outlook,” added Valela.

The key takeaway that Valela wants to pass on to other daring entrepreneurs is the “act of maintaining deep faith that despite all odds any dream can come true”. He further urges Batswana to pass by their new joint in Tlokweng and enjoy an array of savoury grilled food products.

A former photographer and graphic designer, Valela explains it all started when he got retrenched by his previous

employer