Why fast food shops are closing in Rivers
From Victor Edozie, Port Harcourt
The quick service restaurant, otherwise known as fast food, is gradually fizzling out in Port Harcourt and its environ. The operators of the various fast food outlets seem to be facing a very harsh business environment, occasioned by the present economic recession and low patronage from its numerous customers in Port Harcourt, who found an alternative source of meals in the local restaurant, popularly known as mama put. Others have developed appetite for roasted plantain and fish delicacies with its savouring pepper and tomato sauce.
Investigation carried out by Daily Trust on Sunday revealed that several outlets of the indigenous quick service restaurant have been shut down while others are struggling to survive. Some of the outlets that have been shut down had their buildings converted into other businesses while others are undergoing renovations for other business purposes.
The quick service restaurant was booming in 2009 and its huge net profit attracted many investors. An investigation carried out by Point Media in 2009 revealed that about $600million was realised from that sector. The report also indicated that half of 1,000 fast food outlets fizzled out across major cities of the country.
Mr Biggs, the first indigenous fast food outlet is gradually fizzling out. Some of its outlets in Port Harcourt that have closed for business are the ones at Aba/Port Harcourt road, towards the Oyigbo end of the town and the one located at the popular Rumola junction.
Report had it that Mr Biggs had shut down about 80per cent of its outlets across the country while others are battling to survive.
In Port Harcourt, fast food joints that have fizzled out are the Sizzler, located at Market junction, Frenchies, located at First Artillery, Tantalizers at the GRA junction. The building that housed Tantalizers at GRA junction was recently pulled down, and another structure is being put up. Before the structure was pulled down, the management of the outfit had informed its customers that the outlet would be shut down to enable them carry out a minor renovation, but shortly after the notice, the entire building went down.
Other quick restaurant outlets that had fizzled out are Joewenedy and Wendy, both located at Oyigbo. The Joewenedy building is being occupied by the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHEDC) while Wendy has been converted to a supermarket.
Mr Biggs’ expansive building along the Port Harcourt/Aba-Oyigbo axis of the state was shut down several years ago. The entire premises has been overgrown with weeds and has not been occupied till date.
The Sizzler, which was a cynosure of all eyes at the popular market junction, has closed shop. Before the outlet went down, its expansive premises had been a beehive of activities as people from all walks of life converged there on a daily basis to relish one delicacy or another.
A former staff member of the Sizzler, John Amadi, who spoke with our correspondent said, “The outlet was bubbling until recession started biting hard on every Nigerian. It is very expensive to operate a confectionary. It involves a whole lot of things. It involves steady electricity because you need to empower the air conditioners, fridges and burners. When there is no steady electricity, the only alternative you have is generator, and for you to power the generator you need diesel. And you know the cost of diesel. It’s very expensive, and you run the generator on a daily basis.
“Nigerians are facing difficulty right now, to the extent that so many families are finding it difficult to feed. What is important to Nigerians right now is how to fend for their households, so most of them don’t have much cash to spend in any quick service restaurant.
“Before the outlet was shut down, we had a lot of customers who patronised the outlet on a daily basis. But at a point, the patronage drastically went down. You cannot run a business at a lost because you have staff salaries to pay. You also have generators to fuel, and the cost of food items is very high. That is the reason you find some of these businesses shutting down and the owners venturing into other things.”
Mr Vincent Moses, a businessman also gave reasons why quick service restaurants are closing shop. “There are so many reasons why fast food operators are losing patronage. One factor is the present economic recession that has brought hardship to many homes. A lot of families are battling with so many problems, such as feeding the families and providing shelter for them, which involves the payment of house rents. Payment of school fees and taking care of other needs of the family requires lots of finances, and money is very difficult to come by now.
“So you find out that lots of people care little about visiting quick service restaurants to eat and catch fun. If there is any need for them to eat outside their homes, they go to local restaurants called mama put, or they go for roasted plantains, which are cheap and affordable.
“Another factor is the advice by dieticians, that fast food is not healthy for human consumption. Dieticians see fast foods as junk and always advise people to refrain from eating them. As a result, so many people see fast foods as junk and avoid eating them; instead, they prefer going to local restaurants,’’ he said. He added that the high cost of operating fast food outlets, coupled with low patronage, are among the reasons why the business is going extinct.
Titus Ekeh, a regular fast food customer, said he stopped patronising the outlets because of the present economic recession in the country. “When the economy was booming I used to patronise fast food outlets, but since the present economic recession set in, I find it very difficult to patronise fast food joints. Moreover, their food and snacks are quite expensive. A plate of rice and chicken costs as much as N1,700. Such amount of money will be enough to have a very good meal in a local restaurant and you still have some cash remaining. Instead of spending such amount of money in buying fast food, one can as well use it to buy a whole lot of foods at cheap price from the mama put joints,’’ he said.
Christian Asuquo, a manager at a popular fast food joint, said eating in fast food joints was safer than patronising local restaurants.
“Some of these local restaurants prepare their food under a very poor hygienic condition. That is the reason you have many cases of food poison. But it’s a different ball game in fast food outlets because we carry out our business in line with all the best safety practices. We prepare our food in a very good hygienic condition, and our customers usually relax in a conducive environment to relish their dishes,’’ he said.