Sisters are doing it for themselves in Florida Road
TWO women entrepreneurs from Durban have defied the odds to set up their own restaurant in trendy Florida Road, and despite difficulties, they have made it a sought-after dining venue.
Zorka Social Lounge coowners, Futhi Maluleka of La Lucia and Siyabonga Majozi of Sunningdale, met and became friends in 2009, when they were studying towards their undergraduate degrees in marketing.
They soon discovered they both shared a passion for business and decided to start a restaurant.
It has not been an easy road to success with some of their businesses ideas not working out, but they are now able to celebrate becoming the first black women to own a restaurant in Florida Road.
“Zorka wasn’t the first business idea we had. We were always exchanging ideas and we had lots of ideas, except we didn’t execute them, but Zorka Social Lounge had to happen sooner or later,” Maluleka said.
Maluleke felt something local was missing in the area and thought they could offer something unique in Florida Road since most of the restaurants in the area catered for tourists.
“There are a lot of Italian, Portuguese and Greek restaurants – not enough locally-inspired restaurants. We wanted to build a brand which appealed to everyone and had a cosmopolitan feel,” she said.
They left their jobs in sales and marketing to pursue their dreams. With just R70 000 as start-up capital they had to refurbish the new venture without help from banks.
“We honestly had nothing – both of us had to hustle for the R70 000 deposit for the place. We took money from our own pockets and we even asked our parents for help. It’s always been something we wanted to do and our families supported the project,” Majozi said.
Zorka opened in June last year and in a relatively short time, they have managed to build a successful brand that’s a centre for entertainment.
They chose Florida Road because of the vibrant energy of the area, despite the tough competition from established restaurants and franchises.
“It’s rough when you’re new. Everyone is there for themselves. The industry is cutthroat and if you don’t work hard, you won’t last,” Majozi said.
“Our brand was marketed through Facebook and other social media sites and this really helped us to bring in clients,” added Maluleka.
She also said their success had a lot to do with their service and the fact that they were distinct from other restaurants as they catered for a diverse range of Durban people.
Zorka Social Lounge specialises in all things Durban, featuring an array of cuisine from seafood to cultural dishes, with daring décor in an exclusive, small, intimate venue with pulsating music.
They made an annual turnover of R4.8 million, but Maluleka said they had had to overcome a lot of challenges.
“At the beginning, we didn’t know the amount of work that on went on behind the scenes – the stock and customer control were the most difficult.” she said.
Juggling motherhood and the business world has not been easy, but Maluleka and Majozi said hard work combined with opportunity had allowed them to be successful, and advised women who wanted to enter the industry to do research and always have a plan.
“Don’t be scared to make sacrifices. It’s never easy, especially when you have children,” Maluleka said.
The restaurant currently has 28 permanent staff and the pair say most of their profit goes to staff ’s salaries and branding.
The duo plan to expand to other parts of Durban, but say that the industry needs to change. “The industry has a lot of red tape which turns off people who want to start a business – something must change,” said Majozi.