Restaurateur aims for the stars

SAMUEL Bunga (32) is an emerging entrepreneur who owns a fast food outlet in Harare.

He also offers catering services for weddings and corporate events.

Bunga is the owner of Lunch Box restaurant which is situated along Second Street in Harare and it provides a wide range of fast foods as well as other traditional foods. It started operating in July last year.

The young entrepreneur graduated with a Diploma in Food and Beverages Management from the School of Hospitality and Tourism.

He says he was motivated by his family to venture into his own business.

“I was motivated by my family to start my own business,” he said.

“My family is into the hotel and catering business and they have been doing quite well. After attaining my diploma, I decided to use the skills I got from college to start my own business and employ others rather than working for other people,” Bunga said.

Lunch Box restaurant has eight employees, two of them women. His decision to start his own company is paying dividends. He is happy with his fast food outlet.

Bunga has a strong customer base and he mainly serves individuals from corporates such as TelOne, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe and other banks close to the restaurant.

“We serve mostly corporates, for example from TelOne, RBZ, NSSA, banks, schools as well as walkins,” he said.

He has embraced the use of plastic money to ensure that his business thrives despite the cash shortages in the country.

He has flexible payment terms through platforms like mobile banking and bank transfers.

Bunga wants to take opportunities made available by President Mnangagwa’s mantra that Zimbabwe is open for business.

The young entrepreneur looks forward to opening more branches of Lunch Box restaurants nationwide.

“My plans for the future are to open as many fast food outlets as possible in and outside Harare so that we are able to reach our valued customers from all corners of the country,” Bunga said.