Mambo’s Chicken promises top notch service
FAST food is a description for the manner in which the food should be prepared and sold to the customer, and it is often a lunchtime meal that must be consumed fairly quickly, either at source or elsewhere, while on a break from work. Expectations from the customer are for quick, efficient delivery from server to customer.
All too often in Zimbabwe fast food is anything but fast; it can take inordinate amounts of time for the food to be produced and queues develop at outlets.
It becomes stressful and disappointing for customers. So I was delighted to be in a venue this week where the emphasis was on three key factors: very quick turnaround, no sacrificing quality in the interests of speed and keeping the outlet clean and hygienic.
This was Mambo’s Chicken, in busy and bustling downtown Harare, and which celebrated its first anniversary on Valentine’s Day this year. It is gaining a reputation in its neighbourhood — and beyond — for being a venue that tries hard and does well for its customers.
My guests and I had the pleasant company of operations manager Milton Mukaronda for part of the time we were there, and it was great to hear his thoughts on where the venue has come from and where he hopes it is going.
The aim is to have orders served within three to 10 minutes, depending on the nature of the order. Ours was served in about four minutes and we were impressed.
I have never forgotten a meal at a fast food outlet in the suburbs years ago, when we waited more than half an hour and were then told they had run out of one of the three orders!
Mambo’s Chicken opened its doors on Valentine’s Day 2018 and has been busy ever since, marking the first anniversary a couple of weeks ago with a level of fanfare and fun. Milton has been involved since incubation and is pleased with results to date.
At present there is one outlet, in Park Street not far from Cresta Jameson Hotel, but it is hoped and planned that one day there will be other outlets, and I assume this means not only Harare but elsewhere in the country. The appetite for chicken is growing in leaps and bounds, not just in Zimbabwe but all over the world, and I know that chicken consumption has overtaken pork as the world’s most-consumed meat.
It’s a ground-floor operation that is well-appointed and is neat, clean and welcoming. Queues did not go to any length in the lunchtime we were there, as the customers were served quickly and took their orders either to seats and tables within the premises or away, back to work or elsewhere. My guest and I had half chicken, she with chips and I with salad, and accompanied this with a fruit juice for my guest and a carbonated soft drink for me. My guest’s chicken had a barbecue sauce and mine was generously coasted with a Portuguese sauce; both were good. Chips were fresh and crispy and the salad was dressed with a tangy sauce and also very fresh.
We ate in the venue and watched the passing parade and I was sorry I had not counted the number of customers coming in; it certainly was impressive. Service was good, the ambience was pleasing and I got the impression everyone was comfortable with prices, in an era of great price sensitivities.
While there we saw several schools sending bus drivers to collect huge orders; this must be a great piece of business. All the food is based on either fried or grilled chicken and when Milton asked what could be done to add value to their current offering I suggested that a serving of Portuguese-style rice would be an excellent accompaniment for the chicken dish I had.
The flavourings of the chicken are mild (Portuguese sauce), lemon and herb, smoky (barbecue) and Mozambican (hot!). Apparently the Queen Meal is the most popular order (two pieces of chicken and with chips), while the family order suitable for a group of six I should think is also popular at month ends.
New to the customer is the Mambo’s Wrap, apparently also resulting from a customer suggestion. Prices range from $4.50 for the entry level Prince Meal (single piece of chicken plus chips) to the family meal at $45. I liked the buzz and the service and I thought the food was good, too. It was certainly filling and as the chicken was grilled and the salad fresh, could count as a healthy option.
The speed is assisted by on-screen listing of orders in real-time for the kitchen staff.
Mambo’s Chicken is open every day of the week from 7am to 11pm, and is on the ground floor of Shanda House, near the corner of Park Street and Kwame Nkrumah Avenue, Harare CBD.
For enquiries and orders, call (024) 2757211. Head office contact number (024) 2443991. Feedback from readers is welcome, as well as reports on experiences with dining out jof any kind: e-mail aquarius@iwayafrica.co.zw