How I turned a bad dining experience into a cash cow

Sandwiched between skyscrapers, somewhere in Nairobi’s Kilimani area, is a room from where delicious smells waft into the air. Office workers from the neighbourhood’s lofty buildings sit hunched over chicken wings. A young slender man stands a distance away preparing orders for the customers. He is Moses Kiiru; the 21-year-old owner of the small but busy 11-month-old operation, The Moh Wingz. Right now, his attention is riveted to the task before him; ensuring he delivers an order for a customer in Garissa; a town about 366 kilometres away. Pre Covid-19, he was just another third-year university student, whiling away the days between classes. He hasn’t abandoned his education. No, he has just added ‘businessman’ to his resume’.

 Delicious wings. Do you make them yourself?

I have two chefs, but I also cook. My mother was a chef. I learnt to cook almost everything at the ages of 11 and 12. I was inspired. Just how she did it, with such aplomb, got me interested. She is my role model in this.

 How did you start Mo Wingz?

I actually opened this joint last Friday. I was doing the cooking from home prior to coming here. Initially, I sourced my equipment and supplies from around in very small scale. However, I now have specific suppliers from whom I take products in larger amounts.

 Of all the business ideas, why an eatery?

One day I went to a restaurant and ate chips masala that I did not like at all. A thought crossed my mind that people really needed to get value for their money. So I went home and started making some chips masala. I sold to my closest friends, and family. Soon, I was selling to their friends. The network kept on growing because they spread word that I made great food.

My capital was around Sh8,000. This I used to buy raw potato chips, a few cooking materials and, later, the packaging from the locality.

That was in May 2019. Between September and December 2019, I made cocktails and wings, again just out of love for cooking. All these I distributed around Juja and environs, and the reception was impressive. I made them on order.

 What brought you to Kilimani?

The orders were increasing by the day. And Woodvale Kilimani was perfect. Woodvale is near town and is easily accessible by customers, which means it is also easy for our delivery people to access the customers too. Plus there are many offices around here where we can deliver these orders. Proximity to customers is important. And every business person should consider that factor.

 How many customers do you serve in a day?

This depends with the days, but on average, I have 50 to 100 orders to deliver daily. Right now, I have an order from Garissa. (Laughs) I am still wondering how to deliver that by tomorrow.

One person’s meal could go for Sh300 for fries and two chicken pieces. It goes all the way to Sh2,000 for a meal that could feed up to seven people. I am currently making between Sh50,000 and Sh70,000 a month before deductions.

   What has been the hardest thing about running a business?

 Being a jack of all trades. Having to deal with cooking, procurement, and being the face of the business is so exhausting. But it is not yet time to hire people for all the roles because the business is still not big enough. Quitting, however, has never been an option because as exhausting as it is, I enjoy it.

 Would you consider opening more branches?

Certainly. First off, we want to use this (points to a parking lot in the vicinity) as a seating area for about 16. Some things we make, such as ice-cream cake, are cumbersome to deliver. So customers have to sit and enjoy their delicacy here. I wish to continue with this business after school and I’ll still do it when school reopens. My biggest dream is to have various shops around Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru and If God wills, Tanzania and Rwanda. I want to go international.

 Do your parents approve of your plan to juggle school and business?

They have asked me to concentrate on my education and I am intent on convincing them that I can smoothen the business such that by the time the schools reopen, I do not have to be there for the business to run. Perhaps I will only need an appearance when I don’t have classes. My mum will also help out when I am occupied with schoolwork.

 What would you advice anyone looking to start a business?

Imagine what you would like be in 10 years, and then strive to work it out in six months. You will not be there, but you will be somewhere. I look up to Colonel Harland David Sanders, founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken. His name and image are still symbols of the company. He started small and created a whole empire. I am also a big fan of myself, seeing as to how far I have come. It inspires me.