Restituta finds her niche in the kitchen

Mouthwatering grilled fish aroma fills the air at Resty Fish bbq in Mikocheni just close to Kairuki teaching hospital, suddenly awakening my hunger.

After settling in my chair, a young lady who was busy turning the fish at the barbecue oven caught my eye. She was wearing a hot pink blouse under a white apron.

I later learnt the young lady, 28- year-old Restituta Bura was the owner of the restaurant. One peculiar thing about the young lady with a short blonde haircut is the smile she flashes every time she listens to a customer’s order.

A graduate of the Institute of Finance Management (IFM) Restituta is among a few graduates who dared walk out of their job-hunting mission to invest their energy and skills in doing something out of their comfort zone.

It all started soon after she completed her Bachelor’s degree studies in Insurance and Risk Management at IFM in 2010, followed by years of job hunting before she finally gave up.

“When I was still in college, I always had this dream of landing a well paying job in one of the big insurance companies once I completed my education. Unfortunately, this was never meant to be,” recalls Restituta with a smile.

Unlike her expectations, she had to struggle looking for a job of her profession with no luck. That is when the idea of starting a business came to mind even though she didn’t have enough capital.

With her little savings she started selling earrings, vitenge and other small beauty products. She used the money she earned from the business to buy an air ticket for China to buy merchandise for sale.

“From 2010 to 2013, I searched for a job while doing small business. During that time I managed to raise enough money to travel to China. When I arrived in China I thought the best products to bring home for business would be products for women and so I bought shoes, handbags and clothes,” says Resty.

Upon return, she managed to sell most of the merchandise but says business wasn’t good because she sold on credit. It took time for customers to pay her, something that made her fail to meet her targets.

“I had to think of something else to do to make a living because as a single mother, I have a responsibility to make sure my children have a better future including giving them a better education.”

Because of that, Restituta decided to open an insurance company though she felt the need to do something extra to earn money. The company didn’t do well and so last year Restituta decided to give food service business a try in.

She started a food delivering business based at Victoria area, her focus was on customers around the city centre.

While many people today use social media to engage in unproductive business and for show off, Restituta decided to use the power of social media to her advantage. In the process it ended up making a big difference in her life.

Using her Instagram account, she started to advertise her business and to her surprise, the result was amazing.

“Unlike what I expected, my followers became attracted by the pictures of food I posted every time I finished preparing the barbecue,” she says happily.

Within a short period, Resty who started with a capital of Sh1m started receiving lots of orders.

“I was excited on how people responded positively and above all, how they made me go an extra mile to meet their demands including adding more food varieties on my menu list,” she says excitedly.

Creating jobs

The mother of two employs seven people who assist her in the business where she frequently receives between 30 and 40 orders per day to deliver across the city.

Unlike you would expect of a person handling fish or working in the kitchen, neither does Restituta smell of it nor look untidy like some people doing the same work appear. Instead, Restituta maintains a smart appearance.

“I want to show other young women that they can still look beautiful and smart no matter where or what they do as long as they enjoy what they are doing. They can still look elegant even if they have to work in the kitchen.”

Resty believes that given the current hard economic times, the only way to survive is to work hard and nothing else.

“Life has changed and things are not like they used to be. People need to work hard so they can have the better life they want. Unfortunately, so many people today blame the tough economy we have but the truth is nothing is going to change if they don’t work hard,” Restituta advises. She points out that it is important for youth to come up with creative ideas to be able to make a living. She says this is not the time to sit around and complain about the economy hardship because life must go on.

As a young woman who refused to sit idle and wait for job opportunities to come knocking at her door, Restituta advises women not to give up and never let anyone or anything stop them from achieving their dreams. “The word giving up shouldn’t be in any woman’s head, neither should being left by a man be a reason to give up in life, you will succeed as long as you work hard and you shouldn’t allow your life to be ruined by anyone,” Restituta advises.

The business has enabled Restituta to support her two children and also her parents and relatives. Above all, through her business, she has expanded her network of friends by meeting people she never dreamt of meeting.

Despite having been in the business for less than a year, Restituta plans to open another branch as well as starting a car wash business.

“I am a God fearing woman even though I might look different on the outside. I believe God exists and that he watches over me and that he is everything in my life. With him on my side, in five years to come I see myself as a big business woman with a restaurant chain across the country,” explains Restituta confidently.