Too good a lunch for breakfast at Eliena’s joint

Many people are fond of leftover food when it is eaten at breakfast. The idea of devouring steamed rice and beans with a cup of brewing tea is fascinating and budget- friendly. However it is rare to find a restaurant that serves such meals early in the morning.

Eliena Malisa, a student at the Law School of Tanzania, who is herself a big fan of left-over food for breakfast saw this as an opportunity. She started a restaurant, which serves a variety of dishes usually taken at lunch or dinner for breakfast. These include French fries omelette, rice, beef, spaghetti, meatballs, chicken wrap and beef burger.

Eliena, who is currently undertaking her final exams at the law school, officially entered the food industry over a month ago. On September 12, this year she opened a food joint known as ‘Lunch 4 Breakfast’, which serves the early birds who prefer lunch menus for breakfast. The eatery is found inside a cocktail bar named Polos 2.0, which is situated near the Mlimani City Mall in Dar es Salaam.

When I visited Eliena’s place around ten o’clock on a recent Friday morning, I was greeted by a sweet aroma that hinted at a variety of dishes being prepared. The enticing smell that filled the open air restaurant was irresistible.

I made my way toward the far end of the joint, and sat on one of the wooden chairs with soft black cushions. Behind me sat another customer who was feasting on rice and beef curry while scrolling through his smartphone with his left hand.

I quickly scanned the place as I was plugging my laptop into the wall. There are names of people written on the walls and near the entrance, there was a sideboard with about four hotpots. I spotted two women washing dishes near the kitchen, while two more women and two men were seated around the kitchen area.

In a short while, a waiter approached me, ready to take my order. I ordered rice, beef curry and a cup of coffee and as I enjoyed my meal, I saw Eliana receiving orders from customers via phone calls. She thereafter instructed the waitresses to serve and pack the meals ready for delivery.

Talking about her food business, Eliena tells Woman, how it all started.

“I entered the food business when I was eight years old. At that time, I used to make and sell cupcakes with my mother. With time, I grew up loving the idea of earning and saving money,” shares Eliana.

When she joined Mzumbe University some years later, Eliena continued saving money in piggy banks. She later started a small shoe business with the money she had saved and supplied wine to supermarkets in Morogoro at the same time.

In 2015, the enterprising young lady decided to turn her wheels toward selling thrift blazers and shoes, under the name Shaynays Collection, which she still runs. When she started her business, the trend of advertising via social media was taking Tanzania by storm and so she followed suit.

“My clothing and shoe business started at the time when social media was taking off in Tanzania. My mother had gotten sick and so I had to find a way to sustain myself. I approached one of my friends Kelvin, who owns the Polos Cocktail chain of bars for advice on how I could grow financially. I had been impressed by how he had been able to grow his cocktail business.”

Eliena’s friend, Kelvin, gave her an assignment that led to the birth of Lunch for Breakfast. He tasked her to note down a business idea that she would love to work on while running her clothing business at the same time.

Eliena decided to venture into the food industry, for she was convinced that there were plenty of opportunities to be unlocked there.

“After a thorough observation, I noticed that only a few food vendors started working very early in the morning. Furthermore, I wanted to do something different from what we are used to, the usual breakfast menus, which include buns, pancakes, soup, egg chops, cassava, sweet potatoes and the like.”

She adds; “I visualised a food spot where you could have foods that are usually eaten for lunch and dinner, to be served as breakfast dishes. Being among those who wake up early, I pictured myself as one of the customers.”

When Kelvin opened his new Polos 2.0 Cocktail bar near Mlimani City Mall, Eliena asked him to let her use the open space during the hours that the cocktail bar would be closed. Kelvin agreed, and Eliena started her food business together with her cousin, Sam Philemon, and her friend Rahma Ally.

She has been advertising her restaurant through social media, the same way she did and still does with her clothing business. The strategy has helped her business grow as she has been getting more customers by the day.

“Social media has truly impacted my food business and within a short time, we have gained a good number of customers. I was amused to discover that I am not the only one with the lunch cravings for breakfast,” she says with a chuckle.

Eliena, who has been in the business for slightly over a month says she has noticed that such kind of business takes time to grow. She is yet to make a big profit, but she is optimistic.

“The situation motivates me to work even harder to reach my goals. I appreciate the little progress my team and I have made so far. We keep on learning from the challenges we encounter. I foresee us expanding beyond where we currently are. The goal is to open ‘Lunch for Breakfast’ in different parts of the country and give people a unique food experience,” she says.

Eliena expresses her gratitude to her team, in particular her cousin Sam, and her friend Rahma, who run the business whenever she is engaged with schoolwork.

“I am leading a busy life at the moment because I am both an entrepreneur and a student. Since am currently doing my final exams, I have decided to take off momentarily from the business so as to focus more on my studies. In my absence, Sam and Rahma take full charge of the business,” she explains.