Dear Food Lovers,
When was the last time you walked into a Lagos restaurant and left completely satisfied?
In this edition, we looked beyond the food to talk about what really shapes the Lagos dining experience. We sat down with three bold voices in the food space: Bella of Bella Explores, Tai from foodieinlagos.com, and the ever-candid restaurant consultant Uju Amaeshi to share their honest thoughts on what Lagos restaurants are getting right and where they seriously need to do better.
Let’s get into it.
KINDLY INTRODUCE YOURSELF
Speaker 1
Hi, guys. I am Bella from Bella Explores. I vlog about food, lifestyle, and travel. Basically, I will tell you how to live your best life on a budget.
Speaker 2
Guys, my name is Tai, and I am the only foodie in Lagos. I run a blog called foodieinlagos.com. And I have been doing that for about 10 years.
Speaker 3
Hello, everyone. My name is Uju Amaechi, your undiluted Nigerian food critic and restaurant consultant.
WHAT IS THE ONE THING LAGOS RESTAURANTS CAN DO TO ELEVATE THE DINING EXPERIENCE?
Bella
It has to be consistency. If I go to your restaurant on any day and at any time, I want to have the same level of service, I want to have good food and good drinks. For me, I think you guys should just be consistent, and we are good.
Tai
Ensuring that your staff are well trained, they know the menu inside out, and they have also tasted the meals. So they are able to explain when diners ask, Oh, what can I order on the menu? What is the best on the menu?
Uju
Improved service. If people are going to end up relaxing and enjoying their meal, it’s going to first start from how much trust they have in the people they are interacting with. I think more knowledgeable staff and improved interaction between servers and clients.
WHAT IS THE ONE THING LAGOS RESTAURANTS DO THAT DRIVES YOU CRAZY?
Bella
Haha… Sorry for the laugh, but really, don’t come to a restaurant unless you are dressed this way, minimum spend, and all those things that will make us not want to visit your restaurant. I really don’t like the terms and conditions. We just want to come to the restaurant to have a good time. Don’t tell us what to wear. Don’t tell us how many hours to dine at your restaurant. Definitely, don’t tell us any minimum spend.
Tai
This whole rubbish around the minimum spend. Why are you telling me how much I have to spend on a minimum? I actually think it is nonsense, and I think it needs to be stopped. If I come to a nice restaurant and I only want to have dessert and a drink, and it’s not up to your minimum spend, why can’t I dine?
Uju
You can’t have 1,000 rules and not just having the rules, but enforcing them in an aggressive manner. Recently, there was this restaurant that said… Like my lady said they pulled her out of the restaurant because she was making videos of herself and her food. I mean, it is a public space for a reason. I think that has been very alarming of late.
TELL US ABOUT THE WORST EXPERIENCE YOU HAVE HAD AT A LAGOS RESTAURANT. WHAT WENT WRONG?
Bella
There is one spot like this, which is at Ikeja, and if you know it, you know it. They are quite popular for burgers. It’s been a couple of years, funny enough, but I think they just took that star of my worst restaurant experience because the food was good, surprisingly, but guys, it was so dirty. The chairs were dirty, and the environment was dirty. I mean, if you cook and you sell food, I think cleanliness and your spot have to be neat. It has to be pristine. For me, that just threw me off. I couldn’t even eat the burger I had because it was giving dirty.
Tai
So I went to this place, on Instagram, it looked all glossy, all flossy. A cafe, but focused around maybe like Asian, maybe bits and bobs here and there. We had something called Chinese spaghetti or something like that, I can’t remember. I had it, and to be honest, it wasn’t even Chinese noodles or anything. Basically, it was like spaghettini dripped in dry pepper and boiled egg. It was such a nasty experience.
Uju
I think it was quite a popular one. I visited the restaurant, it was on the mainland, and everything was wrong, from the temperature of the room to the staff. The nails were the longest I had ever seen, and the restroom as well as the kitchen. I ended up suffering from multiple food poisoning, infections, and all of that. But yeah, it was pretty bad.
WHAT IS THE ONE NON-FOOD-RELATED ELEMENT THAT MAKES OR BREAKS A RESTAURANT?
Bella
I think service is super important because you need to make people feel welcome. There is a particular restaurant in Lagos that makes me feel like I am at home. That is the vibe I want when I go to a restaurant.
Tai
It is to have really good customer service and have well-mannered staff as well. Ensure that the general ambience of the space is just really comfortable and void of distractions.
Uju
I think it will still bother on service, following up, and that people still end up making it to your place because there are 1,000 places to choose.
Dining out should be memorable for the right reasons.
At Almond Rouge, we believe hospitality is more than service, it is an art. Every restaurant has the chance to create moments people remember, not just the meals they eat. Is your team trained to deliver consistent and guest-centered service? Are your restaurant policies driving customers away or building loyalty? Let us help you get it right.
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