RYAN CHIGOCHE
Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) should not put all their eggs in one basket to survive the harsh economic conditions and the deadly Covid-19 pandemic, the 186 Grill and Carwash, manager James Nyamutsita has warned.
The SME was established in April this year by Woodlot Timbers and has survived the harsh economic conditions.
Nyamutsita said the restaurant unit was kept afloat by the car wash business during the past two years. Restaurants were hit the hardest by Covid-19 lockdown measures. Most of the time, restaurants were not allowed to serve sit-in customers.
Apart from that trading hours were also restricted.
“Ever since the onset of the pandemic the (restaurant) sales have been low as operating hours were limited as part of efforts to curb the pandemic. However, like they say ‘do not put all your eggs in one basket. Thanks to our diversification the car wash managed to keep us afloat. And also not forgetting Woodlot Timbers, our parent company which also has been chipping in financially to support the business,” Nyamutsita told Business Times.
He added: “However we are excited as we are anticipating the lockdown to be totally lifted soon.
“We are excited and we have big plans for this place. We want to make it a one-stop shop whereby our customers can have their lunch or their beverage of choice without having to change shop.”
Located in the Msasa Industrial, 186 Grill and Car Wash is owned by Woodlot Timbers, with four directors namely Victor Gwaradzimba, Nicholas Mangonga, Evans Ruziwa and Justin Matenda.
Although the joint is less than six months old, it has become popular Msasa industrial area.
However, the reduced working hours during the pandemic weighed on its business.
Last week the government gave the go-ahead for local restaurants to open for sit-in patrons who produce vaccination certificates, coupled with strict adherence to Covid-19 protocols following a significant decrease in the number of Covid-19 cases now being recorded in the country.
However, Nyamutsita said that he was hoping that the lockdown will be eased further as they can still feel the pinch of the pandemic.
“We have managed to rope in Jazz musician Victor Kunonga as the resident patron but he is yet to begin his duties with lockdown restrictions. We just hope that the operating hours of businesses will be extended so that the restaurant unit of our establishment can take off for good,” he said.
