Podcast Interview with Founder 9yards Catering & Cocktails
Lanre Lambo is one half of the husband wife duo of Kitchen 9 catering services and 9 Yards Cocktails. He studied Economics at O.A.U, Ife. The business started 10 years ago and they have carved a niche as a very competent corporate caterer.
Podcast Show Note
Sometime in 2005, I escorted a friend to the airport with his children, so we had a meal at the departure, and there was this orange juice machine I got interested in it and eventually imported some from China. So we started doing cocktails afterward and that was how the business began in 2008.
My wife and I have been partners ever since.
How did you learn how to make cocktails
Google and YouTube videos were my source of knowledge for making cocktails. But years into business, my wife went to a catering school in the U.K and her skills helped us restructure the kitchen to achieve what a proper commercial kitchen should look like.
Starting days for business including funding?
It was mostly organic but, I spent some money as well. I left V-mobile in 2007 so, I had some personal savings that went into acquiring the machine. Then we took loan from a microfinance bank.
Can you describe your typical work day?
We are two official partners. My partner runs the operational aspects and I do more of the sales, marketing and PR part of the business. Overtime, we have reduced our engagement with private catering and we do more of corporate catering as it is pretty forward and easier than individual event catering.
What steps have you taken to see that your brand remains competitive?
- We keep our customers happy
- We render decent service and good food
- We hire good waiters and make sure they stay happy doing their job always.
Where do you see your brand in 5yrs/10yrs?
We are looking at the restaurant option. I mean, that’s the next thing for us, in addition, to have a more successful catering and restaurant business chain.
What piece of business advice would you give someone starting up?
- It is a marathon! There should be a long time plan
- Give it your best and stay persistent
- Your food has to be good and you have to get the pricing right.
What advice would you give your young self?
Get more information
Books and Resource recommendation:
YouTube and Google I think is a good resource because videos are very convincing.
Key Points:
- Google and YouTube videos were my source of knowledge for making cocktails
- Keep your customers happy, render decent service and good food
- Hire good waiters and make sure they stay happy doing their job always
- One need to get through the incubation stage in catering to get the lifestyle they might want
- If you focus more on your lifestyle then, there is tendency that you’d run down the business by yourself
- You have to delegate jobs so that you don’t have to be here and there.
@9yardscocktails / 08023877238, 08023505311
