LIONESS WEEKENDER COVER STORY
Toasties Limited, a fast-casual dining restaurant chain reimagining the way Africans experience meals on the go
Eka Obaigbena is the founder and ceo of Toasties, a fast-casual dining restaurant chain launched in 2016 in Nigeria that aims to reimagine the way Africans experience meals on the go. Toasties' menu consists primarily of fusion sandwiches, salads, and various specials. Eka is also the Founder and CEO of Board, a food gifting and food experience company that presents edible art to its customers. Before launching her businesses in 2016 and 2020 respectively, Eka began her culinary journey in New York City’s French Culinary Institute (now The International Culinary Center) where she trained as a chef in 2011.
Eka then went on to work at Michelin starred restaurants in New York (Aquavit) and Madrid (DiverXO), as well as a number of casual dining restaurants in London. It is during this time that she launched her food blog, Biscuitboneblog, in 2012, where – armed with the tagline “Playing with African food” – she would share her culinary experiments with fusing traditional West African recipes with cuisines from around the world. Inspired by a Heston Blumenthal cooking show, she created her signature “shaki toastie” (a medley of tender tripe, bufala mozzarella and fresh basil), which quickly propelled her into the toastie business. Today, Eka is on a mission to bring quality ingredients and fresh ideas to Africans everywhere. Toasties now has five outlets across Lagos, and plans to continue to expand. Her business has created jobs for 60 employees.
Lioness Weekender spoke to the mission driven founder, Eka Obaigbena, about her entrepreneurial journey, her passion for creating fast-casual dining experiences, and her vision for the business.
What does your company do?
Toasties is a fast-casual dining restaurant chain that is on a mission to reimagine the way Africans experience meals on-the-go. Our aim is to bring convenience and variety to our busy on-the-go customers. Toasties' menu consists primarily of toasted fusion sandwiches that are made up of locally sourced ingredients. Our creations include local delicacies such as shaki (tripe), asun (spicy goat meat), and ram, presented - unconventionally - in sandwiches. We also offer a selection of fusion salads, specials, and cold and hot beverages. Toasties caters primarily to on-the-go consumers at offices, and to remote workers. Our delivery service makes up the bulk of our business.
What inspired you to start your company?
After finishing culinary school in 2011, I began working in fine dining restaurants full-time, and during my evenings and weekends I would create recipes for my food blog (Biscuitboneblog). Armed with the tagline "Playing with African food" I explored fusing an array of African dishes with cuisines from around the world and would share my findings on the blog. A few years into blogging, I came across a cooking show by renowned celebrity chef, Heston Blumenthal. In the episode he took viewers through the history of the sandwich, and at the end of the episode, he prepared his funky take on a sandwich using offal. Naturally, I decided to create a something similar for my blog, using tripe (a popular protein in many Nigerian dishes) and popular Nigerian dishes. It was so good that I decided to move back to Nigeria to explore the sandwich business.
Why should anyone use your service or product?
Our toastie combinations are totally unique. Additionally, sandwich offerings on restaurant menus in 2016 were very limited. Our out-of-the box creations had not been seen prior to that. Our fast-casual dining concept was also unheard of at the time. The current bustling food and hospitality scene in Lagos was also very much in its nascency stage when we first launched. Food delivery was a fairly new concept, and the dining out culture in Lagos was just beginning to blossom. In many ways it was perfect timing as Lagosians were becoming increasingly experimental. All these factors allowed us to carve out a niche and build a name for ourselves. Today, our emphasis on quality convenient service has allowed us to stand apart.
Tell us a little about your team:
Toasties has 60 employees across our five outlets. Our team is made up primarily of young, ambitious, and inspiring individuals with a common goal of redefining the way Africans experience meals.
Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And do you come from an entrepreneurial background?
Toasties was my first real foray into entrepreneurship. While I had dabbled as a child with my sisters when we created a teen magazine, it did not live past one edition. It was more of a once-off project than a business. That said, both of my parents are entrepreneurs, so I always expected to become one. As a child, whenever I was posed with the question, "what would you like to become when you grow up," my answer, without fail, was always "a businesswoman.” I graduated from university with a degree in journalism, but decided quite quickly that I wanted to work in the food industry. I then enrolled in culinary school and worked in fine dining establishments around the world. I was determined to gain as much experience as possible before opening my own restaurant "someday." Little did I know that I would end up in the Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) business.
What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?
I'm determined to continue to expand Toasties to multiple locations across many African markets and the diaspora. I have dreams of seeing Toasties become a leading QSR brand and positioning African food to the rest of the world. I believe there is no reason why African cuisines are not being celebrated on a global stage the way others are. It is also my dream that Toasties will assist in connecting Africans to one another through food, as I feel it is a shame that we are so disconnected on the continent. As Africans we ought to know more about our neighbors, and food has always been a great connector.
What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?
I enjoy watching the impact something I have created has had on our customers, our team members, and the Nigerian food industry at large. Every day we are contributing to what it means to have convenient, delicious meals. We are also helping to reshape consumer behavior within the markets in which we operate. Finally, every day we train a workforce on safe food practices and quality customer service so that, even after they leave us, they are taking new lessons and evangelizing these safe practices everywhere they go. We're doing our part to rebrand the hospitality industry.
What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?
Don't get so caught up in the details that you become intimidated, and it prevents you from starting. Do your research and just begin. You'll figure it out along the way and will develop great problem-solving skills on the journey.
Additionally, while building your business, always look for ways to serve your customers better. Think about how you can operate more efficiently, train more effectively, and generally be in a state of constant innovation. This can help you to increase the general lifetime cycle of each customer. Finally -- know your numbers!
To learn more about Toasties, contact Eka Obaigbena via email: eka@biscuitboneblog.com or visit the website and social media platforms.
Website: http://www.toasties.ng
Facebook: http://facebook.com/toasties.ng
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/toastiesng
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/toasties.ng
YouTube: www.youtube.com/@toastiesng
