There was a time when lockdown restrictions forced everyone to stay indoors. Small towns and villages were hit the hardest because most restaurants don’t offer a food delivery service to rural areas.

Wayne Motswadi the founder of The MYL Steakout restaurant in Ga-Luka village, North West province decided to expand his delivery services to rural areas.

This led to the rapid growth and success of his small business.  

Servicing communities that are often left out by bringing food orders right to their doorstep was an innovative and profitable move. “I saw a 50% increase in sales from deliveries,” says Wayne. 

The MYL Steakout restaurant is one of the few restaurants surrounded by villages in Phokeng. It was built to improve the economy, uplift the community and to introduce locals to new flavours.

The menu is a fusion of new and traditional flavours with flame grilled meat dishes served with salad or pap.

An aggressive marketing strategy also helped Wayne gain a wide variety of customers that have become regulars.

“I used to hand out flyers about my business to people on the streets, in offices and to miners entering and leaving the village” says Wayne.

Word of mouth and good reviews also helped to increase his sales. Community members have also been showing their support for the restaurant because they are happy there is finally an eatery of this calibre in their impoverished area.  

As a technology savvy entrepreneur, Wayne recently launched an online ordering service.

Customers can now place their orders online with an option to choose collection or delivery.

“Mornings are busy for us because miners place orders for collection on their way to work,” says Wayne. 

Placing orders online decreases long queues and people walking in and out of the restaurant to place food orders.  

Wayne is aware of the challenges faced by his community and he does what he can to help.

“I love that there is a piggy bank inside the restaurant where customers can make a donation for girls to buy sanitary pads” says Busisiwe Godlo a community leader. 

Rural areas are usually left out of economic and social development and it’s often up to leaders in the community to start initiatives to help the poor.  

The success of The MYL Steakout restaurant is directly linked to how the business made the lives of the residents easier by delivering food to them when they couldn’t collect.

Wayne saw a growth opportunity which not only improved his life but also the lives of people in surrounding villages.