![[Interview] Mikul Shah, Managing Director, EatOut, Kenya](Images/2018/06/mikul shah.jpg)
[Interview] Mikul Shah, Managing Director, EatOut, Kenya
Mikul Shah is the Managing Director of EatOut a Kenyan tech enabled hospitality media firm with a focus on food and beverage companies that are looking for targeted marketing channels to create awareness for their products. Targets.
He spoke to Africa Business Communities about being shaping Kenya’s food and beverages industry through tech, growing the brand to reach 60,000 monthly diners who use the company’s services to do bookings and the expansion plans.
Tell us about EatOut and your role in it
EatOut is a tech enabled hospitality media company in Kenya. Our vision is to create a vibrant food and drink culture in the region. We have 3 divisions within our business: Publishing & digital content - Yummy Magazine, Event production - We host some of the largest food & drink themed events in Kenya including the popular Nairobi restaurant week and Nairobi Wine Festival.
Who are your clients?
We cater to food and beverage companies who are looking for targeted marketing channels to create awareness of their products. We also target restaurants and foodies.
What do you consider your greatest selling points?
We have established ourselves as the leading media company for the F&B industry with market leading brands in publishing and experiential marketing. We are resellers for InResto, India’s largest SAAS restaurant management software
How has the market responded to your services?
The market has responded well to our services. We have an active customer base of over 60,000 monthly diners who use our services to discover, book and earn discounts and offers at our partner restaurants. Our events have been sponsored by industry leading international brands such as Visa, Safaricom, EABL, Coca Cola and others.
What is the biggest threat or challenge to your business?
Cash flow remains a challenge for our business and but we are working on need improving our payment collections. There is a low barrier to entry for global competitors, although we have diverse revenue streams and a deep vertical representation.
How has customer preferences and trends across Africa shaped your business?
When EatOut started we were the first company to provide an online digital presence for our clients. Over the years Google and Facebook and have also significantly increased their presence in the market and therefore EatOut can no longer charge for simply listing restaurants and we have therefore had to explore transactional revenue models.
What are the ambitions of the company going forward?
Our plan is to be the largest technology solutions provider for restaurants in Kenya and Africa.
The hospitality industry is experiencing tremendous growth across much of Africa. What’s your contribution in this growth?
For the F&B industry, EatOut provides world class solutions to help restaurants understand their customers and spending habits. This will in turn help create targeted marketing solutions that will help generate traffic especially during off peak times.
Any expansion plans in the pipeline?
Our plan is to replicate our success in Nairobi to other cities in Kenya and East Africa.
What is the latest news from EatOut?
We recently announced a partnership with InResto by DineOut India. We will be hosting the second annual Nairobi Wine Week & Festival in July 2019.
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[Interview] Eunice Nyandat, CEO, MBM MyBizMarketer, Kenya
Africa Business Communities is conducting a series of interviews with CEOs & Business Founders in Africa. Do you fit the profile? Great! Send an e-mail to bas@africabusinesscommunities.com
