A rare occasion was witnessed in Nanyuki, where a mass was held to bless Moran lounge and grill entertainment bar and restaurant.
Father Martin Ndegwa of St Teresa Equator Parish, Nanyuki, prayed for the entertainment joint that was established two years ago.
It has been giving back to the community by looking after children from the Laikipia Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre and sharing free meals with their customers.
Father Ndegwa said businesses went through unprecedented challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic but Moran lounge and grill has remained afloat.
“Restaurants and bar services were affected resulting in less number of customers. Even though we are yet to come out of the woods, we thank God for businesses,” Ndegwa said.
Moran lounge and grill director Francis Ngugi said due to the effects of Covid-19, they had to change the business strategy to protect and build the Moran brand.
“They say that reputation is defined during tough times and we thought of different methods of communicating with our customers in Nanyuki for us to remain afloat,” Ngugi said.
“Everyone was going through the same challenges and customers were keen to judge how we react and respond to the challenges that restaurants were going through during the pandemic.”
Co-director Robert Kabata said as investors in bars and restaurants, they had to think of doing things that add value to customers during the pandemic.
“We had to come up with the best recipes for our clients and concentrated on offering the best customer service. We used this forced down period to have our team develop new recipes, undertake competitor research, model labour, update costings and build-out improved training resources,” Kabata said.
“It’s been a challenging time for businesses but we have had to reinvent ourselves and adapt to the ever-changing business climate we are currently living in, leading to the success of our business.”
Kabata said they took time to work with their beer and reserve brands partner to lower pricing because they only sell genuine drinks.
Laikipia assistant county commissioner Catherine Akinyi urged other bar owners to follow the footsteps of Moran lounge and grill and work with the community.
“Moran has employed over 90 er cent of the local community and would like the other investors in the hospitality industry to follow suit,” Akinyi said.
The staff members were later joined by Fgee computer staff and donated assorted food, household items and prepared lunch to the Laikipia Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre under the Laikipia government.
Kelvin Mwangi, the branch administrator, said the contributions came at a time when their stock of essential commodities have been affected by the pandemic.
“We thank well-wishers who have brought donations to our children during this difficult time,” Mwangi said.
Laikipia Rescue and Rehabilitation Center currently hosts over 150 children of both primary and secondary school-going age.
Mwangi said the support demonstrated by the Nanyuki business community is a true friendship and will help the children meet their daily needs.
Edited by Kiilu Damaris
